CHARLOTTE AMALIE — The Office of Disaster Recovery announces the obligation of $5.7 million to the Virgin Islands Waste Management Authority to repair sewer lines in the Garden Street, Savan, and Moravian Guts on St. Thomas.
The Federal Emergency Management Agency’s Public Assistance Program funds will be used to restore approximately 4,570 linear feet of sewer line in the heavily-trafficked area.
Excessive rainfall during Hurricanes Irma and Maria caused overflows and the accumulation of debris that damaged the sewer collection systems.
These issues were continuing to trigger recurring sewage overflows on
Garden Street and in Savan.
“This obligation is critical to the completion of the project. Permanent repairs have already begun in the Garden Street, and Moravian Gut as the project is approximately 80 percent complete,” Acting Chief Operating Officer Ann Hanley, Virgin Islands Waste Management Authority, said. “The project will address long-standing issues by replacing severely damaged sewer lines, manholes, and laterals, including the removal of temporary bypass lines. The Virgin Islands Waste Management Authority thanks the Federal Emergency Management Agency for the funds to address sewage backups and overflow discharge at the guts in Savan, Garden Street, and near the Memorial Moravian Church on St. Thomas.”
The Authority has engineered improvements into the system to make the lines more resilient and will also replace thirty-nine manholes disposing of old frames, covers, and pipes.
“These repairs go hand in hand with the proposed United States Army Corp of Engineers Savan Gut Phase II, VI Project, which, if approved, will construct a wider and deeper gut and remodel three bridges to compensate
for the increase in capacity,” Office of Disaster Recovery Director Adrienne L. Williams-Octalien said.
This obligation will cover ninety percent of the cost of permanent repairs, restoring the lines to their full functionality and capacity, Williams-Octalien said.
This project should be complete by the end of this year, she said.
https://www.saj.usace.army.mil/About/Congressional-Fact-Sheets-2020/Savan-Gut-Phase-II-VI-I/
