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DRNA tells Senate panel Cerrillos reservoir is ‘healthy’; senators press for dredging of Dos Bocas as Arecibo channelization gets federal funds
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Summary
Department of Natural and Environmental Resources official Edgardo Contreras told a Senate infrastructure committee that Cerrillos reservoir is operating within design parameters and does not need immediate dredging, while senators urged action on Lago Dos Bocas; the Río Grande de Arecibo channelization has about $174 million in federal funding and is expected to begin in 2023.
Edgardo Contreras, secretario auxiliar de operaciones del Departamento de Recursos Naturales y Ambientales, told the Senate committee on innovation, telecommunications and infrastructure that the Cerrillos reservoir—built in 1995–1996—is "healthy" and currently does not require dredging. Contreras said the reservoir’s design anticipated sedimentation of up to three feet over a century, which would reduce storage capacity by about 19 percent, and detailed three operational elevation bands and their respective storage volumes.
The committee convened to consider a joint Senate resolution (No. 32) focused on reservoir maintenance and dredging. An unnamed committee chair pressing the panel raised concerns about Lago Dos Bocas, saying it has "70 percent" sedimentation and urging that it be dredged to protect metropolitan water supply. Contreras responded that Dos Bocas is not under DRNA’s direct management and that dredging is a case‑by‑case technical decision: "A veces se puede trabajar cualquier caso por caso…" He also said DRNA can collaborate with other agencies if required.
On supply, Contreras said the authority that manages distribution has been extracting roughly 19 million gallons per day since April 29, 2019; the reservoir’s original design provides for approximately 18‑plus million gallons per day for supply while maintaining about 3.2 million gallons per day as environmental flow.
The session also focused on flood control. Contreras said the Río Grande de Arecibo channelization is a DRNA‑sponsored project and that designs have been updated; he told senators that roughly $174 million in federal funds have been assigned to the Arecibo project from post‑hurricane allocations and that the work is expected to begin in 2023, with an estimated three‑ to four‑year construction schedule (completion around 2026–2027). "Es cien por ciento federal," Contreras said of those funds.
Committee members pressed for more specific information about Dos Bocas, coordination with the Aqueduct and Sewer Authority and with the electric operator following privatization (Luma was mentioned in the discussion). Contreras said he did not have detailed figures for Dos Bocas on hand and that some technical questions are better answered by the authority that manages the distribution system. He affirmed DRNA’s willingness to coordinate with municipalities, other agencies and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers on dredging and flood‑control projects.
The committee did not take formal votes. The chair closed the commission at 2:09 p.m. on May 12, 2021. The DRNA presentation provided reservoir volumes, current extraction rates and the agency’s preliminary assessment that Cerrillos does not require immediate dredging; senators asked DRNA to follow up with more detailed data — particularly regarding Lago Dos Bocas and interagency responsibilities — and to relay concerns to the DRNA secretary.
