Despite the Puerto Rico Aqueduct and Sewer Authority (AAA) announcing a pause in its 48-hour rationing plan, Canóvanas residents woke up Wednesday without water service after heavy rains Tuesday clogged the raw water intake at the Guzmán Arriba filtration plant. AAA Executive President Luis González Delgado, an engineer, explained that vegetation, debris, and dirt blocked the intake, but crews cleared it Wednesday morning and restarted operations. He said the system served by that plant is small, so customers should regain service during the day, though the facility remains under observation.
González Delgado stressed that recent rains have not ended drought conditions; water levels in reservoirs rose but not enough to offset the existing deficiency, and rationing could resume if levels drop again. He declined to estimate how long rationing could be postponed, saying it depends on weather and river flow, which AAA cannot control. The National Weather Service forecast a tropical wave expected to bring more rain than the recent storm.
If rationing resumes, Canóvanas would be the first municipality affected, ahead of Río Grande, since AAA must alternate fairly between the two towns under the plan. AAA had announced the pause Tuesday night.