A million dollar grant from the federal government to the Virgin Islands to provide water in Coral Bay is down the drain.
The money was authorized to help the Water and Power Authority explore the feasibility of a reverse osmosis plant on the east end of the island. That would reduce the need for schools and businesses and churches to rely on Cruz Bay water trucks.
The grant is being closed out, and no more money will be available, said the federal Office of Insular Affairs director, Nikolao Pula, the Virgin Islands Daily News reported.
There had been opposition to the water plant idea, the Daily News said. Environmentalists worried that discharges from the plant would find their way to Coral Bay and unbalance the ecosystem.
The project never got off the ground. Efforts to find a site for the plant stumbled. Neither government-owned or private property was available.The News reported about 50% of the money has already been spent, on designs, studies, and the search for land. WAPA be able to use whatever money is unspent to improve existing water distribution facilities.