Environmental emergency confirmed on southern coast near Peñuelas

San Juan Mayor Miguel Romero Lugo (Facebook via New Progressive Party)

By The Star Staff

Natural and Environmental Resources Secretary (DNER) Anaís Rodríguez Vega announced over the weekend that the technical staff of the agency’s Environmental Emergencies Division is investigating and conducting inspections in the Peñuelas area in response to a spill of a liquid whose nature and origin have not yet been identified.

“Since the beginning of the situation, reported last Thursday, the DNER team established direct communication with the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Coast Guard to ensure a coordinated and effective response,” Rodríguez Vega said in a written statement. “As a preventive measure, absorbent pads were placed in the affected area, with the aim of mitigating any possible future spill and preventing the liquid in question from reaching Guánica Bay.”

The official added that the investigation is ongoing and the situation is under control.