During a Puerto Rico Senate hearing Tuesday, it emerged that the Puerto Rico Aqueduct and Sewer Authority (AAA) did not discuss with its Governing Board a $400,000 contract awarded to mitigate drought effects in the Carraízo and La Plata reservoir watersheds. On August 19, AAA expedited hiring of Seeding Operations & Atmospheric Research (SOAR), the same firm used during the 2015 drought with below-expected results, citing a state of emergency.
Verónica Rodríguez Irizarry, representative of the Association of Mayors on AAA’s Governing Board, said the project was never presented to the board, though she acknowledged approval wasn’t legally required since the contract was under $1 million; she called it a communication failure.