Water for Us

As we entered the second half of the year, two more community aqueducts are improving the infrastructure to provide access to water to their communities: Los Hernández, in Adjuntas, and Las Corujas, in Aguas Buenas. Thirty (30) community aqueducts have received technical support – community organizing, administrative organizing, and water quality compliance – while 13 of them have received a grant to improve their physical infrastructure. They are part of the 250 community aqueducts throughout the island that are not connected to the main water system and are completely operated by their communities. The communities form a non-profit as the administrative infrastructure to support the administration, water compliance and full distribution of the resource to its residents.

The grant awarded to Los Hernandez aqueduct ($45,330.00) is being used to rebuild a new infrastructure, as since 2016 their water tank is contaminated with nitrate elevating health risk to its residents. In June 2018, the Puerto Rico Health Department limited its use to non-potable services.  A total of 100 families (380 individuals) will benefit from this infrastructure and will have equitable access to water. Since July, Fundación Comunitaria has been providing capacity building, technical assistance and companionship to strengthen the human capital that will administer the system.

On the other hand,  Las Corujas, received a grant ($53,500.00) to become energy independent by installing a solar energy infrastructure and storage system providing uninterrupted access to more than 50,000 gallons of water a day for the more than 200 families that live in the community.  This will also allow the community to have economies and to collaborate in protecting the environment.

We are in our way to celebrate in October, the Third Community Aqueduct Convening in the central region of the island. The previous two were celebrated in Corcovada community in Aguada (western region) and Las Corujas community in Aguas Buenas (eastern region). As the aqueducts are at different stage levels, this type of convening is a very rich way to have a thorough peer to peer exchange of ideas and learnings, and serves as well, as a platform to share the challenges faced by these communities and how to solve them. 43 community aqueducts have participated of these convenings.

Our long-term goal is to work with the 200 community aqueducts in a five-year period. The approximate cost per aqueduct varies between $30,000 to $50,000, depending on the needs and opportunities it represents for the community. Our goal is to raise $8 million to continue to work with the remaining 170 community aqueducts.