A beach on St. Thomas. Photo: Virgin Islands Waste Management Authority

The islands’ Waste Management Authority dumped more than 50 million gallons (189 million liters) of untreated sewage into Cane Garden Bay and Long Reef off St. Croix since January, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.

Local officials said they had no option and blamed malfunctioning pumps at the two treatment plants.

Federal engineer Pedro Modesto testified at a court hearing Tuesday that crews had two choices: divert untreated sewage into the ocean or allow it to spill from flooded manholes in Christiansted, the main tourist town on St. Croix.

Justice Department officials found out at the hearing that all pumps at one of the stations weren’t working. They also had underestimated the extent of the problem, having originally thought the spill amounted to between 300,000 gallons (1.1 million liters) and 500,000 gallons (1.8 million liters) a day, half the actual amount.

By Wednesday, crews had installed a new pump at one of the plants and reported waste was no longer being routed to the ocean, Joycelyn Hewlett, a spokeswoman for the U.S. Attorney’s Office, said.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office in the Caribbean territory filed an emergency motion last week seeking a court order to have crews repair and install pumps.