InfrastructureThe story so far

Puerto Rico's Water Crisis

194 updates over 115 days — last updated Oct 11, 2026

Where it stands todayCarraízo is at 40.91 m, in the Safe band; La Plata at 43.52 m, in the Adjustments band.

Where things stand

Day 65 of the metro rotation plan · interruptions paused since Sep 2 · AAA chart of October 10

CarraízoSafe (Seguridad)
40.91 m Carraízo — 40.91 m on AAA's chart of October 10, in the Safe band. Rising 2.8 cm a day this week. At this pace the Spilling line is about 1 days out (around October 12) — arithmetic, not a forecast. 1.34 in of rain at 4 nearby gauges this week.
Down 3 cm since yesterday
1.21 m above the Watch line
La PlataAdjustments (Ajustes)
43.52 m La Plata — 43.52 m on AAA's chart of October 10, in the Adjustments band. Falling 4.5 cm a day this week (falling, but slowing). 18 straight lower mornings, -120 cm. At this pace the Control line is more than two months out — arithmetic, not a forecast. 1.47 in of rain at 3 nearby gauges this week.
Down 2 cm since yesterday
3.02 m above the Control line
CidraWatch (Observación)
400.61 m Cidra — 400.61 m on AAA's chart of October 10, in the Watch band. Rising 1.3 cm a day this week. At this pace the Safe line is more than two months out — arithmetic, not a forecast. 3.57 in of rain at 11 nearby gauges this week.
Unchanged since yesterday
0.38 m above the Adjustments line
The full morning reading

The week's pattern is a split. Carraízo and Cidra are both rising, while La Plata is still falling, though the slide has eased. Carraízo is the clearest beneficiary of the rain: the morning after the October 7 downpour its level jumped 23 cm, the biggest single-morning rise in the past two weeks, and it is now close enough to the Spilling line (Desborde) that this week's pace would carry it across in about 1 day. That is arithmetic, not a forecast, and today's 3 cm dip is a reminder that a single dry morning can interrupt the climb.

La Plata tells a different story. It has now fallen 18 mornings in a row, and the 8.7 cm a day lost the week before has shrunk to 4.5 cm a day. Rain there barely registered: the morning after the week's wettest day, the level still dropped 8 cm. At this week's pace the Control line is more than two months away, so the slowdown buys time rather than a recovery. Cidra is gaining slowly and steadily, but its gains are small against how far the next band up remains, which at the current pace is also more than two months off.

AAA’s 5 AM chart and USGS gauges; rates and pace dates are arithmetic, not forecasts. The same figures are in the Oct 10 Daily Water Watch.

How it got here

Newest first

October28 updates

  1. Water Week in Review: Carraízo Up 17 cm, Oct 4–10

    787daily

    The week of October 4–10 on AAA's reservoir charts: Carraízo up 17 cm, La Plata down 27 cm. The numbers first, then what they add up to. 16 of 19 reservoirs sit in the Safe band (Seguridad) or above, 2 in the Watch band (Observación); La Plata is in the…

  2. Para La Naturaleza Holds Tree Giveaway, Aims to Plant 50,000 Trees After Fires and Drought

    via El Nuevo Día

    Para La Naturaleza held its fourth day of free tree distribution on Saturday as part of its La Siembra initiative, after a season of increased wildfires and extreme drought across wide regions of Puerto Rico.

  3. Nine Reservoirs in Puerto Rico Register Water Level Decreases

    via El Nuevo Día

    Nine reservoirs in Puerto Rico registered decreases in their water levels on Saturday, while five increased and five remained unchanged, according to the Puerto Rico Aqueduct and Sewer Authority (AAA).

  4. Daily Monitoring: 16 Reservoirs at Safe Level, La Plata Drops 8 Centimeters

    via El Nuevo Día

    The Puerto Rico Aqueduct and Sewer Authority (AAA) reported that 16 of the island's reservoirs are at a safe level, while the La Plata reservoir continues to register a decrease in its water level, dropping 8 centimeters to 43.54 meters.

  5. Small Businesses Affected by Drought Can Apply for Loans of Up to $2 Million

    via El Nuevo Día

    The Small Business Administration (SBA) is offering loans of up to $2 million to small businesses and organizations in Puerto Rico affected by the drought. The Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) program was enabled after federal disaster declarations due to…

  6. Drought Covers 47.9% of Puerto Rico, Down From 54.5% in Weekly Monitor

    via NotiUno

    The share of Puerto Rico under drought fell for a second reporting period, from 54.5% to 47.9% of the territory, according to the Drought Monitor report released Thursday with data valid as of October 6, 2026.

  7. Carraízo Reservoir Gate Opened to Release Pressure

    via Primera Hora

    The Puerto Rico Aqueduct and Sewer Authority (AAA) opened a small gate at the Carraízo reservoir on Thursday to release some pressure from the reservoir, which was at Spilling band.

  8. Decomposing Body Found Near San José Reservoir in San Juan

    via Telemundo PR

    On Thursday morning, the Police found a man's body in a state of decomposition on Borgoña Street, near the San José reservoir in Hato Rey, San Juan. A 9-1-1 call alerted the Police to a suspicious situation, and upon arrival, agents located the body.

  9. La Plata Reservoir Drops 8 Centimeters in Two Days, Only One Still in Adjustments Band

    via Primera Hora

    The La Plata reservoir in Comerío continues to lose water, falling 8 centimeters over two days, six of them between Wednesday and Thursday, according to monitoring data from the Puerto Rico Aqueduct and Sewer Authority (AAA).

  10. Daily Monitoring: 10 Reservoirs Decrease and 6 Increase Water Levels

    via El Nuevo Día

    According to the daily report from the Puerto Rico Aqueduct and Sewer Authority (AAA), 10 of the 19 reservoirs included in the report showed decreases in their water levels on Tuesday, while 6 increased and 3 remained unchanged.

  11. La Plata Reservoir Levels Continue to Drop

    via Metro PR

    The Puerto Rico Aqueduct and Sewer Authority (AAA) reported that 10 of the 19 reservoirs it monitors daily showed a decrease in water levels over the past 24 hours.

  12. La Plata Reservoir Water Level Continues to Decrease

    via El Nuevo Día

    The La Plata reservoir's water level continued to decrease on Monday, dropping 8 centimeters in the last 24 hours, according to the Puerto Rico Aqueduct and Sewer Authority (AAA).

  13. Proposed Water Security Law Would Protect Watersheds Against Future Drought Risk

    via El Nuevo Día

    As experts warn about the peak of the El Niño season and effects that could extend through August 2027, the nonprofit La Maraña has presented a draft of the "Ley para la Seguridad Hídrica de Puerto Rico" (Puerto Rico Water Security Act).

  14. Water Week in Review: Carraízo Up 11 cm, Sep 27 – Oct 4

    787daily

    The week of September 27–October 4 on AAA's reservoir charts: Carraízo up 11 cm, La Plata down 60 cm. The numbers first, then what they add up to. 16 of 19 reservoirs sit in the Safe band (Seguridad) or above, 2 in the Watch band (Observación); La Plata is in…

  15. Daily Monitoring: 11 Reservoirs Show Increases in Water Levels

    via El Nuevo Día

    The Puerto Rico Aqueduct and Sewer Authority (AAA) reported that 11 of the 19 reservoirs it monitors showed increases in water levels on Saturday, while six decreased and two remained unchanged.

  16. La Plata Reservoir Level Drops Again

    via El Vocero

    The La Plata reservoir's water level decreased again over the last 24 hours, according to the daily monitoring report from the Puerto Rico Aqueduct and Sewer Authority (AAA), updated at 5:00 am on the morning of October 3.

  17. AAA Completes Renovation of Potable Water Pipeline in Utuado

    via AAA on X

    The Puerto Rico Aqueduct and Sewer Authority (AAA) has completed the renovation of the potable water pipeline in the area of the Plaza Pública del Poblado Ángeles in the Municipality of Utuado.

  18. Daily Monitoring: Carraízo Reservoir Rises 13 Centimeters, La Plata Continues to Decline

    via El Nuevo Día

    The Puerto Rico Aqueduct and Sewer Authority (AAA) reported a daily monitoring update on Friday, showing a decrease in the water level of seven reservoirs, while ten others experienced increases and two remained unchanged.

  19. San Juan Mayor Romero Demands Criteria Behind AAA Water Credit, Calls It 'Insufficient'

    via El Nuevo Día

    San Juan Mayor Miguel Romero on Thursday called the credit that the Puerto Rico Aqueduct and Sewer Authority (AAA) will grant to about 37,000 customers "insufficient," arguing it does not include all sectors affected by water supply problems or the full…

  20. Loíza Mayor Asks for More AAA Credits After Water Service Interruptions

    via WAPA TV

    Loíza Mayor Julia Nazario told political analyst Jay Fonseca on the program Los Datos Son Los Datos that some areas of the municipality went more than 120 days without water or with unstable service.

  21. Drought Eases in Puerto Rico but Still Affects More Than Half the Island

    via Metro PR

    Drought conditions in Puerto Rico show significant improvement, although more than half of the territory remains affected. The latest U.S. Drought Monitor update, with data valid as of September 29, places 54.5% of the island under some drought category.

  22. Water Rationing Begins for Several Naranjito Communities as Cedro Reservoirs Run Low

    via Primera Hora

    Residents of several Naranjito communities will face water rationing starting Friday, October 2, because of falling water levels in the Cedro reservoirs. Naranjito Mayor Orlando Ortiz Chevres announced that the interruption plan begins at 6:00 a.m. and will…

September93 updates

  1. AAA Allocates Only 4% of Funds to Repair Pipes as Water Loss Increases

    via Centro de Periodismo Investigativo

Earlier73 updates

  1. August · 35 updates
    1. 11 daily reservoir readings · Aug 12 – Aug 31
      1. Carraízo Rises to 37.14 Meters
      2. Carraízo at 37.07 Meters
      3. Carraízo at 37.20 Meters
      4. Carraízo at 37.26 Meters
      5. Carraízo at 37.34 Meters
      6. Carraízo at 37.41 Meters
      7. Carraízo at 37.46 Meters
      8. Carraízo at 37.52 Meters
      9. Day Nine: Carraízo Down Another 3 Centimeters
      10. Day Seven: Carraízo Rose 7 Centimeters
      11. Day Five: The Rain Arrived — and Carraízo Rose for the First Time
    2. Drought in Puerto Rico to Persist and Worsen

      via Centro de Periodismo Investigativo

    3. Carraízo Slips 6 Centimeters

      787daily

    4. Carraízo Falls 7 Centimeters

      787daily

  2. July · 29 updates

Every update is here, newest first: this month in full, the month before it as headlines, earlier months a line each. Dates are Puerto Rico time.

Still open

  • Carraízo: whether the rise survives a dry week — this week's gain came with 1.34 in of rain nearby.
  • La Plata: whether the slowdown holds — a second week under 8.7 cm a day would show the decline easing.
  • Cidra: whether the rise survives a dry week — this week's gain came with 3.57 in of rain nearby.
  • Río Grande, Canóvanas and Loíza: whether AAA says in public that the east-side rationing is over, and posts that the Canóvanas filtration plant is back in operation.
  • Naranjito: AAA's Cedro Arriba plan — its calendar runs through October 31; whether AAA extends it, changes the phase or ends it.

Who is involved

Counted across this story’s own 194 articles. Names link to everything the archive holds on them; towns and reservoirs have their own pages instead.