PHILIPSBURG:--- Concerns over wastewater treatment, reported sewage disposal at the landfill, delayed cleaning contracts, and proposed garbage collection restrictions dominated questions from Members of Parliament Egbert J. Doran and Veronica Jansen-Webster during a public meeting with Minister of VROMI Patrice Gumbs.
Parliament’s consideration of the draft National Nature Policy Plan 2025–2030 preceded the wastewater and waste management discussion. MPs Doran, Ardwell Irion and Darryl York submitted the urgent meeting request on October 6.
Opening the discussion on behalf of the requesters, Doran pointed to circulating images that he said showed wastewater overflowing within the treatment plant. He demanded clarity on the facility’s management and the decisions preceding the reported problems.
Gumbs told Parliament that the previous management agreement ended in August 2026 and was not renewed. The ministry is now carrying out daily operations while it reviews the terms of reference for a new management tender.
The minister also reported that bids for solid waste collection closed on September 25, with evaluation expected to conclude at the end of October and contracts to be awarded shortly afterward. District cleaning bids, submitted by October 9, were also under evaluation.
Doran challenged the decision to let the wastewater management agreement end before securing a replacement arrangement, especially given the ministry’s previously stated staffing shortages.
“How can you end one contract without a clear, solid plan of how you’re going to move forward?” he asked.
He asked how many people currently work at the plant, what their qualifications and responsibilities are, and who oversees technical operations, maintenance, and water quality testing.
Doran also defended an earlier change in management arrangements during his tenure, saying it had reduced the government’s costs by more than 60 percent. He requested monthly expenditure figures for 2020, 2022 and 2025 so Parliament could compare management costs.
A central concern was information Doran said he received that septic truck operators had been directed to dispose of wastewater at the landfill because the treatment plant was reportedly closed.
He asked Gumbs to confirm whether this occurred and, if so, identify who authorized it, when it began, and why the landfill was selected.
Doran also asked whether the wastewater had been treated, whether health and environmental assessments had been conducted, and whether relevant authorities had been consulted. He asked whether any disposal took place at the main landfill or the Hurricane Irma debris disposal site.
The reported disposal was raised as a question requiring the minister’s confirmation; it was not established as fact during the supplied proceedings.
Doran’s questions also covered the condition of pumps, piping, and backup generators. He cited reports of outstanding repairs and asked whether only two of three pumps were functioning because of deteriorated piping.
He also sought confirmation that the return activated sludge pump, which forms part of the treatment process, was operational.
The MP requested an inventory of maintenance requests and repair estimates submitted since January 2025, identifying which had been approved and which remained outstanding. He also asked whether unpaid invoices existed when the previous arrangements ended.
Water quality testing drew further scrutiny. Doran said he had received information suggesting testing was limited because the necessary chemicals were not procured.
He asked whether routine testing had continued throughout 2025 and 2026, whether budget delays affected procurement, and whether Parliament could receive the results, including those covering the preceding six months.
“If testing has not been conducted consistently, how can the Ministry determine whether the plant is treating wastewater safely and effectively?” he asked.
Doran also sought answers about pumping stations in Union Farm and Foga, reports of missing pumps, potentially unsafe decommissioned pits, and damaged pit covers in Middle Region.
On access to the treatment plant, he questioned reports that wastewater haulers were restricted to operating hours of 6:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. He asked what arrangements existed for emergencies involving hotels, restaurants and residential properties outside those hours.
He warned that inadequate access to disposal could encourage illegal dumping and asked whether inspection authorities had been involved in addressing that risk.
Turning to solid waste, Doran demanded firm commencement dates for both garbage collection and district cleaning contracts.
He also renewed his request for an explanation of why every bidder reportedly failed the first garbage collection tender, questioning whether problems with the government’s procurement requirements contributed to the outcome.
On district cleaning, he asked how companies currently carrying out work were selected and whether previous contractors had received extensions.
Doran further requested an update on the dispute involving Fleming Waste Solutions and the government’s wider landfill strategy, including fire prevention, waste separation, environmental protection and financial challenges.
He alleged that decisions affecting contracts had left more than 170 people without work and demanded an explanation of how government intended to address the employment consequences. The supplied exchange did not independently establish that figure.
Jansen-Webster also pressed Gumbs for a realistic starting date for district cleaning contracts, asking whether implementation would occur before the end of the year.
Her questions focused heavily on how garbage collection arrangements would affect apartment residents.
She asked the minister to explain a provision she understood would exclude properties with more than three apartments from collection under the new haulers’ contracts. She sought clarification on whether the threshold referred to apartments, dwellings or garbage bins.
Jansen-Webster argued that household waste remains residential waste regardless of how many apartments occupy a property.
She pointed to the island’s limited land supply and growing reliance on apartment buildings, asking why residents who pay taxes should also have to arrange their own garbage disposal.
She also asked whether such restrictions could increase illegal dumping.
To improve reporting, Jansen-Webster asked Gumbs to publicly provide telephone numbers or email addresses residents could use to report missed garbage collections and wastewater running onto public roads.
She asked whether inspectors conduct regular patrols or respond mainly to complaints, and whether they currently issue fines for wastewater violations.
Jansen-Webster also praised taxi drivers for cleaning the Bell’s Lookout Point area, while questioning the government’s enforcement against uncovered garbage trucks.
She said waste blowing from trucks contributes to litter around Cole Bay Hill and identified additional concerns around Link One, Phase Two, including areas behind the ambulance department and NIPA.
She asked whether trucks were being stopped and whether VROMI was working with the Ministry of Justice to enforce covering requirements.
The supplied proceedings ended after Jansen-Webster’s contribution. The proceedings did not include Gumbs’ detailed responses to the MPs’ questions.
