The Puerto Rico House of Representatives approved House Bill 1334, authored by Rep. José “Cheito” Hernández, chair of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, requiring the Puerto Rico Aqueduct and Sewer Authority (AAA) to inspect any service-disrupting break within 72 hours and begin repairs within 48 hours of a report. Hernández, who represents San Juan's District 3, said the measure addresses a real need faced by AAA customers by setting compliance metrics that protect water-service consumers not only in San Juan but across the island.
The bill also enables collaborative agreements between AAA and municipalities to address breaks. Any AAA-attributable service interruption exceeding 24 consecutive hours triggers an automatic customer credit equal to 20% of the monthly base charge; for each additional 24-hour period of interruption, up to a maximum of 100 hours, the credit rises to 100%. Additionally, AAA must establish and maintain a publicly accessible, interactive Transparency Portal, updated monthly, showing average repair times, inventories of open and closed breaks, water-loss metrics, progress on ongoing infrastructure projects, a breakdown of federal fund usage, and overall compliance with the established operational metrics.