The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency awarded $349,484 to Research Triangle Institute to continue water-quality studies in the U.S. Virgin Islands, including work used to establish pollution limits for impaired coastal waters.
The contract was awarded September 24 and publicly disclosed by EPA on October 5. It supports the territory's Basic Water Quality Monitoring Program and runs through September 2027.
The work includes Total Maximum Daily Load studies, which determine how much of a pollutant a water body can receive while still meeting federal and territorial standards. Federal records identify affected waters around St. Croix, St. Thomas and St. John, including high-priority protected marine areas.
The public contract information does not identify the specific bays or pollutants covered by this award, and it does not identify the court order behind the federal timetable. Future public-comment periods are expected before any pollution limits are formally adopted.
EPA and DPNR should publish a project map identifying the waters, pollutants, sampling data, court deadlines and public-comment schedule covered by the contract.
Source published October 8, 2026; publication time not displayed. Read the original reporting or release for the complete record.
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