SPONSOR: Municipality of Aibonito

AUTHORIZATION: Section 205 of the Flood Control Act of 1948

PROJECT STATUS: Feasibility Phase

ESTIMATED PROJECT COST: Project costs will not be known until a final array of alternative plans are developed during the feasibility phase. However, the total project costs are expected to be within the thresholds specified in the CAP Section 205 total Federal per project limit of $10 million.

LOCATION: Municipality of Aibonito

PROBLEM DESCRIPTION: The Rio de Aibonito, which drains through the downtown corridor of Aibonito and into the greater Rio de La Plata, has a long history of flooding during frequent, high precipitation events resulting in property damage and road closures. The Municipality of Aibonito is seeking to reduce the magnitude and severity of flooding in the community. One concern for the Municipality is accessibility to the hospital serves a population of approximately 7,000 people in the region during severe flooding events. Severe flooding also causes property damage to homes and businesses as well as presents a life safety threat to the residents living in flood prone areas of the municipality.

PROJECT OBJECTIVES: When completed, the project will provide a 50-yr flood risk reduction for the municipality of Aibonito to allow continued access to critical infrastructure (hospital, roadways, and bridges) during flood events.

CONTACT INFORMATION

Please submit your comments/concerns at Aibonitocap205@usace.army.mil

Full page here: Municipality of Aibonito Page

The Rio de La Plata project is sponsored by the Puerto Rico Department of Natural and Environmental Resources (DNER) with a remaining project cost of $500 million.  American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA) funds were used to construct the project area referenced as Contract 1A. Regular cost-shared construction funds were used to construct the Dorado Bridge Channel & Scour Protection Contract. The remaining project segments were funded under the Bipartisan Budget Act of 2018 to address damages from Hurricane Maria. The Río de la Plata basin is located about 11 miles west of San Juan and drains approximately 240 square miles.

Heavy rainfall combined with the steep headwater slopes causes frequent flooding in the towns of Dorado, Toa Baja, and Toa Alta. Project features consist of 4.8 miles of channel improvements, 6.22 miles of levees, the replacement of 2 bridges, recreation facilities, and mitigation for the loss of environmental habitats. When completed, the project will provide over $12 million in annual economic benefits and 100-year flood protection downstream of PR Highway 2, including the towns of Dorado, Toa Baja, Toa Alta, Levittown, and the communities of Mameyal, Ingenio, and Campanilla.

The Rio Grande de Arecibo project is sponsored by the Puerto Rico Department of Natural and Environmental Resources (DNER) at a cost of $174.1 million funded under the Bipartisan Budget Act of 2018, Public Law 115-123 (BBA 2018) to address damages from Hurricanes Harvey, Irma, and Maria. The project is located in the Municipality of Arecibo in west-central Puerto Rico.

The authorized project provides flood risk reduction for a 100-year flood event for the municipality of Arecibo and Los Caños area due to overflows from Rio Grande de Arecibo, Rio Tanama and Rio Santiago. The drainage basin covers 189 square miles characterized by steep mountains and the associated high velocity runoff. The recommended plan combines floodwalls and levees along the Arecibo River; channel improvements, three bridge replacements, diversion channel on the Santiago River; a short levee and channel on the Tanamá River; wetland mitigation site; and recreational facilities. This project provides flood protection and over $8 million in annual economic benefits for more than 86,000 Arecibo municipality residents.

The Rio Puerto Nuevo project is sponsored by the Puerto Rico Department of Natural and Environmental Resources (DNER). The total project cost is $2.7 billion and is 00% funded under the Bipartisan Budget Act of 2018 to address damages from Hurricanes Harvey, Irma, and Maria.

Rio Puerto Nuevo is located in Metropolitan San Juan and it includes the Rio Piedras Drainage Basin and its tributaries. The Río Puerto Nuevo Basin drains 24 square miles, 75 percent of which is highly developed with a population of 250,000 persons. Rapid upstream runoff, inadequate channel capacity, constriction at bridges, and elimination of the flood plain by urbanization cause severe flooding to 7,500 residents, and 700 commercial and public structures valued at over $3 billion. The project includes nine discreet project segments that will be constructed through separate contracts between now and 2032.

When completed, the project will provide over $125 million average annual economic benefits and 100-year flood risk reduction to more than 250,000 area residents. 

Documentation:

Rio Puerto Nuevo Survey Report (Oct 1984)

Feature Design Memorandum (Nov 1999)

Feature Design Memorandum (Nov 1992)

The purpose of the project is to halt shoreline erosion and provide protection to two public buildings and a public road that are immediately landward of the project. Hurricane and coastal storm damages along the Loíza shoreline, including erosion causing receding shorelines, threatens infrastructure such as a public road, public buildings, commercial businesses, a public school, public parkland, private homes, and recreational beach access. It also contributes to public safety hazards.

At the request of the Department of Natural and Environmental Resources and the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, USACE conducted a study along a portion of the shoreline of Loíza. The shoreline located in the study area is approximately 1,050 feet in length, and it is severely eroded. Chronic erosion has already impacted and continues to threaten public infrastructure and facilities.

The Corps previously assessed the effects of the 2018 Recommended Plan in the Final Integrated Feasibility Report and Environmental Assessment, dated April 2018. Based on changed site conditions, the Recommended Plan has been updated to develop the 2019 Preferred Alternative which consist of:

• Construction of a continuous rock revetment along approximately 1,050 feet of shoreline in front of the public road, head start public school, and community center

• Elevation of the revetment crest will be approximately +9.0-ft to +10.0-ft Puerto Rico Vertical Datum of 2002 (PRVD02)

• The remaining sidewalk may need to be demolished due to existing damages and replaced with the over-wash protection zone, which consists of high performance.

Documentation:

Draft Supplemental Environmental Assessment 2019

Notice of Availability

Integrated Feasibility Report and Environmental Assessment 2018

The Río Antón Ruíz Continuing Authorities Program (CAP) Section 1135 project located in the Humacao Natural Reserve (HNR) in Humacao, Puerto Rico.

The purpose of the project is to provide a permanent solution to reduce the saltwater intrusion into the HNR system. The need of the project is driven by the increased salinity levels which have occurred following con of the 205 flood control project, which was completed in 2001.

The Corps of Engineers has conducted a supplemental environmental assessment (EA) in accordance with the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969, as amended, (NEPA) in order to evaluate changed construction methodologies.

The Corps previously assessed the effects of the 2018 Recommended Plan in the Final Integrated Feasibility Report and Environmental Assessment (IFR/EA) for the Río Antón Ruíz Continuing Authorities Program (CAP) Section 1135 project in Puerto Rico. A Finding of No Significant Impact (FONSI) was signed on February 9, 2018.

The 2018 final recommendation is contained in the IFR/EA and is incorporated to the current supplemental EA by reference. Based on changed site conditions, the 2018 Recommended Plan has been updated to develop the 2020 Recommended Plan, which consists of the following:

• Installation of two sheetpile notched concrete cap weirs at the location of the temporary salt water intrusion measure (SWIM) structures. Weir #1 will be approximately 180 linear feet. Weir #2 will be approximately 140 linear feet.
• Both weirs will have a notch that is 3 feet deep by 15 feet wide with a 2 feet by 1 foot concrete cap to allow for continued vessel and fauna transit.
• Placement of riprap at the weirs starting from the location of the weir wall and extending approximately 25 feet downstream to protect from potential scouring.
• Use of a vibration or impact hammer to drive the sheetpile from the streambanks and/or temporary work platforms, constructed of either soil or geobags full of soil, within the diversion canal and Río Antón Ruíz.
• Permanent filling of scour holes adjacent to the weir in the diversion canal.

Details on the 2020 Recommended Plan can be found in the project’s draft supplemental EA. 

Project Documents: 

2020 Draft Supplemental EA

Final Integrated Feasibility Report and Environmental Assessment