Published by the University of the Virgin Islands Cooperative Extension Service
Marine Park Management Plan focus group
meeting, held November 15, 2001 on St. John.
Table of Contents
DPNR Develops New Septic System Rules &
Regulations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
UVI Partners with DPNR on Marine Park
Project . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
V.I. Marina BMP Effectiveness Study. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
CDC to Introduce GIS to UVI Classrooms . . . . . . . . . . 2
Coral Bay Sedimentation Monitoring to
Begin Soon . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
St. Croix Coastweeks a Huge Success!. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
Web Resources . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
Available Grants . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
Upcoming Events . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
Nonpoint Source Pollution Committee Newsletter
Vol. 4, No. 4
December 2001/January 2002
DPNR Develops New Septic
System Rules & Regulations
Governor Charles W. Turnbull signed new
rules and regulations for onsite sewage dispo-
sal systems (OSDS, or septic systems) on
November 29, 2001. The Department of
Planning and Natural Resources Coastal Zone
Management Di-vision (DPNR-CZM) devel-
oped these rules and regulations after many
years of scientific research, public meetings on
all three islands, and revisions reflecting the
concerns of interested persons.
The new rules and regulations provide many
sewage disposal options appropriate for our
tropical environment. Specific topics address-
ed in the rules and regulations include: soil
type, system sizing, and effluent disposal. Not
only do the rules and regulations apply to tra-
ditional systems such as septic tanks with leach
fields or seepage pits, they also apply to
alternative systems such as constructed wet-
lands. For the first time, provisions have been
made to address concerns on how new, inno-
vative technologies developed in other areas
can be certified for use in the Virgin Islands.
DPNR-CZM will implement the new rules and
regulations in the near future. For a copy of
the new rules and regs, contact CZM at (340)
774-3320 on St. Thomas or (340) 773-3450
on St. Croix, or stop by either office.
UVI Partners with DPNR-
CZM on Marine Park Project
UVI recently held stakeholder workshops and
community meetings throughout the territory
to solicit input from the public on develop-
ment of a Marine Park Management Plan for
the Virgin Islands. One of the major issues
identified at the meetings was the impact of
land-based activities and nonpoint source pol-
lution on the marine environment. The draft
management plan for the proposed East End
Marine Park on St. Croix identifies strategies
to deal with these threats.
The VI Marine Park Project is an initiative of
the Virgin Islands government and part of the
National Action Plan to Conserve Coral Reefs.
UVI is coordinating project implementation
through a grant awarded by DPNR-CZM.
Project goals are to establish the objectives,
policies, and procedures to manage marine
resources in the USVI’s territorial waters and
to develop marine protected areas.
The project has drawn national attention, and
DPNR-CZM has twice received accolades for
the project. The first was the Walter B. Jones
Award for Excellence in Government (see last
NPS Update issue). The second was a recog-
nition “award” given by the U.S. Coral Reef
Task Force for “leadership and commitment in de-
veloping the first marine park and a system of coral
reef marine protected areas.”
The honors received by DPNR-CZM are more
examples of UVI fulfilling its commit-ment to
contribute to the wider USVI com-munity by
providing service of such high qua-lity that its
partner institutions can demon-strate works of
excellence.
This first phase of the project will be
completed in March 2002. However,
continued support from NOAA will fund
implementation of the manage-ment plan for
the East End Marine Park, and con-tinued
work on the system plan for marine protec-ted
areas.
For further information on the project, con-
tact Bill Rohring, DPNR-CZM, at (340) 774-
3320 or bill.rohring@noaa.gov, or visit
http://rps.uvi.edu/VIMarinePark.html.
V.I. Marina BMP Effective-
ness Study
A study of the effectiveness of best manage-
ment practices (BMPs) used by Virgin
Islands marinas found that “leaving a vegetative
buffer between shoreline marina facilities is the best
way to keep the waters and sediments in marinas
healthy,” stated Dr. Lynne Hinkey, principal
investigator. The study also found that the im-
pacts of marinas on water and sediment quali-
ty are no different than the impacts from sur-
rounding non-marina development.  
Water and sediment quality parameters and
con-tam-inant levels were measured over a
two-year period at Crown Bay Marina,
Independent Boatyard, American Yacht
Harbor, and Cruz Bay (St. John). Sediment
characteristics were also exam-ined in order to
better understand and predict pol-lutant fate
and im-pacts at the sites. Some sedi-ment
types can remove pollutants from orga-nisms,
while others can concentrate them and
increase their chance for exposure.
Water and sediment quality were compared to
the BMPs used at each site. The common BMP
at all of the “healthy sites” was a vegetation
buffer along the shoreline. Other BMPs were
only effective when targeted to a specific
pollution source at a specific site. For example,
silt fencing along a mari-na shoreline doesn’t
reduce turbidity if the sedi-ment source is up-
stream in the watershed. Simi-larly, oil
containment booms at the fuel dock don’t
protect marina waters from petroleum running
off parking lots and roads.
Contaminants associated with marinas (petro-
leum from engines and heavy metals from bot-
tom paints, maintenance, batteries, and keels),
and from non-marina sources (PCBs from in-
dustries like WAPA, and pesticides from go-
vernment and private mosquito control pro-
grams) were measured. The most common
marina contaminants identified in this study
were petroleum (in water, figure 1, page 2),
and metals (in sediments, figure 2, page 2).
S e v e n t h 
D a y 
A d v e n t i s t 
P a t h f i n d e r s 
a n d
Adventurers at their Coastweeks clean-up of
Halfpenny Beach.
"Protecting Land, Sand & Sea
for a Healthy Environment &
Economy"
The Virgin Islands Nonpoint Source
Pollution Committee announces
that the 7th Annual V.I. Nonpoint
Source Pollution Conference will
be held May 16th & 17th at the
Westin Resort on St. John. For
details contact Julie Wright at (340)
693-1082 or Bill Rohring at (340) 774-
3320.
However, even more petroleum was found at
non-marina sites and can be traced to runoff
from nearby roadways. PCBs and pesticides
were found at similar, low levels within and
outside of marinas. These pollutants come
from past and present land-based activities and
are not related to marina operations. At some
sampling stations, the pollutant levels within
the marina were much lower than out-side,
clearly showing that good marina man-
agement practices can result in improved
environmental health.
The most surprising finding in the study was
that the water and sediment quality parame-
ters that were measured - the same ones that
are commonly used by regulatory agencies to
determine water quality impacts - showed
little or no correlation to the levels of pollu-
tants found at the sampling sites. By the time
the water quality measurements show possible
impacts, the area may be degraded beyond re-
pair. Water quality monitoring programs are
not enough to protect our waters. Measuring
contaminant concentrations and comparing
these to sediment characteristics and toxicity
test results is more complicated and costly, but
provides much more useful information on the
state of the environment.
The study yielded the following recommenda-
tions to maintain healthy marina waters :
C Identify specific nonpoint sources of pollu-
tion and target BMPs to these sources ra-
ther than implementing all possible BMPs.
C Learn about the historical uses of the site
(water and land areas) to identify potential
environmental and human health problems
at the facility that may not be due to boat-
ing and marina operations.
C Establish a baseline of environmental infor-
mation for the facility that includes water
and sediment quality, sediment character-
istics, contaminant measurements, and
toxicity testing. Periodically re-test (1-2
times per year) these to identify potential
problems early enough to correct them.
For more information on this study, contact
Dr. Lynne Hinkey, NOAA Coastal Services
Center, at Lynn.Hinkey@noaa.gov.
CDC to Introduce GIS to UVI
Classrooms
The UVI Conservation Data Center (CDC)
has been awarded a $214,673 grant to intro-
duce Geographic Information Systems (GIS) to
the classroom. The Educational Partnership
Pro-gram with Minority Serving Institutions
(EPP/ MSI), a NOAA program, supports
“education, training, research, and outreach in
environmental fields related to NOAA’s mission.”
The project has four objectives:
1. To introduce 100 students to GIS;
2. To have students develop a GIS-based
assignment; 
3. To provide 26 of the best GIS students with
internships in partner agencies; and
4. To evaluate the effectiveness of the pilot
project and determine whether the Uni-
versity should pursue this area of instruc-
tion in the future.
GIS technology will be incorporated into the
physical and social sciences curricula by refor-
matting existing courses. Through collabora-
tion between UVI-CDC, the UVI Center for
Marine and Environmental Studies, and the
Social Sciences and Science & Math Divisions,
the re-formatted courses will be delivered in
the Spring and Fall 2002 semesters. External
partners such as the Virgin Islands National
Park, DPNR, and The Nature Conservancy
will provide internship assignments for those
students with the highest aptitude, interest
and desire to use the knowledge gained.
During the summer of 2003 an outside party
will assess whether project funding resulted in
unforseen outcomes.
The CDC is a unit within the UVI Eastern
Caribbean Center that collects, analyzes and
disseminates information on the natural re-
sources and biodiversity of the U.S. Virgin
Islands. For more information, contact Dayle
Barry at (340) 693-1030 or dbarry@uvi.edu.
Coral Bay Sedimentation
Monitoring to Begin Soon
The UVI Conservation Data Center recently
received a $21,288.86 grant through DPNR’s
Section 319 Nonpoint Source Pollution Man-
agement Program to monitor sediment going
into Coral Bay, St. John. Coral Bay drains the
largest watershed on St. John, and much of the
area is included in an Area of Particular
Concern. The watershed has also been desig-
nated as a Category II watershed – an indica-
tion that it is meeting Federal water quality
standards, but is in need to actions that will
allow the watershed to sustain good water
quality. The area has experienced the highest
population growth on the island, with a 79%
increase between 1990 and 2000. The study
will measure sediment deposition, coral reef
condition, and fish diversity in selected loca-
tions throughout Coral Bay to better under-
stand the delivery points, amount and seasonal
deposition of sediment. For more informa-
tion, contact Dr Barry Devine at (340) 693-
1038 or bdevine@uvi.edu.
St. Croix Coastweeks a Huge
Success!
This year, over 450 people on St. Croix parti-
cipated in beach cleanups for the annual
Coastweeks campaign. Between September 15
and October 6, 2001, seventeen groups, in-
cluding 7 schools, collected over 300 bags of
garbage from St. Croix beaches.
Seventh Day Adventist Pathfinders and Adven-
turers Coordinator, Glenda Richards, said that
“the group was enthusiastic and elated to participate
in Coastweeks which provided them the opportunity to
serve others while helping to care for the environ-
ment.”
On St. Croix, Coastweeks is coordinated by
UVI’s Virgin Islands Marine Advisory Service.
For more information about this or other
VIMAS programs, contact Marcia Taylor at
(340) 692-4046 or mtaylor@uvi.edu.
Web Resources
Coral Reef Watch has posted a new Bleaching
Report, of reports received from the field, at
http://orbit-net.nesdis.noaa.gov/orad/sub/blea
ching_report_index.html.
The “Coral Reef Monitoring Manual for the
Caribbean and Western Atlantic” is available
from the VI National Park. Contact Dr. Caro-
line Rogers at caroline_rogers@usgs.gov to
receive a free copy. Additional manuals high-
lighting “How To” video monitoring tech-
niques are also online at: 
www.fcsc.usgs.gov/Coral_Reef_Ecology/Coral
_Monitoring_Kit/coral_monitoring_kit.html.
The Center for Watershed Protection (CWP)
recently completed the “New York State
Stormwater Management Design Manual.”
The Manual provides designers with a general
overview on how to size, design, select, and
locate stormwater management practices at a
development site. Visit
www.dec.state.ny.us/website/dow/swmanual/s
wmanual.html to download the manual. For
details on other CWP publications, visit
www.cwp.org.
EPA’s “Funding of Small Community Needs
Through the Clean Water State Revolving
Fund” is now available through the National
Small Flows Clearinghouse (NSFC). The fact
sheet summarizes the Clean Water State Re-
volving Fund (SRF). For details, visit NSFC at
www.nesc.wvu.edu.
EPA’s “National Management Measures to
Protect and Restore Wetlands and Riparian
Areas for the Abatement of Nonpoint Source
Pollution” is now available for comment. It
provides technical guidance for protecting and
restoring wetlands and riparian areas from
sources of nonpoint pollution and using vege-
tative filter strips and constructed wetlands.
Visit www.epa.gov/owow/nps or contact Chris
Solloway, EPA-NPSCB, at (202) 260-3008.
EPA announces the availability of “Nutrient
Criteria Technical Guidance Manual: Estua-
rine and Coastal Marine Waters.” It provides
State and Territorial water quality managers
and others with guidance on how to develop
numeric nutrient criteria for estuaries and
coastal marine waters. Visit
www.epa.gov/OST/standards/nutrient.html to
view the guidance.
EPA Section 319 Nonpoint Source Grants
to States and Territories Supple-mental
Guidelines. EPA guidelines for Clean Water
Act nonpoint source grants are available to
assist States and Territories in identifying the
process and criteria to be used in distributing
section 319 grants. For details, visit
www.epa.gov/owow/nps/cwact.html.
EPA’s “How Wastewater Treatment Works ...
The Basics,” is available from the National
Small Flows Clearinghouse (NSFC). The bro-
chure describes the  primary and secondary
stages in wastewater treatment. For details,
visit NSFC at www.nesc.wvu.edu.
The Extension Disaster Education Net-
work (EDEN) is a collaborative multi-state
effort by Extension Services across the country
to improve delivery of services to citizens
affected by disasters. The site has a searchable
data-base and national network of experts that
provides access to resources on disaster pre-
paredness, recovery, and mitigation. For de-
tails, visit www.agctr.lsu.edu/eden/.
Land Use Controls Website. ICMA has
launched the first comprehensive database of
information on land use controls (LUCs). The
website covers documents related to brown-
field sites, Superfund sites, federal facility sites,
and most other places where LUCs are in use.
For details, visit
http://icma.org/issueintersections/landusecontr
ols.cfm.
“New Community Design to the Rescue,” a new
report released by the National Gover-nors
Association’s (NGA’s) Center for Best
Practices, explains how communities can en-
courage New Community Design: mixed-use,
mixed-income, walkable development that is
distinctly different from sprawl. Visit
www.lgean.org/html/whatsnew.cfm?id=225
for details.
The UK Joint Nature Conservation
Committee have made the publication
“Natura 2000 - Marine Monitoring Hand-
book” available to download from
www.jncc.gov.uk/marine/mmh/Contents.htm.
Available Grants
EPA Environmental Justice Small Grants
Program. EPA has about $1,500,000 in grant
funds available for eligible organizations for FY
2002; $500,000 of which is available for
Superfund projects only. Applications must be
delivered or postmarked by Friday, February
21, 2002 to the EPA Regional II office. For
details, contact: Sheila Lewis, Sen-ior Program
Analyst, EPA Office of Environ-mental Justice,
at (202) 564-0152. 
DPNR Inventory of USVI Wetlands and
Riparian Areas grant. DPNR-DEP and CZM
are soliciting proposals for a NPS pollution
and management implementation project to
develop a wetlands inventory for the VI. The
submission deadline is March 15, 2002. For
details, contact Bill Rohring, DPNR-CZM, at
(340) 774-3320 or Syed Syedali, DPNR-DEP,
at (340) 692-0565.
Urban and Community Forestry 2002
Challenge Cost-Share Grant Program.
The National Urban and Community Forestry
Advisory Council seeks to establish sustainable
urban and community forests by encouraging
communities of all sizes to manage and pro-
tect their natural resources for this and future
generations. Through these grants, the Coun-
cil works to support urban and community
forestry activities that are national or wide-
spread in their impact or application. For
details, visit www.treelink.org/nucfac/2002.
NOAA Restoration Funding Opportu-
nities. The NOAA Restoration Center an-
nounces the  availability of funding in 2001/
2002 for individual community-based habitat
restoration projects under the Community-
Based Restoration Program (CRP). Visit
www.nmfs.noaa.gov/habitat/restoration/fundin
g.html for details about the Community-Based
Restoration program.
North American Wetlands Conservation
Act Grants. The U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service
program provides matching grants to public
and private organizations and individuals to
carry out wetlands conservation projects in the
U.S., Canada and Mexico. Proposals are due
on March 1 and July 26, 2002. For de-tails,
contact Bettina Sparrowe at (703) 358-1784
or bettina_sparrowe@fws.gov.
Upcoming Events
Local
January 18, 2002. NPS Committee Annual Meet-
ing, Palms Court Harborview Hotel, St.
Thomas. For details, contact Marcia Taylor,
UVI-VIMAS, at (340) 692-4046.
February 12, 14, 15, 2002. Christiansted, Man-
grove Lagoon/Benner Bay, and Coral Bay APC
Plan Hearings, all three islands. For details,
contact Bill Rohring, DPNR-CZM, at (340)
774-3320 or bill.rohring@noaa.gov.
February 16-18, 2002. St. Croix Agrifest, V.I. De-
partment of Agriculture Fairgrounds, Estate
Lower Love. Contact for details.
March 19-20, 2002. VI*A*Syst Crop and Pasture
Land Management Train-the-Trainer Work-
shop, St. Croix and St. Thomas, respectively.
Contact Julie Wright, UVI-CES, at (340) 693-
1082 or jwright@uvi.edu for details.
April 1, 2 & 4, 2002. Houseplants Care &
Mainten-ance Workshop, all three islands.
Contact UVI-CES at (340) 692-4080 or (340)
693-1080 for details.
National
January 24-26, 2002. New Partners for Smart
Growth: Building Safe, Healthy, and Livable
Communities Conference, San Diego, CA. Visit
www.outreach.psu.edu/C&I/SmartGrowth for
details.
January 28-30, 2002. NEMO (Nonpoint
Education for Municipal Officials) U-2,
Charleston, SC. Visit
http://nemo.uconn.edu/NewNatl/NemoU/ for
details.
February 23-27, 2002. Watershed 2002, Fort
Lauderdale, FL. Visit
www.wef.org/Conferences for details.
February 25-March 1, 2002. International
Erosion Control Association 33rd Annual
Conference and Expo, Orlando, FL. Visit
www.ieca.org for details.
March 11-13, 2002. Watershed Management to
Meet Emerging TMDL Environmental Regula-
tions Conference and Exhibition, Fort Worth,
TX. For details, visit www.asae.org.
May 13-15, 2002. AWRA Spring Specialty
Conference: Coastal Water Resources, New
Orleans, LA. Visit
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To have your article, announcement or activity included in VI NPS Update,
please mail, fax or email your submission to the Editor at:  VI NPS Update, c/o
Julie Wright, UVI Cooperative Extension Service, #2 John Brewers Bay, St.
Thomas, VI 00802-9990, fax (340) 693-1085, email: jwright@uvi.edu.
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Nonpoint source (NPS) pollution
results from rain water flowing
over and through the ground,
picking up pollutants and
depositing them into guts, salt
ponds, beaches, coastal waters,
and ground water.
Editor & Designer:  
Julie Wright, UVI-CES
Reviewers: 
Clarice Clarke, UVI-CES, 
Bill Rohring, DPNR-CZM,
Marcia Taylor, UVI-VIMAS
www.awra.org/meetings/Louisiana2002/ for
details.
May 20-22, 2002. Seventh International Confer-
ence on Remote Sensing for Marine and Coast-
al Environments, Miami, FL. For details, visit
www.erim–int.com/conf/marine/marine.html.
May 20-23, 2002. 3rd National Water
Monitoring Conference, Water Quality
Monitoring 2002: Building a Framework for
the Future, Madi-son, WI. For details, visit
www.nwqmc.org.
June 2-5, 2002. 3rd Natural Resource Extension
Professionals Conference, Orlando, FL. Visit
http://conference.ifas.ufl.edu/nrep/ for details.
VI NPS Update is a quarterly newsletter published by the University of the Virgin Islands Cooperative
Extension Service, Kwame Garcia, State Director, and produced by the Virgin Islands Nonpoint Source
Pollution Committee to inform the public about projects funded by U.S. EPA Nonpoint Source Pollution
Management (§319) grants and other NPS pollution control/prevention projects in the territory, and to provide
information and material regarding the control/prevention of NPS pollution. No endorsement of products or
firms is intended, nor is criticism implied of those not mentioned. Issued by the Virgin Islands Cooperative
Extension Service and the U.S. Department of Agriculture in furtherance of the acts of May 8 and June 30,
1914. Extension programs and policies are consistent with federal and state laws and regulations on non-
discrimination regarding race, color, national origin, religion, gender, age, disability or gender preference.
Funding for VI NPS Update provided by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Nonpoint Source Pollution
Management Program through the Virgin Islands Department of Planning and Natural Resources, Dean C. Plaskett, Esq.,
Commissioner.