Federal and territorial officials outlined a major expansion of groundwater cleanup efforts at the Tutu Wellfield Superfund Site during a public meeting Thursday, detailing a new system designed to more aggressively address long-standing contamination in the Tutu area of St. Thomas.
The site, which spans roughly 108 acres from the Curriculum Center through parts of Anna’s Retreat and Estate Tutu, has been under federal oversight since 1995, when testing found industrial pollutants in both public and private wells. Officials from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency said construction on an upgraded groundwater treatment system began in November 2025 and is expected to continue as new wells and equipment are installed.
“Our role is to serve you and to be accountable,” said Arshley ReyTorres, a community involvement coordinator with EPA. “We’re here to explain what we’re doing, listen to concerns and make sure people are not being exposed to contaminated groundwater while we clean it up.”
ReyTorres said the project is entering a new phase, while acknowledging its long history.
“There is more than 30 years of history at this site, but our commitment now is to strengthen relationships with the local government and move this cleanup forward,” she said. “We’re in a new phase of this project, expanding the treatment system so we can target the source of the contamination more aggressively.”
Officials said the expanded effort builds on earlier cleanup systems that were able to contain the spread of contamination.
The earlier remedy, based on two groundwater treatment plants, “would not clean up the groundwater in a reasonable amount of time,” EPA project manager Michael Grossman said. The new plan, adopted in 2021, triples system capacity and expands the extraction well network in an effort to take “a much more aggressive approach at the source of the contamination” at the Curriculum Center.
The contamination traces back to industrial activity on land now occupied by the Virgin Islands Department of Education’s Curriculum Center. In the late 1960s and 1970s, a textile and dry-cleaning operation used tetrachloroethylene, or PCE, a solvent commonly used in dry cleaning. The facility closed by the late 1970s, and the property was sold to the government in 1981.
In 1987, complaints about smells led to testing of nearby wells, which found chlorinated volatile organic compounds, including PCE, along with petroleum products in the groundwater. Officials responded by closing 18 wells, decontaminating affected cisterns, supplying residents with trucked drinking water and launching a long-term groundwater monitoring program. A detailed federal investigation in the early 1990s led to the site’s addition to the Superfund National Priorities List in 1995. It is the only Superfund site in the territory.
Geologist Rachel Griffiths said the site presents challenges typical of Superfund sites, which can lead to prolonged cleanup efforts.
“These are highly toxic, highly contaminated sites, and they’re often situated in complicated geologic areas,” she said. “Here, groundwater moves through small fractures in volcanic rock, so it’s very hard to target and very hard to treat.”
EPA officials said work at the site is now focused on building out the upgraded treatment system around the Curriculum Center.
Officials did not give a specific timeline for when groundwater is expected to meet federal drinking water standards, but said cleanup will continue for many years, even with the expanded system.
EPA’s Community Involvement Plan calls for additional public meetings and availability sessions as work progresses, along with fact sheets, online updates and coordination with local agencies, including the Department of Planning and Natural Resources and the Education Department.
Residents questioned how long people may have been exposed before the contamination was discovered in the late 1980s, with some describing neighbors and family members who developed cancer or other serious illnesses and asking whether those cases could be linked to past exposure. A parent also cited a recent asthma attack at a nearby school that students said was preceded by a noticeable odor, and called for clearer advance notice of drilling and construction near the campus, along with better coordination with school officials.
Residents said many people in the area still do not fully understand the extent of contamination or the status of cleanup efforts, and urged EPA and territorial agencies to strengthen communication through schools, online updates, and more direct outreach.
ReyTorres said the cleanup began after concerns raised by residents prompted an investigation, highlighting the role of community engagement.
“In terms of this project, it was raised because someone raised their voice and an investigation was done,” she said. “Many of the successes we see in environmental laws, regulations and even Superfund site designations happen because people in the community speak up and say, ‘This is happening, and something needs to be done.’ Our commitment is to strengthen those relationships so your voice continues to be raised and people continue learning about this.”
