The Virgin Islands Waste Management Authority says continuing power disruptions can cause sewer overflows on St. Thomas and St. John as wastewater operations lose power and system levels rise.
On St. Thomas, sewage may emerge from manholes and other affected areas. On St. John, VIWMA identifies the area in and around the Cruz Bay Wastewater Treatment Plant as a location where continued outages may lead to overflows.
Residents and motorists should avoid standing or flowing water, overflowing manholes and any place where sewage may be present. Children and pets should also be kept away from potentially affected areas.
VIWMA says wastewater levels can take several hours to return to normal after electrical service is restored. The authority is monitoring and responding to reported overflows, but the notice is a risk advisory rather than a list of every active overflow location.
VIWMA should publish a timestamped map of confirmed overflow locations, cleanup status and the criteria for lifting the advisory after power stabilizes.
Source published October 23, 2026; publication time not displayed. Read the original reporting or release for the complete record.
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