Coamo mayor: Housing connections to Toa Vaca would worsen system amid drought
- The San Juan Daily Star
- 2 days ago
- 2 min read
By THE STAR STAFF
Coamo Mayor Juan Carlos García Padilla said Wednesday that the latest assessment from the Puerto Rico Aqueduct and Sewer Authority (PRASA), which placed the Toa Vaca, Carraízo and Cidra reservoirs under close observation due to declining water levels, validates months of warnings about the risks of unchecked development in the region.
PRASA’s update noted that prolonged dry conditions could force the expansion of water rationing to additional municipalities -- including Coamo. García Padilla argued that the agency’s own findings demonstrate why proposed housing projects along the Coamo-Santa Isabel boundary should not be connected to the already strained Toa Vaca system.
He emphasized that both municipalities have existing housing inventory that could be rehabilitated without extending water distribution lines or adding pressure to vulnerable infrastructure. Linking new developments to Toa Vaca, he said, would be “a planning mistake” with direct consequences for thousands of Coamo families who rely on the reservoir.
“The information released today by PRASA confirms exactly what we’ve been saying,” García Padilla said. “If the government acknowledges that Toa Vaca is under observation and that drought conditions could force broader rationing, it makes no sense to keep adding hundreds of new homes to that same system.”
The mayor reiterated that the proposed development could instead be supplied through existing wells in Santa Isabel, avoiding unnecessary expansion of the regional network fed by Toa Vaca. He argued that this alternative would protect both new residents and long‑established communities such as Santa Catalina and Los Llanos.
García Padilla added that PRASA continues to evaluate reservoir conditions and has warned that additional municipalities may face rationing if drought persists. That reality, he said, underscores the need for long‑term planning that prioritizes infrastructure capacity.
“Water is a limited resource,” he said. “We cannot keep approving projects without first asking whether the system can sustain them for the next twenty or thirty years. Communities that have depended on Toa Vaca for decades should not be put at risk because of avoidable planning decisions.”
The Coamo mayor urged PRASA, the Puerto Rico Planning Board and the Permits Management Office to ensure that all project evaluations consider the real capacity of potable water systems, stressing that economic development must occur where infrastructure can support it.
“Strengthening existing systems and using available alternatives is far more sensible than continuing to overload a reservoir already under pressure from climate conditions,” García Padilla said. “Our responsibility is to protect the right to water for current and future generations.”