News Releases

Corps of Engineers assists in restoring water to Manati

Published Oct. 6, 2017

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico – The city of Manati now has fresh drinking water for its 50,000 residents, including the patients of a Federal Medical Shelter and the local hospital, thanks to the efforts of Puerto Rico Aqueduct and Sewer Authority (PRASA), local authorities, and members of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.

Team members from the Corps’ Puerto Rico Recovery Field Office working in conjunction with FEMA, PRASA, and a local contractor worked together to get fresh water to the city, which is in the northcentral Puerto Rico.

The team determined that they could divert water from the Super Aqueduct at the Twist to Manati’s main water supply tank and pump station. After approximately eight hours, water in the storage tank reached an adequate level to restore operations at the Coto Sur Booster Pump Station, the main source of potable water for Manati.

Following Hurricane Maria, the medical shelter, which has a 168-bed capacity, had no water supply nor water storage. The shelter staff had to turn away overnight patients because the facility lacked water to flush toilets and for basic hygiene. Furthermore, the facility lacked any sort of air conditioning, as the shelter depends on water for the chillers.

The Corps is assisting the response and recovery efforts following Hurricane Maria by inspecting and repairing water and wastewater treatment plants throughout Puerto Rico. The USACE team are members of the Puerto Rico Recovery Field Office. USACE has nearly 200 civilian employees and soldiers deployed to Puerto Rico to support Hurricane Maria recovery operations, with nearly 400 more scheduled to arrive in the next two weeks.


Contact
Lisa Hunter, Public Affairs Officer
(251) 504-3581

Release no. 17-052