The GOAL of the CES Water Quality Program is to improve the quality of Virgin Islands' coastal and ground waters. To achieve this goal, the CES Water Quality Program provides public information and outreach, as well as technical assistance to the public on ways to minimize or prevent Nonpoint Source Pollution. Nonpoint Source Pollution is caused by rainwater flowing over and through the ground, picking up pollutants such as sediment, nutrients, bacteria, oils, heavy metals and other toxic chemicals and carrying it into ground water or into guts, ponds, bays and other coastal waters. To provide information to the Virgin Islands public on NPS pollution issues, UVI-CES publishes a quarterly newsletter, VI NPS Update, describing on-going research and demonstration projects, community education and outreach programs and government initiatives in the territory and the wider Caribbean area. VI NPS Update is funded through a Nonpoint Source Pollution Management Program grant from the V.I. Department of Planning and Natural Resources.
Water Quality Target Areas
Erosion & Sediment Control
Sediment eroded from construction sites, dirt roads, and other areas with bare soils is the most prevalent pollutant impairing Virgin Islands coastal waters. Extension provides homeowners, renters, contractors, developers, government personnel, or any other interested party with information on the proper use, design, installation and maintenance of practices to conserve soil (prevent erosion) and prevent eroded soil from leaving the property.As part of our outreach effort, Extension conducts workshops and works closely with local and Federal government agencies to conduct programs and demonstration projects. Other services offered include site visits, review of erosion and sediment control plans, and identification of plant species. The Cooperative Extension Service Soils Diagnostic Lab provides soil characterization services to the general public free of charge. In addition, USDA's updated 1995 Soil Survey of the U.S. Virgin Islands data can be obtained from the UVI Cooperative Extension Service office on St. Thomas as well as the USDA Natural Resource Conservation Service's (NRCS) office in Gallow's Bay, St. Croix.
A valuable resource available from the CES Water
Quality Program is the revised 2002 Virgin
Islands Environmental Protection Handbook. This Handbook details proper
measures and
practices to implement to control erosion, sedimentation and stormwater runoff. In addition,
information is provided on erosion and stormwater runoff modeling, as well as design and
construction details for specific practices. The Handbook is intended to be utilized as a guidance
manual to assist developers in complying with the Virgin Islands Coastal Zone Management and
Environmental Protection Laws.
Least Toxic Household Products
Many of these products, when
discarded, are considered to
be household hazardous wastes that can pollute our land,
water and even air (should it catch on fire in our landfills).
Alternative recipes to
toxic household cleaners use a simple
mixture of baking soda, vinegar, lemon or lime juice,
rubbing alcohol, and other common household items that are
relatively inexpensive and easy to obtain. Not only can
changing our habits improve our health and the health of our environment, but we can save
money too!
CES provides the public with information on low-cost, easy to find or make alternatives to toxic household products through our "Recipes for a Non-Toxic Household" workshops and publications. Workshops can be scheduled and publications made available upon request.
VI*A*Syst
The UVI Cooperative Extension Service has developed a Virgin Islands Home
& Farm Water Quality Assessment Program as part of the National
Farm*A*Syst/Home*A*Syst Program sponsored by the USDA Cooperative
State Research, Education and Extension Service, the U.S. Environmental
Protection Agency, and the USDA
Natural Resources Conservation Service.
The Virgin Islands Home & Farm Water Quality Assessment
Program offers a simple and
effective way to identify many sources of suburban and rural water pollution and offers
information on how to correct pollution problems. Using an assessment worksheet and
accompanying information factsheets, homeowners, farmers, other landowners or renters can
identify potential water pollution problems and then turn this knowledge into actions to protect
water quality. Specific areas that are evaluated include:
The type and
location of your drinking water supply (cistern or well); - Household
wastewater disposal practices;
- Household
hazardous waste management practices;
- Storage and
disposal of potential contaminants such as fertilizers, pesticides, and
petroleum products;
- Livestock
management; and
- The evaluation of
soils, topography and geologic conditions on your property.
To receive a V.I. Home & Farm Water Quality Assessment package, contact the UVI Cooperative Extension Service at 693-1080 on St. Thomas - St. John, or 692-4080 or 692-9632 on St. Croix. You can also stop by the St. Thomas CES office in UVI's New House Building, the St. Croix CES office at UVI's Research and Extension Center, or the Virgin Islands Resource Conservation & Development Council, Inc. office in Gallows Bay, St. Croix. The V.I. Home & Farm Water Quality Assessment Program is sponsored by the UVI Cooperative Extension Service, the Virgin Islands Resource Conservation & Development Council, Inc., and the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service.
Water Education
Staff members of the CES Water Quality Program are available to give presentations to schools, youth groups, community organizations, and government personnel, as well as to provide student activity and curriculum materials to teachers and youth group leaders. Topics on which presentations can be made include:
The water cycle -- how water is
recycled through the environment;Water pollution,Watersheds and
ecosystem health,Erosion and sediment
control, andWater conservation.
Many of our presentations and materials incorporate materials developed by the Give Water a Hand youth education program.
Watershed Protection
The landscape is made up of many interconnected basins, or watersheds. A watershed is a geographic area where all the water drains to a common outlet, such as a gut, pond or mangrove lagoon, bay, or other coastal area. Everyone lives in a watershed. You influence what happens in your watershed, good or bad, by how you treat the natural resources in that watershed. Sometimes we overlook the many things around us that can harm our watersheds and coastal waters, and the plants and animals that live there. In order to protect our watersheds, the UVI Cooperative Extension Service emphasizes addressing development planning and pollution problems and solutions on a watershed basis. This enables cumulative effects of pollution problems in a watershed to be controlled and reduced. Additional information on watershed planing can be found in the 2002 Virgin Islands Environmental Protection Handbook.Meet our Award-winning staff!
Other Related Sites: 
Nonpoint Education for Municipal Officials (NEMO)
Last Updated on October 8, 2002 by Julie Wright
