Pipeline break leaves Puerto Ricans without water for weeks

Businesses spend hundreds daily on emergency water

A rupture in Puerto Rico’s 72-inch Superaqueduct pipeline in Bayamón in June has left thousands of residents and business owners across the U.S. territory without reliable running water for weeks, prompting Governor Jenniffer González-Colón to activate the National Guard to distribute drinking water.

The shortages, which began in May and intensified after the June pipeline break, have affected sectors in San Juan, Loíza, Guaynabo, and Bayamón. Residents have reported water distribution stations set up in densely populated areas, but many say the arrangements are insufficient.

Jonathan Collazo, owner of Lela’s Eatery and Fefis in San Juan, said his area on Calle Loíza went without water for more than 50 days. He relies on two cisterns, including a 1,000-gallon tank that costs about $300 to refill every two days. On one day last week, he said, he spent $600 to keep running water available for his customers. At times, he has had to close some of his restaurant’s bathrooms.

“Customers are confused. It’s not just me, it’s all the businesses next door,” Collazo said. “If it were one week or two weeks, fine. But this is as if a hurricane had passed.”

Kali Solack, co-owner of Café Regina and Hilda Deli, estimated her businesses are spending about $300 per day on water, in addition to increased costs for disposable items. A tally on her coffee shop’s front window marks the days customers have gone without reliable service.

“I feel like there really hasn’t been much communication about why our area has been without water for so long,” Solack said.

San Juan Mayor Miguel Romero sued the Puerto Rico Aqueducts and Sewer Authority in late May over the outages. The authority, which extracts water from rivers, reservoirs, and underground aquifers that have historically provided sufficient supply, has not publicly explained the severity of the outages, according to the Guardian.

Marta Acevedo, 75, who has lived in the same San Juan apartment building for 44 years, said this has been the longest period she has gone without reliable running water, surpassing the disruption caused by Hurricane María, which devastated the island in 2017. She said she schedules her day around limited windows when her building’s cisterns are turned on.

The burden is especially heavy for households without cisterns — an investment out of reach for many on the island, where more than 40% of residents live below the poverty line. Those unable to travel to water distribution stations can request deliveries through their municipal office of emergency management. The shortages are unfolding as parts of the archipelago face drought conditions linked to prolonged rainfall deficits, adding another layer of strain as Puerto Rico enters hurricane season.