PRASA to pay Spanish firm $152 million to rebuild Sergio Cuevas water treatment plant.
- The San Juan Daily Star
- Apr 14
- 2 min read
By THE STAR STAFF
The Puerto Rico Aqueduct and Sewer Authority (PRASA) has awarded a $152 million contract to Spanish infrastructure company ACCIONA for the rehabilitation of the Sergio Cuevas drinking water treatment plant in Trujillo Alto, one of the island’s most critical water facilities.
According to a statement from ACCIONA, the project aims to repair and modernize the plant after it sustained significant damage during the 2017 hurricane season. Once completed, the facility is expected to reach a treatment capacity of 305,000 cubic meters of water per day. The plant, originally built in 1948, draws raw water from the Carraízo Dam on the Loíza River. Funding for the project is being provided by PRASA, with support from the Federal Emergency Management Agency.
The four-year rehabilitation program will focus on improving the plant’s operational efficiency and strengthening its resilience to extreme weather events. Planned upgrades include the replacement and reinforcement of water pipelines, improvements to sludge treatment systems, modernization of chemical dosing equipment, and upgrades to the plant’s structures and surrounding infrastructure.
ACCIONA said the project will enhance drinking water service for some 190,000 households across the municipalities of Carolina, San Juan, Loíza, Gurabo, Juncos, Canóvanas and Trujillo Alto, all part of the San Juan metropolitan area.
The company is currently involved in two other water infrastructure projects in Puerto Rico, including the construction and rehabilitation of the Enrique Ortega drinking water treatment plant, which serves about 114,000 households in the San Juan region, and the Culebrinas water treatment plant, supplying water to roughly 18,500 families in the Aguadilla area. ACCIONA previously completed the Fajardo drinking water treatment plant, which provides service to an estimated 160,000 residents in Fajardo, Ceiba and Luquillo.
A $152 million upgrade to the water treatment plant is certainly an investment that gives Puerto Rico a healing vibe to its infrastructure. The assembly and reinforcement of these pipelines seems as intense and requires as much careful planning as laying bricks in Block Blast. It's truly a convergence of expertise, freeing locals from the worry of hurricane season, as the system is now top-of-the-line.
$152 million for rebuilding a water treatment plant is no small investment, but given that the original facility dates back to 1948 and took serious hurricane damage, this seems like a necessary long-term fix for nearly 200,000 households. Hopefully the upgrades hold up better against future storms. On a completely unrelated note, when I’m not reading infrastructure news, I sometimes check out Betgr8 – it’s a Kenyan betting platform, just to see what’s happening in that space. Anyway, glad to see critical projects like this finally moving forward after so many delays.