Fajardo reservoir continues to drop as House speaker calls for shoreline dredging evaluation

The water level at the Fajardo reservoir, which supplies the municipalities of Ceiba, Fajardo, Luquillo and Río Grande, had fallen to 46.7 meters as of Monday morning, just over two meters away from the threshold that would trigger scheduled service interruptions under the “adjustments” designation.

By THE STAR STAFF

The water level at the Fajardo reservoir, which supplies the municipalities of Ceiba, Fajardo, Luquillo and Río Grande, continued its downward trend on Monday, registering a drop of 0.07 meters compared with Sunday.

The reservoir now stands at 46.7 meters, just over two meters away from the threshold that would trigger scheduled service interruptions under the “adjustments” designation.

In response to the rapid decline, Speaker of the Puerto Rico House of Representatives Carlos “Johnny” Méndez Nuñez urged the government’s Drought Committee, led by the Department of Natural and Environmental Resources (DNER), to evaluate the feasibility of conducting a dry shoreline dredging operation in the reservoir’s exposed basins.

“We are facing a historic drought, not only in Puerto Rico but across the United States, Central America, Europe and Asia,” Méndez said. “In our case, the Fajardo reservoir, one of the most modern and managed by the Puerto Rico Aqueduct and Sewer Authority [PRASA], has dropped to levels we have not seen. Its basins are exposed, which facilitates shoreline dredging to add capacity. We encourage the Drought Committee to assess whether this reservoir should be added to the list, along with Carraízo and La Plata, for shoreline dredging operations.”

Méndez, who represents District 36 (Río Grande, Luquillo, Fajardo, Ceiba, Vieques and Culebra), added that officials should visit the site to determine the conditions of the reservoir and estimate how much additional water capacity could be gained through dredging.

Shoreline dredging, also known as dry dredging, involves removing sediment, debris, vegetation, solid waste and accumulated mud from the slopes and margins of reservoirs. The operations can only be carried out when the basins are exposed, a condition that typically occurs during prolonged droughts.

According to Monday’s Drought Index, 73.4% of Puerto Rico is experiencing some level of dry conditions. In Fajardo, 100% of the municipality is under the designation of extreme drought.

The reservoir, which covers 4,455 acres, began construction in August 2000 and was completed in 2006.

On July 31, Gov. Jenniffer González Colón signed Administrative Bulletin OE‑2026‑05, declaring a state of emergency due to declining reservoir levels caused by the ongoing drought. The declaration streamlines permitting processes and facilitates shoreline dredging and other mitigation efforts.

Dry dredging at Carraízo to require Army Corps of Engineers permits

It was announced at Monday’s meeting of the Drought Committee at La Fortaleza, meanwhile, that the island government will need to obtain permits from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) before beginning dry dredging operations at the Carraízo reservoir in Trujillo Alto, even though officials had initially been informed that such authorizations would not be necessary.

“It is understood that, regardless of the interpretation given at the time, the Army Corps of Engineers has stated that the necessary permits are required, and efforts will be made to secure them as soon as possible,” engineer Carlos Ignacio Pesquera said in response to questions from the press.

PRASA Executive President Luis Reinaldo González Delgado noted that officials from the public corporation and the Department of Natural and Environmental Resources had previously visited the dam alongside representatives from USACE, “and the initial information we received was that [a permit] would not be required.”

The federal requirement adds an extra step before the start of the announced work to remove sediment exposed by the drop in the reservoir’s water level.

During the press conference, Pesquera did not provide a new start date for the dredging, stating only that the government would work to expedite the permitting process.

The project is part of measures adopted to increase available capacity at Carraízo during the drought, which has resulted in the reservoir being subject to a service interruption schedule.

The Drought Committee reported on Monday that reservoir levels continue to drop and that weather forecasts for the next two weeks do not predict enough rainfall to bring about a significant recovery.

Primary reservoirs in east are hardest hit

With little or no rain on the horizon, the majority of the island’s reservoirs keep seeping toward dryness, with water levels at the main reservoirs in the eastern part of the island steadily dropping, while lesser reservoirs in the west are holding their own.

According to PRASA, one of the island’s main reservoirs, Lake Carraizo in Trujillo Alto, like Fajardo also lost 0.07 meters Sunday, falling to 37.45 meters, keeping it just above the “Control” stage of 37.00 meters, in the lower range of the “Adjustments” stage. The stage below “Control” is “Out of Service,” at 30 meters.

Puerto Rico’s other principal reservoir, La Plata in Toa Alta, is doing somewhat better. At 44.28 meters early Monday, it was at the lower end of the “Observation” stage, which is the stage above “Adjustments.”

Cidra Reservoir, meanwhile, in the town of the same name, at 400.10 meters had fallen out of the “Observation” stage and into the “Adjustments” stage.

Not all the news is bad. Of PRASA’s 19 reservoirs, 13 are in the  upper reaches of the “Secure” range, with only the Adjuntas reservoir at the “Overflowing” stage.