Current:Home > MarketsUS Virgin Islands warns that tap water in St. Croix is contaminated with lead and copper -WealthRise Academy
US Virgin Islands warns that tap water in St. Croix is contaminated with lead and copper
View
Date:2025-04-18 21:53:18
SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) — The government of the U.S. Virgin Islands on Friday warned that people on the island of St. Croix should not drink their tap water because officials found high levels of lead and copper.
Authorities said they are conducting more tests as they investigate the source and extent of the problem. They added that the U.S. territory’s Water and Power Authority continues to flush water lines to decrease the amount of toxins.
The water was first tested in late September as part of a local and federal investigation into its brown and red color.
The U.S. Virgin Islands government said in a statement that it was working to make a case for the declaration of a federal emergency to obtain resources for further testing and other assistance.
The local Department of Health has set up hotlines and said testing for lead exposure was available.
Officials noted that while the tap water in St. Croix should not be ingested, it is safe to use for showering and cleaning.
veryGood! (79)
Related
- Megan Fox's ex Brian Austin Green tells Machine Gun Kelly to 'grow up'
- Islanders give up two goals in nine seconds, blow 3-0 lead in loss to Hurricanes
- Knicks go up 2-0 in first round of NBA playoffs after Sixers blow lead in final minute
- U.S. News & World Report lists its best electric and hybrid vehicles for 2024
- Newly elected West Virginia lawmaker arrested and accused of making terroristic threats
- Man charged with hate crime for vandalizing Islamic center at Rutgers, prosecutors say
- Minnesota and other Democratic-led states lead pushback on censorship. They’re banning the book ban
- Yale student demonstrators arrested amid pro-Palestinian protest
- Former longtime South Carolina congressman John Spratt dies at 82
- Jets trade Zach Wilson to Broncos, officially cutting bait on former starting QB
Ranking
- Gen. Mark Milley's security detail and security clearance revoked, Pentagon says
- Republican candidates vying for Indiana governor to take debate stage
- Prince Louis Is All Grown Up in Royally Sweet 6th Birthday Portrait
- U.S. agrees to withdraw troops from Niger
- At site of suspected mass killings, Syrians recall horrors, hope for answers
- How Zendaya Really Feels About Turning 30 Soon
- Milwaukee man charged in dismemberment death pleads not guilty
- Candace Cameron Bure Reveals How She “Almost Died” on Set of Fuller House Series
Recommendation
FACT FOCUS: Inspector general’s Jan. 6 report misrepresented as proof of FBI setup
Endangered species are dying out on Earth. Could they be saved in outer space?
Prince Louis Is All Grown Up in Royally Sweet 6th Birthday Portrait
Trial opens for former Virginia hospital medical director accused of sexual abuse of ex-patients
This was the average Social Security benefit in 2004, and here's what it is now
Endangered species are dying out on Earth. Could they be saved in outer space?
Hotter temperatures mean higher utility costs for millions of Americans
2 hunters may have died of prion disease from eating contaminated deer meat, researchers say