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DRNA says pump-house upgrades and remote-control systems underway after contractor issues; committee hears $30 million design estimate for 13 pump houses
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Summary
At a May 2 House Finance Committee hearing, DRNA Secretary Waldermar Quiles Pérez described efforts to modernize 13 flood-control pump houses, remove a problematic contractor from operations, secure FEMA funding for designs and build remote-control and monitoring capabilities.
Secretary Waldermar Quiles Pérez told the House Finance Committee on May 2 that the Department of Natural and Environmental Resources is moving to modernize the island’s flood-control pump houses and improve monitoring and remote operations after prolonged performance problems under a prior contractor.
Quiles Pérez said the contractor who had effectively “seized” maintenance of some pump houses is no longer part of the department’s operations. The secretary reported that DRNA reached an agreement with an original pump-supplier and that surprise site visits showed active maintenance on equipment that had previously been neglected.
On costs and scope, the secretary said designs for upgrades across the 13 pump houses are roughly in the “$30 million and change” range in total. He added that the fiscal oversight board’s first notice of violation referenced the department and that the oversight board proposed an increase of $15.2 million in funding specific to DRNA needs: about $1.5 million for capital improvements and roughly $13.7 million intended to cover pump-house operations, fuel and related short-term costs (board allocation language described fuel for about six months).
Operational changes described by the agency: - DRNA plans to install remote operation capability and a central control room in the department’s headquarters to monitor pump-house status (fuel, water levels and equipment metrics) and integrate the data into a GIS platform under development. - The department has begun installing cameras and other monitoring technology at critical pump-house sites to improve situational awareness and public-safety response. - The secretary said FEMA agreed to pay for design work on pump-house upgrades and that the designs are now moving forward.
Why it matters: Several representatives emphasized that pump houses are critical to flood control in urban areas, and lawmakers pressed for details about ongoing maintenance, contractor oversight and plans to reduce community impacts during storms. The committee’s chair and members sought commitments that upgrades would address a long history of failures that affected neighborhoods and municipal services.
Quiles Pérez invited the committee to technical briefings on preliminary designs once available. Lawmakers asked for continued communication and for the department to present technical updates on schedule.
