The Carraizo reservoir held at 37.76 meters Monday, unchanged from Saturday, as Zone 1 subscribers began another 48-hour period without water service.
Condado, Ocean Park, Miramar and Old San Juan are grouped together in Zone 1 of the Autoridad de Acueductos y Alcantarillados rationing plan, according to the sector list the agency published when the plan took effect.
Zone 1 lost service at 6:00 a.m. Monday, August 17, when Zone 2 returned to service under the alternating schedule. On that schedule, Zone 1 is due to regain service at 6:00 a.m. Wednesday, August 19.
The AAA has said recovery after each interruption period can take longer than the schedule indicates, particularly in higher-elevation sectors, and the government has acknowledged that some subscribers have not regained service within the announced windows.
The plan took effect Friday, August 7, at 6:00 a.m. and covers about 180,000 subscribers in San Juan, Carolina, Trujillo Alto, Canovanas, Loiza, Gurabo and Juncos. All are served by the Sergio Cuevas filtration plant, which draws water from Carraizo in Trujillo Alto.
How the Condado water rationing schedule works
The service area is divided into two zones that alternate in 48-hour cycles. While one zone has water, the other does not.
The Zone 1 sector list for San Juan also includes Hill Mansions, Park Gardens, Villa Capri, Venus Gardens, El Dorado, San Gerardo, El Cinco, Cupey Alto, Cupey Gardens, Montebello, Reparto Universitario, Villa Andalucia, Borinquen Gardens and barrio Vista Alegre, among others. Zone 1 also covers barrio Torrecillas and the Pinones and La Torre sectors in Loiza, Masas Aisladas in Gurabo and the Las Pinas sector in Juncos.
Carraizo stood at 37.76 meters in the AAA’s Monday morning monitoring report, 76 centimeters above the 37-meter control level. The reservoir has been classified under operational adjustments since late July. Cidra, at 400.16 meters, is the only other reservoir in that classification.
Rain from a tropical wave raised Carraizo 26 centimeters in a single day earlier this month, followed by two further daily increases. The reservoir then declined over the weekend.
Governor Jenniffer Gonzalez Colon said Monday, following the weekly drought committee meeting at La Fortaleza, that there will be no rationing this week for subscribers served by the La Plata reservoir, which supplies Dorado, Guaynabo, Naranjito, Toa Alta, Toa Baja, Vega Alta, Bayamon, Catano and Corozal. La Plata registered 45.80 meters Monday and would enter operational adjustments at 44.90 meters.
Officials have also said the plan’s second phase is not being contemplated at present. That phase would extend interruptions from 48 to 72 hours, leaving affected subscribers with one day of service followed by three days without, and would take the system out of operation for a full day in each cycle.
The U.S. Drought Monitor’s August 13 update classified 17.02 percent of Puerto Rico under extreme drought, up from 9.49 percent a week earlier, with the metropolitan area newly included. San Juan recorded its driest July on record in 2026. The next weekly update is due Thursday.
The National Hurricane Center reported Tuesday morning that no tropical cyclone formation is expected in the North Atlantic, Caribbean Sea or Gulf over the following seven days. Forecasters have said the dry pattern may not shift until late August or September.
AAA board chairman Hector Del Rio Jimenez resigned August 6. According to published reports, he stepped down because the scheduled-interruption plan was not brought to the governing board before management implemented it. Board members subsequently told the governor the agency has had difficulty recruiting for essential operational positions, including a vacant operations vice presidency. The AAA has also assigned $1,825,000 to contract private crews for leak repairs across the island.
Where to get water during the interruptions
The AAA and the Municipality of San Juan operate distribution points, generally from 9:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. on interruption days, with tanker trucks assigned to municipal emergency management offices.
The municipality has added a section to its ReportaloSJ platform at reportalosj.com with an interactive map of zones and schedules, fixed distribution point locations and tanker truck routes. The municipality says the section is updated when the AAA modifies the plan.
The AAA advises that when service is restored, water should be boiled for at least three minutes before being used for drinking, cooking, making ice, washing fruits and vegetables, washing dishes or brushing teeth.
Related coverage: Condado Businesses Can Apply for Up to $10,000 in Water-Emergency Relief
Sources: Autoridad de Acueductos y Alcantarillados; La Fortaleza; U.S. Drought Monitor; National Hurricane Center.
