Puerto Rico Water System Still Not Completely Restored

The damage from Hurricane Maria to Puerto Rico’s power grid gets most of the press, and rightfully so with the ongoing restoration projected to cost north of $100 billion.  But it has been months since the storm and the Puerto Rico water system has also still not been fully restored.  While water service has been mostly restored in urban areas, rural areas continue to suffer from intermittent supply and water contamination.

Why the Puerto Rico Water System Continues to Sputter

The main reason the water system was compromised in the first place is due to the widespread power failures across the island caused by massive storm damage to the grid.  The result was that water treatment plants could not pump water or otherwise operate properly, despite the eventual provision of over 700 generators from FEMA to help mitigate the problem.

Overall, more than 50% of the island’s population initially lost access to its water supply, and adding insult to injury, more that 33% of the island’s sewage treatment plants were damaged, causing the leaching of raw sewage into the local waterways from which drinking water is sourced.

How Water System Failures Impact Emergency Preparedness

The problem with a water system failure of this magnitude is that it truly hinders overall emergency preparedness efforts.  Here are just a few examples:

• The sewage treatment plant failures caused many residents to get sick, diverting restoration resources and funding, and reducing the available workforce on the island.
• Inadequate water supply makes firefighting extremely difficult and inefficient.
• Inadequate water supply makes it more difficult for restoration workers to stay hydrated, potentially reducing productivity and negatively affecting employee safety.

According to this article, the island is making progress thanks to assistance from FEMA and the EPA, among other white knight agencies.  But despite the allocation of over $100 million in funds and resources, the Puerto Rico water system was still not 100% restored despite the passage of 8 months’ worth of time.  And that is completely unacceptable.