Former Speaker of the House of Assembly and District 3 prospective Representative Mr Julian Willock on the Big Story on September 14, 2026. Photo: Facebook

Former Speaker of the House of Assembly and District 3 prospective Representative Mr Julian Willock said when he served as Director of Water and Sewerage Department there was water in the Virgin Islands. Photo: Internet Source

Former Speaker of the House of Assembly and District 3 prospective Representative Mr Julian Willock has said Mark H. Vanterpool and the National Democratic Party are also responsible for the Virgin Islands’ water issues. Photo: NDP

Mr Willock said he receives complaints daily from residents within his district about the lack of and unreliability of water, calling it a “vexing issue”. Speaking to JTV Channel 55’s Cathy O. Richards on The Big Story on Monday, September 14, 2026, Willock said that before a solution can be found, the root cause of the issue needs to be identified. 

He went on to add his voice to the criticisms from former legislators like Mark H. Vanterpool, who are now blaming the current government. 

“I heard a lot of politicians now, particularly like Mark Vanterpool and those talking about the water situation in the country. It was a Virgin Islands Party government who brought in a company to fix the water situation. When the National Democratic Party got in, in 2011, they killed that plan to fix the water.”

Willock said this decision by the NDP has maintained the suffering of Virgin Islanders. 

“Because I was the Director of Water and Sewage at one point in my career, and we had water for the people.”

Open more desalination plants

Willock advised that more desalination plants need to be opened. 

“This thing about one plant in the eastern end bringing water through Ridge Road and this and here and West End and there are other issues of pumping directly into the main. Those things have to be gone away with. You need reservoirs; you need different water plants.”

He said the water plants in Sea Cows Bay and Baughers Bay need to be reopened. “That’s what you need in order to alleviate the problem.”

Willock acknowledged that there are challenges among them, the ageing pipes, but said: “the water problem can be fixed”. 

Stop playing the blame game

“There was a plan with the Virgin Islands Party government, and I guess BiWater was a bad word in those days, but as soon as the National Democratic Party took power in 2011, the same Mark Vanterpool, they were able to have BiWater sold to Seven Seas, same terms and conditions, became a nice ripe apple then.”

Willock said, however, it is time to stop the blame game when it comes to the VI’s water woes. “There's enough blame to go around.”

He added that Minister for Communications and Works Hon Kye M. Rymer (R5) and his ministry received some money from the one hundred million-dollar loan facility, and work has begun to address the water issues. 

“He’s doing his best. He has fixed some reservoirs. They're talking about building a new water plant in District 3; looking at the Baughers Bay Plant. So things are happening; [but] it’s not happening fast enough.”

Willock disclosed that he has been out of water for two weeks and is being promised by politicians that water is coming. 

“I'm feeling the suffering now, but to their credit, they are doing something.”

He added that the public should understand the VI’s water issues did not start in 2019 under the VIP and Hon Rymer as minister, but date back much further.