The Puerto Rico Aqueduct and Sewer Authority (AAA) reported on Wednesday that the La Plata reservoir, in the town of Comerío, fell another 12 centimeters in 24 hours because of a lack of significant rainfall in its watershed. It now sits 1.78 meters from entering the Control band. La Plata serves about 130,828 customers in Dorado, Guaynabo, Naranjito, Toa Alta, Toa Baja, Vega Alta, Bayamón, Cataño and Corozal.
Built in 1974, its water is used only for household consumption. On Monday, Secretary of State Rosachely Rivera Santana said after a Drought Committee meeting at La Fortaleza that rationing is "not contemplated" for now, even though the lake has lost nearly two meters of level in the past month. Authorities will wait for rain forecast for early November before deciding on new conservation measures.
National Weather Service meteorologist Ernesto Rodríguez said La Plata remains in severe drought, while parts of the south, southwest and south-central Puerto Rico are in extreme drought. Over two weeks, the west received four to six inches of rain, but the La Plata basin got under half an inch. A trough combined with a tropical wave could bring more widespread rain between November 2 and 4, though not necessarily enough to end the drought.
Engineer Carlos Pesquera said the reservoir has "sufficient" water for at least 30 days without service interruptions. La Plata is the only reservoir in the Adjustments band. AAA is concentrating cloud seeding in the basin under a contract of up to $400,000 with Seeding Operations & Atmospheric Research (SOAR), valid through November.
The other reservoirs are in the Safe or Spilling bands, except Cidra, which is in the Watch band.