Broken Meters, High Bills, and Millions in Debt Take Center Stage at WAPA Senate Hearing

Malfunctioning meters, high customer bills and a utility running on debt were front and center during Monday’s legislative hearing, as senators pressed the Virgin Islands Water and Power Authority on its operations, finances, and the long road ahead. Lawmakers demanded answers while WAPA’s leadership outlined ongoing challenges, pledged reform, and made the case for more time — and more support.

WAPA Chief Executive Officer Karl Knight told the Committee on Government Operations that while the authority’s monthly deficit has improved — dropping from $8 million last March to around $2–3 million — it remains steeped in debt. WAPA is still carrying $87 million in unpaid vendor bills, $88 million in long-term debt, and an estimated $27 million in deferred maintenance. “We are taking methodical and purposeful action to bring the authority back from the brink of insolvency,” Knight said, “and we will be successful.”

A significant portion of the hearing focused on WAPA’s widespread billing issues — largely caused by malfunctioning or unreadable meters that have forced the authority to rely heavily on estimated bills. “We’ve been underbilling quite a bit,” Knight acknowledged. “We’ve seen an increase in demand on our generators, but revenues are stagnant or declining.”

To fix the problem, WAPA recently approved a four-year, $30 million contract with Itron to replace the entire Advanced Metering Infrastructure across the territory. The FEMA-funded project is expected to take 18 months to complete and will begin on St. John. In the meantime, 2,500 electrical meters are being installed for new connections and replacements, with another 2,500 in transit, Knight has said.