Puerto Rico committee reviews La Plata dam hurricane preparations; AAA outlines generator, communications and early‑warning projects

The Northern Region committee of the Puerto Rico House of Representatives held a hearing on a resolution to investigate preparedness at the La Plata dam ahead of hurricane season, hearing from officials of the Autoridad de Acueductos y Alcantarillados (AAA) and from Dorado municipal leaders.

AAA officials told the committee they have operating procedures, on‑site redundancy for gate operation and new projects in procurement and environmental review intended to strengthen operations at La Plata. Roberto Martínez, engineer and executive director of AAA’s Región Metro, told the panel, “La represa La Plata tiene 2 generadores,” and said one generator (313 kilowatts) is sufficient to operate the dam’s gates while a second (about 750 kilowatts) provides redundancy.

The committee was also briefed on a separate AAA project to supply backup power for the raw‑water pumping station that moves water from La Plata to the Enrique Ortega filtration plant. Ingeniera Anventura, deputy director of design in AAA’s infrastructure department, described a planned procurement for four 2,500‑kilowatt generators and associated fuel storage. She said the project is funded in part through FEMA mitigation funds (program 404) and CDBG‑MIT from the Puerto Rico Department of Housing, with an estimated investment of about $36,000,000 and an overall construction timeline of roughly 2½ years; equipment manufacture and delivery were estimated at 18–24 months. Anventura said the environmental assessment for the project was completed and the Finding of No Significant Impact (FONSI) was posted for public comment from Feb. 24 to March 11,…