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Nonprofit seeks submerged breakwater for Condado; Army Corps review and cable, preservation, coral issues slow progress
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Summary
Arrecife Condado Inc. described a three-section submerged breakwater and supporting studies funded by Paulson & Company, but the project is stalled pending Army Corps review and resolution of unprotected fiber-optic cables, an archaeological survey, and coral-species restrictions.
Frank Incerni, president of Arrecife Condado Inc., told a Senate committee that his nonprofit has a comanagement agreement with DRNA (signed in November 2016) and has proposed a submerged breakwater composed of three parallel sections to reduce dangerous rip currents at Condado beach.
Incerni said engineering and oceanographic studies (currents, sediment transport and storm modeling) were prepared by consultants including Tetratec Inc. and an oceanographic group led by Alfredo Torruellas and submitted to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers for evaluation. "Ese estudio ya prácticamente está terminado… lo están evaluando ya," Incerni said.
He identified three principal obstacles to project approval and construction: unprotected fiber-optic cables crossing the site (AT&T indicated no objection for its encapsulated cable; Claro/PRTC cables are not encapsulated), a demand from the historic-preservation office for an archaeological survey estimated at "treinta y cuatro, cuarenta y cinco mil pesos," and legal/environmental constraints related to endangered coral species that limit proposed coral-planting measures.
Incerni described proposed engineering mitigations to protect infrastructure and minimize harm: a geosynthetic mat anchored over cables, Armour Tech concrete armour for reef structures with a gravel cap, and duplicate parallel access tubes to protect cable maintenance. He also said Paulson & Company financed the submitted studies and is a primary private sponsor of the project.
Why it matters: Incerni and senators framed the breakwater as a structural intervention intended to create a safer, balneario-type shoreline by reducing wave energy and establishing protective features. If authorized and properly mitigated, the project proponents said it could reduce dangerous currents that contribute to drownings at Condado.
Next steps and follow-up: Committee members thanked Incerni and asked for a more detailed technical briefing; senators asked staff to obtain his contact and to reconvene for a deeper review of the engineering studies, cable-protection plans and the preservation-office requirements. No permit or construction decision was made at the hearing.
Ending: Incerni was excused after the committee scheduled additional meetings to clarify the outstanding technical and regulatory issues that must be resolved before the project can advance.
