In the USVI, rainfall tends to run down hillsides over the surface rather than through the ground because the soil layer is thin and the underlying rock has low permeability (Jarecki and Walkey 2006). Natural stormwater channels, known as “ghuts”, that have formed from stormwater erosion down steep terrain, are defined as any stream with a reasonable well-defined channel, which includes streams that have a permanent flow as well as those that result from the accumulation of water after rainfall (VIC 12, Ch 3).
Freshwater sources in the northern USVI are extremely limited due to steep topography and lack of flat land for ponding (St. Croix has more freshwater ponds due to more level areas). Water that collects in ghut pools provides a rare freshwater habitat that is occupied by freshwater shrimp and anadromous fish. American eels (Anguilla rostrata) are occasionally found in these stream channels (Laurain 2026). These riparian species have complex life cycles, migrating between downstream marine environment and upstream freshwater pools when connections between the two habitats are present. Bats and migratory birds, primarily warblers, use these ephemeral water resources, as do invasive species that require freshwater, such as the Cuban treefrog (Osteopilus septentrionalis), cane toad (Rhinella marina), and red-eared sliders (Trachemys scripta). Vegetated ghuts also provide habitat corridors for wildlife, particularly in highly disturbed, urbanized areas. The federally endangered Virgin Islands tree boa (Chilabothrus granti) in particular benefits from these “green belt” corridors along ghuts on St. Thomas’ east end.
In response to the identified need in the 2018 SWAP, a partnership with the Southeast Aquatic Resources Partnership was established to conduct surveys for freshwater fauna in ghuts across the territory and to inventory aquatic barriers. A graduate student at Clemson University conducted research focused on observing what species are in the ghuts, if there were any environmental factors that influenced population and frequency of a species and how they were spread across the island (Laurain, 2026). The resulting data from these surveys have contributed to the freshwater SGCN list in this SWAP update.
There have been more projects designed to fill knowledge gaps and preserve our ghut systems. The St. Thomas East End Reserve (STEER) Watershed Management plan is one such project. This document provides suggestions and plans for watershed restoration for the land’s surrounds STEER. Some of these plans have also been implemented in St. Croix. (St. Thomas East End Reserves Watershed Management Plan May 2013, Horsley Witten Group 2026.)
Despite statutory protection for ghut vegetation (VIC 12 Ch 3), the habitats within these riparian corridors are often highly degraded. Many guts have been altered through habitat clearance, diversion of water flow, and encroachment. Unpermitted vegetation clearance reduces the ability of these systems to withstand erosion, and sedimentation occurs when soil is eroded from the land surface and transported by rainfall moving over ground surfaces. Unpaved roads and the failure to properly install effective silt control devices at construction sites are a major source of eroded soil (Ramos-Scharrón and MacDonald 2005). The sediment in rainfall runoff is added to by other contaminants from human activities, such as pesticides, nutrients, and toxic substances. Intermittent streams are often supplemented from gray water drainage in residential communities. Leaky septic systems and runoff from animal operations result in high loads of bacterial contamination present in gut streams, one of the main causes of contamination of beaches after rainfall events (DEP 2004).
Ghuts generally do not appear in the LANDFIRE dataset due to their small scale and ephemeral nature. They are captured in the Caribbean Blueprint and the resulting COAs in response to expert input and review.
Of the USVI SGCN, 26 rely on ghuts including 11 insects, five freshwater invertebrates, two freshwater fish, one plant, two amphibians, and four terrestrial mammals. See table below for the list of these species: