Release Point

Site Context

The final intervention site focuses on filtering the water that flows through the gut before it reaches the sea. With the WAPA facility to the east and residential on all sides, this site is a prime location to consider how environmental sustainability can become part of daily life for St. Croix.

Baseline Recommendations

Organize a gut stewardship team.

To support any recommendations for this site, it is important to have a team dedicated to maintaining and preserving the gut. This stewardship team can include paid employees and volunteers who clean, monitor, and create programming.

Perform further studies to fully understand the complex system of the gut.

While plans and data from HMRP, DPNR, and UVI provide essential data and analysis of the guts today, future development will be best served by an in depth understanding of specific sites along the gut. Supplemental analyses of this site would allow for a more precise approach to filtration and provide a baseline that progress can be compared against.

The following studies would be essential in monitoring the health of the guts and any hazards it poses:

• Water quality and nearshore pollution

• Sedimentation and dumping

• Water flow rate and volume

• Physical conditions (i.e., grade, vegetation, piping)

Retrofit Approach

Establish sea level rise (SLR) protection zone.

Based on USVI’s 2 foot SLR scenario, the mouth of the gut could be protected to prevent development in at-risk areas.

Construct runoff barriers.

Small berms and gravel infiltration strips can be installed along the road edges to further prevent pollution from the road.

Expand buffer zones.

USVI code currently mandates a 15 foot setback from the gut.10 Expanding this to at least 25 feet would allow for more room for gut enhancement interventions. It would also create a greater distance between the road and the gut, reducing the amount of runoff from the road that enters the gut.

Mangroves help protect the shoreline and contribute to the island’s ecosystems (Image:

Rebuild Approach

Enhance and protect mangroves.

Mangroves along the water’s edge are the first and last line of defense for flooding and erosion. Preserving these will protect the rest of the gut.

Construct new walking paths to the shoreline.

Connecting the Retention Park to the shoreline enhances the public realm and completes the open space system, fostering stewardship and use.

Create an education and research center.

A new facility adjacent to WAPA’s lift station near the shoreline can house research and monitoring programs, as well as educational programs for children, students, and tourists.

Install barriers and filtration devices.

A catch basin for trash and a sargassum barrier off shore can prevent the guts from becoming clogged, which can cause flooding.

Build gut terracing to prevent erosion.

Fast moving water can gradually erode the guts, causing sedimentation offshore. Terracing can fortify the banks of the gut and create additional spaces for rest and recreation.

Embracing Golden Rock Gut

Educational Programming A Complete System

From conveyance to retention and release, the reimagined Golden Rock Gut is designed to put people and environment first while not interrupting the daily lives of the people of St. Croix. Sustainability, culture, education and economy are infused from ridge to reef. Hazards are mitigated and assets are celebrated.

In order to maximize the impact of these recommendations, any physical or policy interventions in the guts should be accompanied by educational programming. There are two schools located close to the Golden Rock Gut: St. Croix Montessori to the west and Juanita Gardine K-8 School to the east. The redesign of the gut creates numerous spaces for this programming to occur, and the spaces can accommodate all ages of learners. Learning about the guts is an essential part of advocating for their future.

Commercial Programming

Commercial programming is equally important, as the economic potential of this area should not be compromised by environmental and social priorities. A large new plaza in the Golden Rock Shopping Center can host markets, outdoor dining, and provide places for shoppers to rest, increasing activity around businesses. Additionally, the connection to the beach allows nearby residents to access the shoreline more easily, promoting ecotourism, water sports, and other blue economy activities.

Takeaways

Although the strategies on the previous pages are meant to be viewed as a potential pilot project applied only to this specific gut, this process could inform future gut interventions across the island. The following page lists some key takeaways from the design process, based on the different sitespecific approaches.

The guts are a critical piece of St. Croix’s infrastructure and should be treated as such. They’re incredibly complex systems, performing different functions and facing different issues throughout their life cycle. Although designing physical interventions to address current issues may be difficult, it’s crucial to find ways to highlight their importance in the daily lives of Crucian residents. Creating sustained and meaningful interaction with the guts will help achieve the goal of stewardship and lead to a more resilient St. Croix.

1 2 3 4 5

Find a balance between mitigating flood risk and keeping buildings operable for the community.

Draw attention to the gut as an asset for the local community and, especially where the pipe is not immediately visible, uncover its presence and importance to the island’s infrastructure.

Maintain access and connectivity along the gut in order to promote stewardship and community benefit, allowing people to interact with the gut in a variety of ways.

Integrate critical gut functions with public space to promote natural alternatives to hardened gut infrastructure.

Eliminate pollutants within stormwater carried by the guts to protect marine ecosystems at the end of the gut life cycle, fostering sustainable systems beyond the physical gut itself.