Drinking Water & Wastewater Research Projects, Reports, & Plans
Research Projects
In 2020, CBCC conducted a performance study of the most commonly used aerating onsite waste treatment systems and conventional septic tanks working with two contractors: Horsley-Witten Group (HW), an engineering and environmental consulting firm focused on sustainable water resource protection, who analyzed the data and wrote the final report and recommendations, and Ocean Systems Laboratory, Inc. (OSL), an EPA-certified lab that conducted the sample collection and analysis.
CBCC has received follow-on funding for additional testing and analysis of drinking water and wastewater systems, particularly focused on education for homeowner maintenance of these systems.Many island-specific variables influence the performance of these systems, including seasonal rainfall extremes, frequent power outages, seasonal/rental use and maintenance challenges.
The 2020 Drinking Water & Wastewater Systems Performance Study will help find out how effectively these technologies are reducing contaminants such as nitrogen and E. Coli fecal bacteria that can pollute our environment and affect our health. CBCC will also be conducting research on coastal water and groundwater quality.
This wastewater treatment performance study is a part of CBCC’s Phase 2 project to implement recommendations from the 2015 Coral Bay Potable Water Supply and Wastewater Treatment Plans and 2019 Advancing Onsite Wastewater Treatment in the USVI: An Evaluation of Current Usage and Emerging Technologies on St. John, USVI (Phase 1) Report.
Reports
The Coral Bay Community Council CARE Project: Cistern Water Quality Testing & Results in Coral Bay, St. John, US Virgin Islands report summarizes CBCC’s basic cistern water quality testing conducted in 2010-2011 to assess the following questions:
- Are there contaminants in our cistern water?
- Can such a water supply be trusted to be meet drinking water standards?
Research efforts were supported by an EPA Community Action for Renewed Environment (CARE) grant awarded to CBCC.