REPORT FOR CONSULTATION ON THE
VIRGIN ISLANDS
AIR QUALITY CONTROL REGION
U. S. DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH, EDUCATION, AND WELFARE
Public Health Service
Environmental Health Service
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REPORT FOR CONSULTATION ON THE
VIRGIN ISLANDS
AIR QUALITY CONTROL REGION
U. S. DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH, EDUCATION, AND WELFARE
Public Health Service
Environmental Health Service
National Air Pollution Control Administration
March 1970
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
SECTION I:
THE REGIONAL APPROACH TO AIR QUALITY CONTROL
AND A FEDERAL PROPOSAL FOR THE VtRGIN ISLANDS
AREA
Preface[[[
Introduction...............................................
The Regional Approach...................................
Designation of Air Quality Control Regions.................
The Size of a
Region....................................
Procedure for Desi~ation of Regions....................viii
The Federal Proposal.......................................
SECTION II:
ANALYSIS AND PROPOSAL FOR THE UNITED STATES
VIRGIN ISLANDS AIR QUALITY CONTROL REGION BY THE
VIRGIN ISLANDS DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH, DIVISION OF
ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH
Description of the Region..................................
Evaluation of Engineering Factors..........................
Emission Inventory,......................................
MeteorologY...........................e..o..............
Evaluation of Urban Factors................................
Population..............................................
Industry................................................
The Proposed Region.........................................
Discussion of Proposal..................................
References.................................................
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SECTION I
THE REGIONAL APPROACH TO AIR QUALITY CONTROL AND A
FEDERAL PROPOSAL FOR THE VIRGIN ISLANDS AREA
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i
PREFACE
The Secretary, Department of Health, Education, and Welfare,
is directed by the Clean Air Act, as amended, to designate "air
quality control regions" prior to the adoptio!l by the State
(territory) of air quality standards and plans for the imple-
mentation of the standards.
In addition to listing the major
factors to be considered in the development of region boundaries,
the Act stipulates that the designation of a region be preceded
by consultation with appropriate State (territory) and local
authorities.
The National Air Pollution Control Administration (NAPCA)
has established a policy by which States and territories may
propose to the Federal Government boundaries 'for air quality
control regions.
The Department of Health of the Virgin Islands
is the third agency to initiate a proposal for region boundaries
under the policy.
The Department of Health, with assistance from
NAPCA' has conducted a study of the Virgin Islands area, the
results of which are presented in the
body of this report.
The Region boundaries proposed in the report reflect consideration
of available and pertinent data; however, the boundaries remain
subject to revision suggested by consultation between Federal,
State (territory), and local authorities.
Formal designation will
be withheld pending the outcome of the meeting.
This report is
intended to serve as the starting point for the consultation.
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it
INTRODUCTION
THE REGIONAL APPROACH
Air pollution in the urban areas of the United States is
a regional problem which frequently extends across State and
local governmental boundaries.
Since air pollution problems are
rarely confined to any single municipality or county, successful
control requires coordinated planning, standard setting, and
enforcement by the several political jurisdict~ons which share a
common problem.
At the present, State and local governments
across the Nation have only begun to develop a regi.onal approach
to air pollution control.
The Clean Air Act, as amended, provides a regional approach
which depends upon coordination and cooperation between all levels
of government:
municipal, county, State (territory), and Federal.
To set in motion the machinery for regional air pollution control,
the Department of Health, Education, and Welfare first designates
air quality control regions, issues air quality criteria, and
publishes reports on control techniques.
The region designation
indicates which jurisdictions will be involved in a regional air
pollution control effort.
The air quality criteria indicate the
extent to which various concentrations of an air pollutant are
harmful to health and damaging to property.
The reports on control
techniques provide information on the costs and effectiveness of
various techniques for controlling air pollutant emissions.
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iii
After the Department of Health, Education, and Welfare
completes these initial steps, State (territory) governments
develop air quality standards and plans for implementation of
those standards for portions of air quality control regions
within their boundaries.
An air quality standard defines the
desired limit on the concentration of a pollutant in the ambient
air of the region.
It constitutes the degree of air quality which
the regional control program will attempt to achieve.
I
An imple-
mentation plan is a blueprint of the steps which will be taken
to insure achievement of the air quality standards within a
reasonable time.
The Governors have 90 days to submit letters
indicating that they intend to set standards, 180 days in addition
to set the standards, and 180 days further to develop plans for
implementing them.
The procedure for setting standards includes
a public hearing which allows residents of a region to express
their views concerning desired standards.
The Department of Health, Education, and Welfare reviews air
quality standards and implementation plans in order to ascertain
their consistency with the provisions of the Clean Air Act, as
amended.
When air quality standards and implementation plans are
approved, the State (territory) proceeds to prevent and control
air pollution in accordance with those standards and plans.
This
system for establishing a regional approach to air pollution
control is depicted in the flow diagram in Figure 1.
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HEW DESIGNATES
AI R QUALITY
CONTROL REGIONS.
HEW DEVELOPS AND
PUBLISHES AIR
QUALITY CRITERIA
BASED ON SCIENTIFIC
EVI DENCE OF AI R
POLLUTION EFFECTS.
HEW PREPARES
AND PUBLISHES
REPORTS ON
AVAILABLE CONTROL
TECHNIQUES
STATES INDICATE
THEIR INTENT
TO SET STANDARDS. (PUBLIC
HEARINGS)
STATES SET
AI R QUALITY
STANDARDS
FOR THE AI R
QUALITY CONTROL
REGIONS.
STATES SUBMIT
STANDARDS FO~
HEW REVIEW.
~
STATES ESTABLISH
COMPREHENSIVE PLANS
FOR IMPLEMENTING
AI R QUALITY
STANDARDS.
STATES SUBMIT
IMPLEMENTATION PLANS
FOR HEW REVIEW.
STATES ACT-tO CONTROL
AIR POLLUTION IN ACCORDANCE
WITH AI R QUALITY STANDARDS
AND PLANS FOR IMPLEMENTATION.
Figure 1 FLOW DIAGRAM FOR ACTION TO CONTROL AIR POLLUTION ON A REGIONAL
BASIS, UNDER THE AIR QUALITY ACT.
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v
DESIGNATION OF AIR QUALITY CONTROL REGIONS
Designation of an air quality control region is one of the
first steps in the regional approach to air pollution control.
Section l07(a)(2) of the Clean Air Act, as amended, directs the
Secretary, Department of Health, Education, and Welfare to make
such designations.
The portions of the section relevant to this
discussion state:
"...The Secretary, after consultation with
appropriate State and local authorities shall...
designate air quality control regions ba~ed on
jurisdictional boundaries, urban-industrial concen-
trations, and other factors including atmospheric
areas necessary to provide adequate implementation of
air quality standards. The Secretary may...revise the
designation of such regions...The Secretary shall
imm~diately notify the Governor or Governors of the
affected State or States of such designation."
The Size of a Region
As stipulated in Section l07(a)(2), the designation of air
quality control regions should be based on "jurisdictional
boundaries, urban-industrial concentrations, and other factors
including atmospheric areas necessary to provide adequate
implementation of air quality standards."
This language
suggests a number of objectives which are important in determining
how large an air quality control region should be.
Basically,
these objectives can be divided into three separate categories.
First, a region should be self-contained with respect to
air pollution sources and receptors.
In other words, a region
should include most of the important sources in the area as well
as most of the people and property affected by those sources.
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vi
Unfortunately, since air pollutants can travel long distances,
it is impractical if not impossible to delineate regions which
are completely self-contained.
The air over a region will
usually have at least trace amounts of pollutants from external
sources.
During episodic conditions, such contributions from
external sources may even reach significant levels.
Conversely,
air pollution generated within a region and transported out of it
can affect external receptors to some degree.
It would be
impractical and inefficient to make all air quality control
regions large enough to encompass these low-level trace effects.
The geographic extent of trace effects overestimates the true problem
area which should be the focus of air pollution control efforts.
Thus, the first objective, that a region be self-contained,
becomes a question of relative magnitude and frequency.
The
dividing line between lIimportant influence" and "trace effect"
will be a matter of judgment.
The Judgment should be based on
estimates of the impact a source has upon a region and the level
of pollution to which receptors are subjected.
In this respect,
annual and seasonal data on pollutant emissions and ambient air
concentrations are a better measure of relative influence than
short-term data on episodic conditions.
The second general objective requires that region boundaries
be designed to meet not only present conditions but also future
conditions.
In other words, the region should include areas where
industrial and residential expansion are likely to create air
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vii
pollution problems in the foreseeable future.
This objective
requires careful consideration of existing metropolitan develop-
ment plans, expected population growth, and projected industrial
expansion.
Such considerations should result in the designation
of regions which will contain the sources and receptors of regional
air pollution for a number of years to come.
Of course, region
boundaries need not be permanently fixed, once designated.
Boundaries should be reviewed periodically and altered when
changing conditions warrant readjustment.
The third objective is that region boundaries should be
compatible with and even foster unified and cooperative governmental
administration of the air resource throughout the region.
Air
pollution is a regional problem which often extends across several
municipal, county, and even State boundaries.
Clearly, the
collaboration of several governmental jurisdictions is prerequisite
to the solution of the problem.
Therefore, the region should be
delineated in a way which encourages regional cooperation among
the various governmental bodies involved in air pollution control.
In this regard, the existing pattern of governmental cooperation
on the whole range of urban problems may become an important
consideration.
Certainly the pattern of cooperation among existing
air pollution control programs is a relative factor.
In general,
administrative considerations dictate that governmental jurisdictions
should not be divided.
Although it would be impractical to preserve
State jurisdictions undivided, usually it is possible to preserve
the unity of county governments by including or excluding them in
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viii
their entirety.
Occasionally, even this would be impractical
due to a county's large size, ~iide variation in level of develop-
ment, or striking topographical features.
To the extent that any two of the above three objectives
lead to incompatible conclusions concerning region boundaries, the
region must represent a reasonable compromise.
A region should
represent the best way of satisfying the three objectives
simultaneously.
Procedure for Designation of Regions
Figure 2 summarizes the procedure used by the National Air
Pollution Control Administration for designating air quality control
regions whose boundaries are proposed by the State.
A preliminary delineation of the region is developed by bringing
together two essentially separate studies--the "Evaluation of
Engineering Factors" and the "Evaluation of Urban Factors."
The study of "Engineering Factors" indicates the location of
,pollution sources and the geographic extent of serious pollutant
concentrations in the ambient air.
Pollution sources are located
by an inventory of emissions from automobiles, industrial activities,
space heating, waste disposal, and other pollution generators.
Pollution concentrations in the ambient air are estimated from air
quality sampling data and from a theoretical diffusion model.*
When
*A diffusion model analysis
will be made in the Spring,
available upon request.
of air quality in the Virgin Islands
1970. The results will be made
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STATE INDICATES DESIRE TO CONSULTATION
HAVE A REGION DESIGNATED PARTICIPANTS:
..
.. APPROPRIATE FEDERAL,
STATE, AND LOCAL
, , AUTHOR ITI ES
STATE PREPARES REPORT REC-
OMMENDING REGION BOUNDARIES ~ '
(NAPCA.ASSISTANCE AVAILABLE),
CONSIDERING SUCH FACTORS AS:
NAPCA RECOMMENDS BOUNDARIES
TO SECRETARY, DHEW
ENGINEERING EVALUATION NAPCA PRINTS REPORT FOR
.. CONSULTATION AND PUBLISHES
. POLLUTANT EMISSIONS FEDERAL REGISTER NOTICE
. TOPOGRAPHY " ,
OF PROPOSAL. REPORT MAILED TO
. METEOROLOGY STATE AND LOCAL AUTHORITIES
. MEASURED AND ESTIMATED LEVELS SECRETARY,DHEW,FORMALLY
OF AIR QUALITY DESIGNATES REGION AND GIVES
NOTICE BY:
URBAN FACTORS EVALUATION
. LETTER TO GOVERNOR
. POPULATION . LETTER TO GOVERNOR'S
.. INDUSTRY OFFICIAL DESIGNEE
. EXISTING REGIONAL ARRANGEMENTS . FEDERAL REGISTER NOTICE
. JURISDICTIONAL BOUNDARIES . PRESS RELEASE
Figure2 FLOW DIAGRAM FOR STATE-INITIATED AIR QUALITY CONTROL REGIONS..
1-'-
X
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I
x
it exists, air quality sampling data is more reliable than the
theoretical diffusion model results since the data is directly
recorded by pollution measuring instruments.
Unfortunately, in
many cases extensive air quality sampling data is unavailable in
the rural areas surrounding an urban complex.
The study of "Urban Factors" encompasses non-engineering
considerations.
It reviews existing governmental jurisdictions,
current air pollution control programs, present concentrations of
population and industry, and expected patterns of urban growth.
Other non-engineering factors are discussed when they are relevant.
As a whole, the study of urban factors indicates how large an air
quality control region must be in order to encompass expected growth
of pollution sources in the future.
It also considers which group
of governmental jurisdictions will most effectively administer a
strong regional air quality control region program.
The conclusions of the engineering study are combined with the
results of the urban factors study to form the basis of an initial
proposal for an air quality control region.
As shown in Figure 2,
the proposal is then submitted to NAPCA for review and printing.
The report is mailed to State (territory) and local authorities
in preparation for the consultation between appropriate Federal,
State, and local officials.
After reviewing the suggestions raised
during the consultation, the Secretary formally designates the~
region with a notice in the Federal Register and notifies the
Governor(s) of the State(s) affected by the designation.
-------
Section II of this report and the proposal therein were
prepared by the Department of Health of the Virgin Islands.
xi
The
report itself is intended to serve as the background document for
the formal consultation.
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xii
THE FEDERAL PROPOSAL
The National Air Pollution Control Administration has reviewed
the proposal and supportive discussion prepared by the Department
of Health of the Virgin Islands.
NAPCA concurs with the findings
of thE~ Department and proposes an air quality control region
consisting of the entire United States Virgin Islands, viz.,
St. Thomas, St. Croix, and St. John, and the smaller islands
surrounding these three main islands.
The three objectives outlined in the subsection entitled
"The Size of A Region" are met by the proposed delineation.
Since
the entire jurisdictional area of the Virgin Islands is proposed,
all of the sources and receptors would be located in one region.
Most of the people reside on two of the three islands--St. Croix
and St. Thomas.
These islands in addition contain most of the
air pollution sources.
Though St. John is primarily a National
Park area, the island is recommended for inclusion to protect it
from sources which might locate there or on the other two islands
in the future.
The third objective. that the region boundaries be compatible
with unified and cooperative governmental administration, can be
best met by including the U. S. Virgin Islands in its entirety.
The executive power is vested with one Governor under the supervision
of the U. S. Secretary of Interior.
The legislature is composed of
of e~ected representatives from all three major islands.
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xiii
The proposed Region is considered to be one which will be
capabll~ of maintaining and, hopefully, improving the air quality
of the United States Virgin Islands.
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SECTION II
ANALYSIS AND PROPOSAL FOR THE UNITED
STATES VIRGIN ISLANDS AIR QUALITY
CONTROL REGION
Government of the Virgin Islands
Virgin Islands Department of Health
Division of Environmental Health
St. Thomas V.I.
February 1970
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I
DESCRIPTION OF THE REGION
The U. S. Virgin Islands lie approximately 1440 miles south
southeast of New York and 900 miles east southeast of Miami
between Puerto Rico to the west and the British Virgin Islands
to the east.
Of volcanic origin there are some fifty islands
in the group, but since few of the small islands are inhabited,
this study applies mainly to the three major islands:
St. Thomas,
St. John and St. Croix shown in Figure 3a.
St. Thomas, which contains the capital city of the U. S.
Virgin Islands, Charlotte Amalie, is 13 miles long and 3~ miles
across at the widest point.
Its 32 square miles are quite
mountainous with peaks rising abruptly from the sea to heights
of 1,500 feet.
St. John with its major city Cruz Bay is the
smallest of the three islands containing only 18 square miles.
It is 8~ miles long and 6 miles at the widest point and similar
to St. Thomas, quite mountainous with the highest peak reaching
1,277 feet.
St. Croix with its two towns Christiansted and Fredericksted
is the largest of the three islands and the eastern most point of
the U. S.
It is 23 miles long and 7 miles across at the widest
point.
Unlike her two sister islands most of St. Croix's 87
square miles is level land with a mountainous area running along
the northwestern shore.
Figure (3b) illustrates the relative location of one island
to the others.
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PROPOSED VIRGIN ISLANDS AIR
QUALITY CONTROL REGION
FIGURE '(3b)
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4
EVALUATION OF ENGINEERING FACTORS
The engineering eva1ua,tion for the Virgin Islands area was
based on a study of topography, air pollutant emissions, meteorology,
and air quality levels.
The emission inventory indicated the
location of point and area sources and the quantity of pollutants
emitted from these sources.
Emission densities were calculated
for each individual island based on the estimated quantity of each
pollutant.
EMIssiON INVENTORY
The inventory performed by the Division of Environmental Health
was based on estimated rather than measured emissions.
Emissions
from approximately twenty (20) major point sources are included in
the inventory and are identified in Figures (4) (5) and (6).
Five pollutants were inventoried:
sulfur oxides, total
particulates, carbon monoxide, hydrocarbons, and nitrogen oxides.
Sulfur oxides, total particulates and carbon monoxide are considered
in this report since they provide an indication of the general
geographic extent of the overall problem.
Sulfur oxides pollution
levels illustrate the impact of fuel burning activities at stationary
sources.
Levels of carbon monoxide provide the best indication of
the impact of gasoline powered motor vehicles on the regional air
pollution pattern.
Particulate emissions primarily show the extent of industrial,
power, and refuse disposal.
Results of the emissions inventory are
tabulated in Table (1).
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---_..
VIRGIN ISLANDS
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TABLE (1)
co
SU~~~RY OF AIR POLLUTANT EMISSIONS
IN THE VIRGIN ISJ~DS BY SOURCE CATEGORY
r.m1ss1ons crons Del' Year} -
30urce Category Carbon Sulfur Nitrogen
Island Particulates Monoxide Oxides Oxides Hydrocarbons
-.
Transportation
A. Vehicles
St. Thomas 38 9,959 31 387 1,793
St. Croix 38 10,165 31 395 1,830
.-St. John 2 517 2 20 93
B. Aircraft
St. Thomas 46 48 - 32 13
St. Croix 46 48 - 32 13
St. John - - - - -
Refuse Disposal
St. Thomas 1,018 - 26 13 6.064
St. Croix 170 - 20 10 4.586
St. John 43 - 1 0.5 255
Industrial Fuel Combustion
St. Thomas 60 0.3 2,355 180 24
St. Croix 486 2.76 1q,B17 6,184 185
St. John - - - - -
,'rocess Emissions
St. Thomas 60 0.3 2355 780 24
St. Croix
St. John - - - - -
TOTAL i ~ ,607 20,740.4 21,638 g,633.5 14,880
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9
Emissions for the survey were grouped in four general
categories.
These categories are transportation, refuse disposal,
industrial fuel combustion, and industrial process emissions.
For transportation emissions, gasoline sales were assumed
to equal total consumption.
Sales figures were obtained from
the Department of Finance.
Aircraft emissions data for Truman
and Hamilton Airports (assumed as a point source) was computed
using air traffic data.
Solid-waste generation was based on an e3timated 6.0 pounds
of refuse per capita per day.
Open dump burning on all three
islands is the sole source of disposal.
Each dump was treated as
point source.
Stationary source emissions include emissions from point
sources only, since there is no space heating in the Virgin
Islands.
Point sources include power plants and major institutions
and industries.
Together they account for roughly 95% of the
estimated total industrial fuel oil consumption in the survey
area.
Fuel oil consumption was obtained directly from existing
industries.
METEOROLOGY
The meteorological conditions prevalent in this area of the
Caribbean are not conducive to strong periods of pollution lasting
several days such as occur over the mainland of the United States.
The lack of frontal or air mass inversions and generally good wind
circulation from the easterly trades, prevent any general long
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10
period pollution conditions.
The problem in this area is one of
short duration localized situations which may favor pollution
build up for a few hours.
An example of this is the early morning
radiation inversion in conjunction with calm or low speed winds.
Figure (7) shows wind roses for the Virgin Islands, based on
the annual averages for the years 1953 to 1957.
They represent
graphically the frequency of occurrence of the wind from the
various compass directions.
The characteristic prevailing wind
directions for each of the seasons, as depicted ~)y the length
of the wind rose radials, directly influence the dispersion of
pollutants.
Mixing depths in the Virgin Islands are generally unlimited
except during early morning periods of radiation inversion.
Reasonable estimates of these mixing depths are cited below:
AVERAGE MIXING DEPTHS (Meters)
Winter ~ring Suuuner Autumn Annual
Morning 250 320 335 280 296
Afternoon 1240 1480 1570 1320 1403
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VIRGIN ISLANDS WDm ROSE
11
ST. CR01X
ANNUAL
COMBI1\1ED AN1';'UAL
FIGURE (7)
...~
: ST. THOMAS & ST. -JOliN
A."lNtJAJJ
tJ
P11~CEl\""r FREQUENCY
OF OCCURRENCE
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12
EVALUATION OF URBAN FACTORS
A number of urban factors are relevant to the problem of
defining air quality control region boundaries.
The location of
population is an important consideration since human activity is
the ultimate cause of air pollution, and humans are the ultimate
victims .
The projected population growth pattern is another
important consideration, since an air quality control region should
be designed not only for the present but also f,r the future.
The location of industrial activity and industrial growth patterns
are relevant considerations for similar reasons.
Political and
jurisdictional considerations are important since the 1967 Air
/
Quality Act envisions regional air pollution programs based on
cooperative efforts among many political jurisdictions.
The
following discussion of urban factors will present these
considerations as they apply to the Virgin Islands area.
POPULATION
The 1968 resident population of the Virgin Islands was
estimated at 60,321 persons.
The distribution of this population
throughout the islands is illustrated in Figure (8).
Table (3) shows the historical and projected population of
the islands.
The trend is illustrated in Figure (9).
Between
1930 and 1950 the population increased at a slow rate from 22,012
to 26,665 persons.
Between 1950 and 1960 it increased at a
faster rate, from 26,665 to 32,099, with the influx of immigrants
and alien workers attracted by the expanding tourist industry.
-------
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. . . .
"
"
FREDERIKSTED
,
e.
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. :,..
0$'
e .
G. .
....
:.....
......
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. . ..
.
.
.
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.
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. . - .. ..- .._0 _..
EACH' DOT' REPRESEN'IS 100 PEO
VIRG IN ISLANDS
1968 POPULATION DISTRIBUT~ON
FIGURE (8)
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14
. VIRGIN ISLANDS
URBAN & RURAL POPULATION
~ ~ ~ !Q!&
1917 10,386 15,465 . 26,051
1930 8,511 13,501 22,012
:
1940 ' 4,931 19,958 24,889
1950 5,851 20,814 26,665
196<> 7,953 24~146 32,099
1970 12,000 57~400 69, 40()\
1980 10,800 120,600 . 131,400
.
SOURCES: u.s. Bureau of Census, 1917-1960
V. I. Planning Board estimates, 1970-1980
TABLE (3);
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~..80
~ .
~
~ 60
~
~
15
-140
I .
120
-
I
I
I
I
/ !
!
I -
:
I ,
/ ~
I ;
:
I '
I
I
I
/
' ~.
,\o1L-\.
_u".- '
"'RuRAL ~c."? -: 1----
----
100
'.'.
40
2Q
1930
,
1940
1990
1956
1960
1970
19~
YEAR "
TRENDS IN POPULATION
. VIRGIN ISLANDS
: FIGURE (9)
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16
During the current decade the rate of increase has exploded
to where the 1968 population is almost twice what it was in 1960.
An even faster rate of increase is anticipated throughout the
1970-80 decade as the spectacular growth of tourism and other
economLc opportunities continue to attract immigrants, particularly
alien workers from the British Virgin Islands, British West Indies
and other islands of the Lesser Antilles group.
By 1980 the
population is expected to reach 131,400 persons, more than double
the present population.
Aliens comprised 20% of the total population in 1960 and
about 33% in 1968.
It has been estimated that by 1975 they will
make up about 40% of the total population but will then drop to
about 35% by 1980.
Alien workers represent about one-half of the total labor
force of 27,000.
They are concentrated in the service and construction
industries.
In addition to the permanent and part-time residents, the
Virgin Islands, and particularly St. Thomas, have a floating
population of visitors, over 800,000 in 1968, for which services
including adequate local transportation must be provided.
About
one-half of the total visitors (air and ship) stay for one day or
less.
The distribution of the 1968 population and the estimated 1980
population by islands and by rural and urban places is shown in
Table (4).
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17
VIRGIN ISLANDS
ESTIMATED DISTRIBUTION OF 1968 AND 1980 POPULATION
ST. THOMAS.
urban - Charlotte Amalie
Tutu
East End
Red Hook
Total Urban
Rural ---------------~--------------~-
Tbtal ------------------------------~-
ST. JOHN
Urban - Cruz Bay
Rural ------------------------------~-
Total --------------------------------
!
ST. CR01X
Urban - Christiansted
Frederiksted
Central
Total Urban
Rural -------------------------------
Total -----------------------------~~
TOTAL ALL ISI,ANI)S
SOURCE,: V. I. Planning Board
TABLE (4)
~
25,100
25,100
~
3l;o7O
996<>
640
1,600
9,242
3, 334 ,
10,922 i
23,498
4,147
27,645
60,321
1980
40,400
19,900
10,600
6,400
77 , 300
6,100
83, 400
2,900
_l~QQ,. ~
~
14,100
4,300
22,000
40, 400
2,800
43,200
131,400
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18
St. Thomas
About one-half of the total V. I. resident population of
1968, 31,076 persons, were located on' the 32 square miles of
St. Thomas.
Thus, St. Thomas with a population density of 971
persons per square mile is the most densely populated of the
islands.
Most of the St. Thomas residents, about 80%, are now
concentrated in the urbanized area of Charlotte Amalie.
The
other 20% are scattered th=oughout the mountains and on the
eastern side around Tutu, Red Hook, and East End.
These eastern
areas, now classified as rural, are rapidly urbanizing.
The major growth in population during the next decade is
predicted for St. Thomas because it is the primary center of the
tourist industry.
The total population is expected to reach
8j,400 persons, about 2.7 times the present population, which will
increase the density to nearly 3,000 persons per square mile.
The eastern side will absorb most of the increase with new urban
centers developing at Tutu, Red Hook, and East End.
St. Croix
St. Croix, the largest of the Virgin Islands, had 27,645
inhabitants in 1968 for a population density of 318 persons per
square mile, about one-third of the density of St. Thomas.
About
33% of the residents of St. Croix live in the city of Christiansted
on the north shore.
Another 12% live in Fredericksted on the
western shore.
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19
By 1980 the population of St. Croix is expected to grow to
43,200 persons, which will increase the density to 497 per square
mile.
Most of the growth is being channeled to. the central St.
Croix region because of the industrial development taking place
in that area and because it offers the most logical space for
urban expansion.
Long range plans for this central St. Croix
area are under study by the Planning Board.
St. John
St. John with the most rugged topography of the Virgin Islands
has only about 1600 inhabitants on its 18 square miles for a
density of 89 persons per square mile.
Over half of its population
is concentrated at Cruz Bay on the west and with another small
cluster at Coral Bay in the east.
St. John is the site of the Virgin Islands National Park and
about 42% of the land area, over 5,000 acres, are already in
Federal ownership under the control of the National Park Service.
Although it is expected that the population of St. John will
triple by 1980 this means only an increase to 4800 residents of
which 60% will be in the Cruz Bay
area.
Most of the other 40% will
be in the Coral Bay area with only scattered residents throughout
the remainder.
St. John will remain essentially a park and
recreational area.
Table (5) shows the present population and projected population
for St. Thomas, St. Croix, and St. John.
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N
o
PRESENT POPULATIOU AND PR\lTEC'l'ED FOFUL.t\TION
TABLE (5)
Axea Population
Islands Mile2 1968
st. Thomas 32 31,076
st. Croix 87 27,645
St. John 18 _0 \,~09.
.- -- ..-.
Population Expected Population Additional
Density '1968 Population Density 1980 Residents per
Residents Mile2 1980 Res idents /l-file2 f.Iile2 1968-1980
971 83,400 2,606 1,635
318 43,200 497. 179
no.n ----- .
?9. mo
-.- .. 4,80<:>
.. ..- ...-
--. - _171 .
. .266.,-
. ...-----..- -
. ... - -
-- - -h --.- d__- ... -.
- - - -.-..--- -- - ... . --
TOTAL
137..
60,321
1,991
1~378
131,400
3,369
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21
Industry
The Island of St. John has virtually no industry.
The
residents are employed by the local government, the National Park
Service, and the 125 Room Cannel Bay hotel.
St. John is 42% National Park and its sources of pollution
are restricted to the open dump and 500 registered vehicles.
The Island of St. Thomas has little or no heavy industry.
However, there are several point sources, normally those created
as a result of the construction industry.
These are cement storage
and processing and aggregate crushing and storage.
Other point
sources are shown in Figure (4).
St. Croix is unlike St. Thomas and St. John since there are
several major industries.
The two largest are an oil company.an~
an alumina company., which employ a total of 810 people.
In
addition there also exist several small chemical processing
companies along with cement and aggregate storage and mixing
plants.
Figure (10) shows the location of industry.
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["--
"~
22
a
.. c:;:,~
t}
o
'Z.
.3~
o
.
2-
r
~.~~
ST. CROIX,
. i ~ Light
~g~ f?lllZJ Heavy
:FIGURE 10 .
INDUSTRIAL LAND USE
I
t-
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23
THE PROPOSED REGION
Subject to the scheduled consultation, the Virgin Islands
Health Department recommends that the Secretary, Department of
Health, Education, and Welfare designate The United States Virgin
Islands as an air quality control region consisting of the
following jurisdictions in the Virgin Island::;:
St. Croix, V. I. and surrounding islands
St. John, V. I. and surrounding islands
St. Thomas, V. I. and surrounding ~.slands
As so proposed, the U. S. Virgin Islands Air Quality Control
Region would consist of the territorial area encompassed by the
outermost boundaries of the proposed jurisdictions.
The proposed
Region is shown in Figure 3 (b).
The pr~posed jurisdictions are
shown in Figures (4), (5), and (6).
DISCUSSION OF PROPOSAL
To be successful, an air quality control region should meet
three basic conditions.
First, its boundaries should encompass
most pollution sources as well as most people and property affected
by those sources.
Second, the boundaries should encompass those
locations where industrial and residential development will create
significant air pollution problems in the future.
Third, the
boundaries should be chosen in a way which is compatible with and
even fosters unified and cooperative governmental administration
of the air resources throughout the region.
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24
The proposed region of the U. S. Virgin Islands, which
contains all of the population and industry on the islands and which
is governed exclusively by the government of the Virgin Islands,
satisfies these three objectives.
For the present, no major air pollution conditions exist in
the overall region.
These conditions are enhanced by the fact
that, constant vent illation of the area is assured because the
islands lie in the path of the easterly trade winds.
Furthermore
the tropical climate eliminates the necessity of space heating,
a major contributing factor to air pollution problems in most
northern cities several months out of a year.
Although the likelihood of an air pollution episode occurring
in this region is rather slim, localized air pollution does exist.
People and industry have been coming to the Virgin Islands and
with them the necessity for more power and transportation is
rapidly increasing.
Eventually the population boom will become
too excessive to allow for logical land use and residential areas
will be placed against industrial sites.
The pollution hazards experienced by people living next door
to oil refineries, petro-chemical plants, power plants, simple
cement batching plants etc., will be as real as any that exist in
the industrial metropolitan areas on the mainland.
It is essential then, that steps be taken ~ to establish
emission levels and air quality standards; and enforce pollution
controls in order to offset this rapidly approaching menace.
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1.
Public Health Service.
25
REFERENCES
Rapid Survey Technique for Estimating
Community Air Pollution Emissions.
Publication No. 999-AP-29,
Environmental Health Series, U. S. DREW, Division of Air
Pollution, Cincinnati, Ohio, October, 1966.
2.
Public Health Service.
Compilation of Air Pollutant Emission
Factors.
Publication No. 999-AP-42, Environmental Health
Series, U. S. DHEW, National Center for Air Pollution Control,
Durham, North Carolina.
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POLLUTANT EMISSION SOURCES
IN THE
VIRGIN ISLANDS >
N
Sources St. Thomas St. John St. Croix
A. METALLURGICAL EQUIPMENT
1. Aluminum Manufacturing Processes l
B. MECHANICAL EQUIPMENT
1. Concrete-Batching Plants 6 4
2. Rock & Gravel Aggregate Plants 3 2
3. Cement-Handling Equipment 1 1
4. Rubber - Compounding Equipment 1
5. Dry Cleaning Equipment 3 4
C. INCINERATION
1. General.- Refuse Incinerators 1 1 1
D. COMBUSTION EQUIPMENT
1. Gaseous and Liquid Fuels 4 1 5
2. Gas and Oil Burners 1
3. Boilers, Heaters, and Steam Generators 3 1 5
E. PETROLEUM EQUIPMENT
1. Storage Vessels 2 3
2. Loading Facilities 1
3. Cooling Towers 1 3
4. Catalyst Regeneration 2
5. Oil - Water Effluent Systems 1
F. CHEMICAL PROCESS ION EQUIPMENT
1. Soaps & Synthetic Detergents 2
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