Water Island, U.S. Virgin Islands

Infobox Islands
name = Water


image caption =
image size =
locator
Location map|US Virgin Islands|lat=18.319722|long=-64.953333
map_custom = yes
native name =
native name link =
nickname = Small City
location = Caribbean Sea
coordinates = coord|18|19|11|N|64|57|12|W|display=inline,title
archipelago = Virgin Islands, Leeward Islands
total islands =
major islands =
area = convert|491.5|acre|km2
length =
width =
highest mount =
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country = United States
country admin divisions title = Insular area
country admin divisions = flag|United States Virgin Islands
country largest city =
country largest city population =
population = 161
population as of = 2000
density = 80.95
ethnic groups =
additional info =

Water Island is the fourth and most recently acquired main island in the U.S. Virgin Islands, a United States territory located in the Caribbean Sea. The island is of volcanic origin and lies to the south of Saint Thomas in the Charlotte Amalie harbor. Ferry service runs regularly from Crown Bay, Saint Thomas to Phillips Landing, Water Island; the ferry ride is about 10 minutes.

At convert|491.5|acre|km2 in size, Water Island is the smallest of the main U.S. Virgin Islands. It is administratively a part (subdistrict) of the St. Thomas District. Water Island is a residential island, with a population of 161 (2000 census) and no significant commercial establishments. A number of homes on Water Island are available to accommodate visitors. The main attractions are beaches, including Honeymoon Beach, plantation ruins, and Fort Segarra, an underground fort partially constructed by the U.S. during World War II. The northern end of the island is a gated community, Sprat Bay Estates, which includes Sprat Bay Beach. All of the beaches in the USVI are public.

History

The earliest known Water Island settlers were Taino Indians in the 15th century. Water Island was named by Europeans for its natural ponds of fresh water. Many islands in the Lesser Antilles lack potable water, so Water Island was a frequent stop for pirates seeking to replenish their ships' stores of fresh water.

Danish claims to the island date to at least 1769. During the 18th century and early 19th century, the island was owned by several free blacks and mulattos who had cotton plantations and raised livestock.

From 1944 to 1950 the island was under the operation of the Department of Defense. The United States Army's Chemical Warfare Division used sections of Water Island to test chemical warfare agents, including Agent Orange, until 1950. It was then turned over to the Department of the Interior and leased out, primarily to residential tenants.

Control of Water Island was transferred from the federal government to the territorial government on December 12, 1996, making Water Island the "Last Virgin". In the late 1990s the Department of the Interior began transferring Water Island land to the long-time residential leaseholders. In 2005 the Virgin Islands government announced plans to further develop Water Island, and to increase the amount of residential housing to deal with chronic shortages on Saint Thomas.

The [http://www.waterislandwica.com Water Island Civic Association] was formed in the mid 1960's to help improve the quality of life on Water Island. Today the [http://www.waterislandwica.com Water Island Civic Association] has over 100 members. Water Island residents pay to have the beach maintained and spend countless hours of volunteer clean-up around the island. The [http://www.waterislandwica.com Water Island Civic Association] interacts and cooperates with the U.S. Virgin Islands government to help maintain the pristine quality of Water Island.

References

* [http://factfinder.census.gov/servlet/DTTable?_bm=y&-show_geoid=Y&-tree_id=405&-_caller=geoselect&-context=dt&-errMsg=&-all_geo_types=N&-mt_name=DEC_2000_IAVI_P001&-redoLog=true&-transpose=N&-search_map_config=|b=50|l=en|t=4001|zf=0.0|ms=sel_00dec|dw=0.9528487917191559|dh=0.6838460131961157|dt=gov.census.aff.domain.map.EnglishMapExtent|if=gif|cx=-67.48042614595042|cy=18.385966173167105|zl=6|pz=6|bo=318:317:316:314:313:323:319|bl=362:393:358:357:356:355:354|ft=350:349:335:389:388:332:331|fl=381:403:204:380:369:379:368|g=04000US72&-PANEL_ID=p_dt_geo_map&-_lang=en&-geo_id=06000US7803082000&-CONTEXT=dt&-format=&-search_results=04000US78&-ds_name=DEC_2000_IAVI Water Island Subdistrict, St. Thomas Island, United States Census Bureau]