The head of the Puerto Rico Aqueduct and Sewer Authority (PRASA), Luis González Delgado, said Tuesday that the agency expects to have four filtration units at the Sergio Cuevas water treatment plant back in operation by October, a move he described as the key to stabilizing water service across the San Juan metropolitan area.
The filters — which have been out of service for more than five years — each have the capacity to produce five million gallons of potable water per day, González Delgado said in a televised interview. Once restored, the four units would add 20 million gallons daily to the system.
“This summer we already have a plan and strategy in place,” he said in a televised interview. “We’re working to increase the plant’s production by bringing four filters back online.”
The Sergio Cuevas plant, which supplies much of the capital region, has 24 filters, but only 20 are currently operating. The additional capacity, González Delgado said, represents the “permanent solution” needed to end the rotating service interruptions that have affected communities in San Juan, Bayamón, Guaynabo, and other municipalities.
Until the repairs are completed, however, the agency will continue managing the system through valve manipulation, a practice that reroutes limited water supplies but can leave some neighborhoods without service.
González Delgado acknowledged that the interconnected nature of the island’s water systems means that shifting supply to one area can deprive another — a dynamic that has fueled tensions among mayors.
He stressed, however, that the agency’s goal is to avoid sacrificing one community for another.
“What is not negotiable is leaving one area without water to give it to another,” he said. “We’re going to work so that everyone has service.”
The comments came hours after González Delgado met with San Juan Mayor Miguel Romero as part of the newly created Committee for the Stabilization and Reestablishment of Water Service, established under a court agreement following weeks of public pressure over persistent outages.
Romero said the meeting marked the first time the municipality had access to detailed operational information — including tank levels and valve operations — needed to make informed decisions.
“From today, actions will be taken,” Romero said after the meeting. “We didn’t have information on the Covadonga tank, or how many turns were made on the ROTC valves. Now we have access.”
The mayor emphasized that trust in the system’s management must be rebuilt but said the committee’s structure allows for real oversight and technical input.
González Delgado said that once the 20 million gallons of water are flowing, the system will have enough capacity to stabilize service.
