Lawmakers press Waste Management Authority on collapsing sewer lines as officials warn full repair could take years

Senators and residents pressed the U.S. Virgin Islands Waste Management Authority (WMA) on July 7 about repeated raw‑sewage releases and long‑running infrastructure failures that have affected businesses and neighborhoods across the territory.

The committee heard that WMA Interim Executive Director Daryl Griffith said the authority purchased emergency pumps but has not yet received some intended funds. "We never received the funds, unfortunately, but we did purchase the pumps," Griffith said, adding that the authority has been installing bypass pumps and repairing collapsed lines while planning a full replacement.

The discussion centered on recurring collapses of gravity and force mains — including a 42‑inch gravity main and a 24‑inch force main on Veterans Drive — that have forced repeated bypasses and localized flooding behind businesses near Windward Passage and Banco Popular. Engineering manager Alex Bruni told senators that the system includes dozens of distressed locations and that crews are inspecting manholes to identify backups. "If that's not resolved immediately, then we have to do more internal investigation to figure out where the blockage is, if there's a collapse in that area, and then move…