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The Unified Command, on Tuesday, will download the first set of “real time” data from air monitors deployed across the island and through a process of elimination will come closer to pinpointing the source of odors that have been emanating across the island and making some residents sick, Governor John P. de Jongh, Jr. was told in an early-morning comprehensive briefing held at the center where multiple local and federal agencies are conducting its response effort dubbed, “Operation Breathe Easy.”
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| Joined by DPNR Commissioner Alicia Barnes and VITEMA Director Elton Lewis, Governor John P. de Jongh, Jr. receives an update Tuesday morning from EPA officials Ariel Iglesas and Dwayne Harrington at the Unified Command Center established at the V.I. National Guard Lionel Jackson Armory on St. Croix. Iglesas is the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Branch Chief, Caribbean Environmental Protection Division Response and Remedial Branch and Harrington is the agency's on scene coordinator on St. Croix. |
De Jongh and Lt. Gov. Gregory Francis have been in constant communication with Unified Command, comprised of a team of technical experts from the Department of Planning and Natural Resources (DPNR), the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the Department of Health, the V.I. Fire Services and the V.I. National Guard’s 23rd Civil Support Team and today gathered with the team for a status report on their efforts. Unified Command became operational last Saturday with DPNR as the lead agency for this event and the Virgin Islands Territorial Emergency Management Agency (VITEMA) serving as a coordinating element.
“Our main concern is for the health and safety of our citizens and the fact that we are taking a scientific approach to determine the cause of the odors is significant,” de Jongh said. “When we report to the community what our findings are and what corrective measures will be taken -- possibly including fines and assessments -- we will do so with sound data based on a scientific approach.”
Today, Alicia V. Barnes, Commissioner of Planning and Natural Resources, and Elton Lewis, Director of VITEMA, laid out the objectives and specified tasks under which the Unified Command is operating to determine the source of multiple odors that plagued St. Croix for the past week, from mid-island to Frederiksted. The goals and objectives are not only to identify the source of the odors, but also to identify the substances released into the air, to determine the consequences to public health, and to implement corrective measures.
DPNR, EPA and CST technical experts, on Monday, completed a Monitoring Plan utilizing scientific modeling that was developed using data gathered from both stationary and handheld air monitors, meteorological and atmospheric conditions, emergency calls to VITEMA 911 centers and information provided by the Department of Health, the Governor Juan F. Luis Hospital and local doctors.
As part of the Monitoring Plan, ten stationary air monitors have been strategically positioned near industrial sites and sensitive populations as well as other areas where many complaints have been fielded since a week ago today. Those monitors will give the Joint Assessment Teams comprised of staff of DPNR, EPA and the CST, more accurate readings of the air quality.
“We are utilizing science to get to the behavior of gases we are dealing with and migration of the odors from one area to the other area,” Barnes said. ”The Monitoring Plan, developed through a process of quality control and quality assurance, will enable the Unified Command to get real time data, taking into account atmospheric and meteorological conditions. Through a process of elimination, we will be able to identify the source.” Barnes also said that a source could be known as early as next week after data is collected and the process of elimination is employed, noting the odors can be from either one event at one facility or a combination of events from various sources. Barnes added that it has taken this long because not one entity has stepped forward to claim responsibility. In the “environmental world, the standard is for the responsible party to step forward,” Barnes said.
During the briefing Barnes also told the governor that the major concern was the potential health impact to level of sulfur oxide (SO2), hydrogen sulfide (H2S) and Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs). “So far three distinct odors have been identified -- a hydrocarbon or a gassy smell, organic waste compound and a sweet aroma consistent with certain industrial processes,” Barnes said. “Identification of a source is critical to this operation and we cannot eliminate any potential source.”
“We are not eliminating anyone at this time,” Barnes said, adding that a Joint Assessment Team has monitored areas at the Cruzan Rum distillery, Hovensa, Diageo, Anguilla Landfill and the V.I. Waste Management Authority waste water treatment plant. Data collected will also be used as a gauge on any long-term health effects, she said.
According to Lewis, a total of 67 calls were made to the 911 call center between May 13-16, at the height of the incidents.
Following the briefing at Unified Command, de Jongh visited the campuses of John H. Woodson Junior High School and Central High School. Both were impacted by the pungent odor over the past several days. At the schools, the governor spoke with school administrators and students who noted that today, the odor was not as noticeable as it had been in past days.
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