What's happening? The Autoridad de Acueductos y Alcantarillados (AAA) has placed the Carraízo, Cidra and Toa Vaca reservoirs under observation status, meaning their water levels are below what is considered safe. The measure comes as more than half of Puerto Rico faces moderate drought conditions.
The government is closely monitoring six municipalities for possible drinking water service interruptions: San Lorenzo, Comerío, Río Grande, Canóvanas, Loíza and Cidra.
How service stands today
Less than 1% of customers have no water, and those cases involve isolated outages around the Island, Gov. Jenniffer González said. This follows the completion of repairs at the Sergio Cuevas plant, which serves Isla Verde, Piñones and parts of San Juan.
Río Grande, Canóvanas and Loíza already have a rationing plan in place, though it remains suspended, González explained after a meeting at La Fortaleza with the Comité de Sequía. In the remaining municipalities, officials are still evaluating how interruptions would be implemented, if needed.
Over the next two weeks, residents could be notified about possible service interruptions to prevent the systems supplying these communities from reaching critical levels.
"The forecasts provided to us by the National Weather Service allow us to make projections to avoid reaching extreme situations where we would have to make adjustments or controls. We don't want our reservoirs to reach a critical level where we leave our people without water," González said.
Between next Monday and possibly the last week of July, the situation will be monitored to determine whether a plan for these areas will be established. Any such plan will be announced through the AAA.
What the forecast shows
More than 50% of Puerto Rico is under moderate drought, including the Carraízo and La Plata watersheds, meteorologist Ernesto Rodríguez of the Servicio Nacional de Meteorología (SNM) reported. This classification can lead to low levels in rivers, reservoirs and wells, water shortages, crop damage and voluntary use restrictions.
Another 10% to 11% of the archipelago is facing severe drought, a condition that increases the risk of agricultural losses and supply restrictions. So far, no areas are under extreme or exceptional drought, the two most serious levels on the SNM scale.
The SNM projects below-normal rainfall over the next two weeks and a cumulative deficit of between two and four inches over the next three months.
What else the AAA is monitoring
In addition to the three reservoirs, 15 filtration plants are under observation: Canóvanas, Cubuy (Canóvanas), Guzmán Arriba (Río Grande), Los Filtros (Guaynabo), Jagual (San Lorenzo), Barranquitas, Cidra, Comerío Urbana, Luquillo, Humacao, Espino (Lares), Morovis Urbana, Cedros (Naranjito), Corozal Urbana and Matrullas (Orocovis).
Agriculture remains stable
Agricultural production remains stable and no significant losses of crops, livestock, milk or meat have been reported, the Department of Agriculture said, even though 82% of the Island is experiencing some level of drought. The greatest monitoring is concentrated in the south, due to its dependence on irrigation systems.
The greatest monitoring is concentrated in the south, due to its dependence on irrigation systems.
What you can do
These are some of the practical recommendations compiled by EcoExploratorio, based on the Autoridad de Acueductos y Alcantarillados (AAA), organized by where they apply.
Turn off the faucet while you brush your teeth. You save 4 gallons per minute, about 200 gallons a week in a family of four. Turning it off while you shave saves more than 100 gallons a week, and turning off the shower while you soap up and shampoo saves more than 50.
Shower quickly. A shower running for 10 minutes uses 26.5 gallons, and cutting it short can save up to 1,000 gallons a month.
Throw tissues and cotton balls in the trash, not in the toilet.
Check shutoff valves and repair them. It's simple, inexpensive and can save 140 gallons a week.
Fix leaks in faucets and pipe joints.
Don't let the water run while waiting for it to heat up or cool down. Use the refrigerator to cool it and the microwave or stove to heat it.
Don't thaw food under the faucet. Running water wastes nearly 3 gallons per minute. Move frozen items to the refrigerator overnight or use the microwave.
Use a small amount of dish soap and turn on the faucet only to rinse.
Wash fruits and vegetables in a partially filled container of water instead of under the faucet.
Run the dishwasher and washing machine only with full loads. Each cycle uses between 32 and 50 gallons, and running full loads can save 1,000 gallons a month.
Install aerators on faucets, which reduce water flow per minute and increase pressure.
Use the same glass throughout the day.
Cover photo: Gov. Jenniffer González during a meeting with the Drought Committee at La Fortaleza on July 14, 2026. (Provided)
This content was translated with the assistance of Artificial Intelligence (AI).
