Reliable water service belongs at the center of Puerto Rico’s equality agenda
Anthony Carrillo, Esq.
NAPREC Founder and Chairman
Issue commentary · Water · September 15, 2026
Reliable water service is fundamental to a functioning community. For Puerto Rico, the public conversation should connect drinking water, wastewater, maintenance, and emergency preparedness rather than treating each as an unrelated problem.
EPA’s Puerto Rico information hub provides routes to environmental information, public notices, recent announcements, and agency contacts. Residents can use those channels to identify the appropriate authority and follow decisions affecting their communities. A public notice or announced project is a starting point for scrutiny, not proof that every household’s service problem has been resolved.
NAPREC should advocate for reporting that answers household-level questions: which communities are affected, what repair or replacement is planned, who is responsible, and when will the public receive another update? Project information should distinguish money awarded from work contracted and work completed. It should also explain how future maintenance will be funded.
Community participation must be usable. Technical documents should be accompanied by plain-language explanations, and residents should have an accessible way to submit observations and receive a response. People should not need specialized engineering knowledge to understand a project’s purpose or raise a concern about service.
A credible water agenda combines investment with accountability. Ask for the specific project record, the completion milestones, and a contact who can explain delays. Equality should be visible in the dependable services people use every day.
Source and further reading: Official agency resource. Resource checked September 15, 2026.