Puerto Rico Aqueduct and Sewer Authority, Water Pollution, Puerto Rico 2023

SAN JUAN—The Puerto Rico Aqueduct and Sewer Authority (PRASA) has agreed to implement major capital improvements and upgrades to resolve alleged longstanding violations of the Clean Water Act at 126 drinking water plants across the island and violations of the Safe Drinking Water Act at three others, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced today.

The agreement, filed in federal court in the District of Puerto Rico, requires PRASA to implement measures to properly handle harmful pollution from 126 drinking water treatment plants that discharge into Puerto Rico’s lakes, rivers and streams, some of which are sources of drinking water. The work required by the agreement, when fully implemented by PRASA, is estimated to cost more than $195 million.

“Today’s settlement agreement sets the Puerto Rico Aqueduct and Sewer Authority on a clear path to improve the infrastructure of their facilities, reduce the amount of harmful pollutants entering the environment and ultimately provide safer drinking water to the people of Puerto Rico,” said Assistant Attorney General Ignacia S. Moreno.

PRASA will also pay a $1.02 million civil penalty and spend more than $2.5 million to improve the water quality of either Lake Toa Vaca or both Lake Toa Vaca and Lake Cidra. The consent decree filed today replaces two prior agreements between PRASA and the federal government, one from 1995 and one from 2001. It provides for a comprehensive and integrated set of measures aimed at ending PRASA’s cycle of past violations.

The announcement was made today by Rosa Rodriguez-Velez, U.S. Attorney for the District of Puerto Rico and Judith Enck, EPA Regional Administrator for Region 2.

EPA estimates that the agreement will reduce by 15 million pounds annually the amount of suspended solids discharged into Puerto Rico’s lakes, rivers and streams, some of which are sources of drinking water. Suspended solids are small particles that can carry pathogens potentially harmful to human health and the environment, and can harm water quality by consuming oxygen.

Under the consent decree, PRASA will implement multiple capital improvement projects and other upgrades at 126 drinking water treatment plants and related systems over the next 15 years. PRASA will complete 291 short-, mid-, and long-term capital improvement projects, which will include the construction of 34 treatment systems at facilities that currently are discharging untreated sludge into local waterways, installation of flow meters and high-level indicators at all PRASA facilities, improvements to sampling locations, capacity evaluations at over 50 facilities, implementation of an island-wide prevention program, and other measures.

Defendant: Puerto Rico Aqueduct and Sewer Authority, State: Federal, Title: Water Pollution, Date: 2023, Outcome: PRASA will pay a $1.02 million civil penalty and spend more than $195 million on improvements to 126 drinking water plants, and over $2.5 million to improve the water quality of either Lake Toa Vaca or both Lake Toa Vaca and Lake Cidra.

Source: https://www.justice.gov/archives/opa/pr/puerto-rico-aqueduct-and-sewer-authority-spend-more-195-million-improvements-126-drinking