By The Star Staff
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has issued an administrative order requiring the Puerto Rico Department of Transportation and Public Works (DTOP by its acronym in Spanish) to resolve Clean Water Act violations associated with separate storm sewer systems (MS4) and the stormwater management program in Ponce.
DTOP owns and operates several storm sewer systems in Puerto Rico, including those located along highways PR-123 and PR-585 in Ponce’s Playa ward, according to a recent statement.
“Stormwater management is crucial for safeguarding people’s health and the environment. It also helps prevent flooding, especially in coastal communities like Barrio Playa,” said Lisa F. Garcia, the EPA Region 2 administrator. “EPA’s enforcement of the Clean Water Act is addressing past issues such as poor management and flooding, and it is also ensuring a safer, healthier future for the residents of Barrio Playa.”
EPA has received complaints from the local community about flooding events in the aforementioned areas of Ponce. The federal agency has been inspecting the system since 2022, and found that DTOP had not implemented a storm water management plan that would detect illegal discharges into their storm sewer systems at Ponce Playa. Illegal dumping and connections can result in serious pollutants such as motor oil and sewage getting into storm sewer systems.
The most recent EPA investigation was conducted in August 2024. The EPA was joined by officials from DTOP, the Municipality of Ponce, the Puerto Rico Aqueduct and Sewer Authority (PRASA), and Ponce Playa community leaders. The inspection revealed that DTOP’s storm sewer systems lack required operation and maintenance, and unpermitted pollutants are being discharged into the system, to the detriment of the community.
The order requires DTOP to take a number of actions, including:
1. Develop and submit to the EPA a storm sewer map depicting DTOP’s MS4s at specified segments in Ponce Playa.
2. Investigate its storm sewer systems for any connection to PRASA’s sanitary sewer systems that may cause sanitary sewer overflows and notify PRASA of the results of such investigations.
3. Develop an inventory of DTOP’s storm sewer systems discharge outfalls and interconnections in Ponce Playa.
4. Prepare a work plan to perform assessments and make improvements. The plan must focus on identifying illegal discharges into the system; inspecting and cleaning storm sewer systems; and replacing or constructing infrastructure, if needed. Perform outfall monitoring for specific pollutants including enterococci, fecal coliform, ammonia, surfactants, boron, pH, and total phosphorus.
The EPA order includes a detailed schedule for the performance of compliance measures that will result in the elimination of illicit discharges into the Caribbean Sea.
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