Environmental Protection Agency officials may take control of some mismanaged U.S. Virgin Islands environmental programs that allowed issues such as bacteria-infected drinking water, a government watchdog reported.
The U.S. territory for years has neglected duties required by its millions of dollars in grants, such as monitoring water and air quality and enforcing regulations, according to the Environmental Protection Agency inspector general. The agency awarded $4.6 million to carry out such duties through 2014.
If Virgin Island officials don’t improve their management, the environmental agency could take over any programs required by the Clean Water Act in March 2016.
The Virgin Islands “has not effectively implemented several environmental programs, which can result in increased risk to the public and the environment from environmental pollutants,” the inspector general said.
For example, samples weren’t tested at one publicly-owned drinking water utility until after the inspector general reported water discoloration and low amounts of chlorine in March 2014.
Eight of the 10 sites sampled tested positive for fecal coliform bacteria, which can cause diseases such as typhoid, hepatitis A and cholera.
The inspector general remained concerned, even after Virgin Islands officials created an environmental agency-approved corrective plan, for two reasons.
First, 17 years of water utility data showed no other instances of bacterial infection, which “raises questions … about the validity of the historical record,” the report said. Second, the sites where bacteria was found was not subsequently routinely monitored.
“As a result, the EPA, the water utility and the public do not know whether the bacteria results indicate a serious human health risk in the drinking water system on St. Thomas,” the inspector general said.
Investigators also reported that nearly half of the required quality tests on fishing and swimming water weren’t taken from 2007 to 2013.
Consequently, the environmental agency could have listed the Virgin Islands as non-compliant – which would have revoked funding – when the problem was identified in 2010. Instead, the agency opted to fund and manage a contractor to perform the testing.
Other program mis-management included poor underground pipe inspections, insufficiently trained inspectors and various facilities going unpunished for environmental regulations violations.
Investigators also found that a lack of money was a major cause of the Virgin Islands’ environmental management deficiencies.
However, those money issues could be alleviated if the Virgin Islands would update its financial system to comply with federal requirements. Until then, the environmental agency will withhold $37 million the territory has accumulated in grants.
The inspector general also noted that the environmental agency should have caught the Virgin Island’s mismanaged programs.
The environmental agency will give the territory until March 2016 to improve its management under stricter oversight before deciding if it will take over its Clean Water Act programs.
