Puerto Rico lawmaker proposes measures to strengthen island’s water infrastructure
At-large Rep. Tatiana Pérez Ramírez has introduced a package of legislative measures to address sediment buildup, declining water storage capacity, and structural deterioration affecting Puerto Rico’s major reservoirs.
The initiatives seek to strengthen the island’s water infrastructure at a time when studies warn that Puerto Rico continues to face recurring droughts, while reservoirs are losing usable capacity due to sediment accumulation, erosion, and invasive vegetation. Those conditions have worsened in recent years following the impact of major hurricanes.
Among the measures is Joint Resolution 26-2026, formerly House Joint Resolution 47, which the governor has signed. The resolution directs the Puerto Rico Aqueduct and Sewer Authority, the Department of Natural and Environmental Resources, and the Puerto Rico Electric Power Authority to seek federal funds to dredge reservoirs under their administration.
The resolution calls for a continuous maintenance-dredging model designed to …