April 24, 2005 – Team St. Croix and Sustainable Systems & Design International will host the first in a series of meetings focusing on planning and design of an irrigation system to make use of reclaimed water available from St. Croix’s soon-to-be-built wastewater treatment plant. The meeting will be on Monday at 6 p.m. at the University of the Virgin Islands Research and Extension Center, room 133.
The meeting will be attended by representatives of the farming community, Carambola Golf Club, St. Georges Botanical Garden, the V.I. Waste Management Authority, the V.I. Department of Agriculture, V.I. Department of Planning and Natural Resources, the U.S. Department of Agriculture and Rural Conservation and Development.
According to a release issued by SSDI, the meeting's goal will be to sketch out the broad parameters of an irrigation system that would best serve the needs of potential users in the mid-island area. Work teams will then be formed to focus on gathering information on system components: infrastructure design (pipes, ponds, tanks, etc.), irrigation application methods/hardware, hydrological and soil issues, operational and management policy, operation and management cost and infrastructure capital cost.
The goal of this community planning effort is to develop a comprehensive plan that will make the best use of the 1 to 1.5 million gallons per day of reclaimed water that will be available once a new wastewater treatment facility is operational on St. Croix.