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Senate infrastructure commission hears calls to dredge reservoirs, prioritizes Lago Dos Bocas
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Summary
Agency witnesses told a Senate commission that sedimentation has sharply reduced reservoir storage across Puerto Rico, with Dos Bocas losing roughly 70% capacity; officials outlined multi‑hundred‑million dollar cost estimates, proposed phased and perpetual dredging programs, and said funding and Corps of Engineers permits remain major constraints.
A Senate commission held a public hearing May 12, 2021, on Joint Resolution del Senado No. 32 directing agencies to identify and seek funds to dredge reservoirs across Puerto Rico and to prioritize Lago Dos Bocas. Presenters from the Planning Board and the Autoridad de Acueductos y Alcantarillados (AAA) described severe sedimentation at several reservoirs, outlined cost estimates for restoration, and urged coordinated planning and federal permitting.
Sixto Machado Ríos, director of geology and hydrogeology at the Junta de Planificación, told the commission the resolution asks the Autoridad de Acueductos y Alcantarillados, the Departamento de Recursos Naturales y Ambientales and the Autoridad de Energía Eléctrica to “realizar todas las gestiones y trámites pertinentes para identificar y solicitar los fondos necesarios para ejecutar el dragado de los embalses.” He said post‑Hurricane María data show dramatic capacity losses in key reservoirs — “el embalse de Carraízo había perdido al presente un cincuenta y cinco por ciento de su capacidad; el embalse de Guayabal… ha perdido un sesenta por ciento; el embalse de Dos Bocas ha perdido… un setenta y tres por ciento” — and stressed the Planning Board’s role in land‑use policy and in promoting erosion‑control measures to reduce future sediment loads.
An unidentified senator on the panel pressed witnesses about local service interruptions and the urgency at Dos Bocas, telling the room that “si no lo hacemos en diez o quince años, el agua de boca va a desaparecer.” The senator repeatedly urged a prioritized effort for Dos Bocas because it feeds the superacueducto supplying the San Juan metropolitan area and other municipalities.
Engineer Anne Ventura, speaking for AAA, read the text of RC del Senado No. 32 and summarized the utility’s technical work and cooperative programs with the U.S. Geological Survey and outside consultants, including Ferdinand Quiñones and Dr. Greg Morris. AAA said past partial dredging in 1998–99 at Carraízo (Eloísa/Caraizo) removed roughly six million cubic meters of sediment at an estimated then‑cost of about $65 million. Recent consultant estimates put the cost to restore Eloísa to about 85% of its original capacity at $150–$200 million (≈10 million m3 dredged). AAA estimated Dos Bocas would require removing roughly 20 million m3 of sediment, with a preliminary cost estimate in the $300–$400 million range depending on disposal methods.
AAA presented two main program options: an accelerated partial dredging program focused on four priority reservoirs (Loíza, Dos Bocas, Lucchetti and Guayabal) that could aim to restore ~85% capacity in about 10 years at an annual cost roughly in the $60–80 million range; and a perpetual dredging program removing an average of about 3 million m3 per year with an annual cost estimate of $45–60 million. AAA cautioned that neither it nor the Autoridad de Energía Eléctrica currently have funds to finance large‑scale dredging and that projects of this magnitude would require federal funding, Corps of Engineers permitting, and, for actions affecting AAA’s fiscal plan, the approval of Puerto Rico’s Fiscal Oversight Board created under the Puerto Rico Oversight, Management, and Economic Stability Act (PROMESA).
On funding, AAA said it has submitted a FEMA Hazard Mitigation Grant Program application that would be limited to sediments deposited by Hurricane María; AAA estimated the FEMA‑eligible portion could be on the order of $50 million but said any award would depend on engineering studies and FEMA review. AAA also said a preliminary engineering study is expected to be completed in summer 2021 to define alternatives, permitting needs and scheduling.
Committee members asked follow‑up questions about historical bathymetries, the volume and placement of dredged sediments, the potential transfer of reservoir ownership among agencies, and the timeline for studies and permit requests. AAA said sediment disposal options — including reuse in nearby disposal cells and chemical testing of sediments — are being studied as part of the preliminary engineering work.
AAA expressed support for RC del Senado No. 32 “subject to the following modifications,” recommending removal or extension of certain fixed deadlines in the draft resolution to allow time for studies, funding identification and approval processes. The hearing recessed while the commission prepared for the next panel.
Next steps noted in the hearing record include completion of AAA’s preliminary engineering study (projected summer 2021) and further coordination with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and FEMA on permitting and potential federal funding.
