AAA opens small Carraízo floodgate after reservoir reaches overflow level
The water authority says Thursday afternoon's opening at the Trujillo Alto reservoir is meant to manage runoff while keeping reserves, after a drought that brought rationing in August.
The short version
- AAA says it opened the small floodgate at Carraízo on Thursday afternoon
- USGS read the reservoir at 40.94 meters at 12:45 p.m., one centimeter below the 40.95-meter overflow mark cited by El Nuevo Día
- Rationing for about 180,000 customers began August 7, El Vocero reported; Primera Hora says it was suspended September 1
- La Plata, in Comerío, fell and remains the only reservoir below adjustment level, per the AAA monitoring cited by Primera Hora
What the water authority says it did
The Puerto Rico Aqueduct and Sewer Authority (AAA) said on Thursday that it opened the small floodgate at the Carraízo reservoir, in Trujillo Alto, after rain in the watershed raised the lake to what the agency called optimal storage levels. In a written statement quoted by Primera Hora, Metro and El Vocero, the AAA said that with more runoff still arriving, "en la tarde de hoy se abrió la compuerta pequeña para regular el nivel del embalse y proteger el sistema."
The same statement, which the AAA also posted on its official X account, said the opening lets the agency handle incoming water in a controlled way while conserving reserves in case of later dry spells, and that it is monitoring the reservoir and staying in contact with municipal emergency management offices. Michelle Cobb, an AAA press spokesperson, confirmed the opening to Primera Hora and said the gate is known as the mini floodgate.
What the sources posted
Posts and statements below are the sources' own words, quoted as published. They are not independently verified.
Actualización | Las recientes lluvias en la cuenca del Lago Carraízo han permitido alcanzar niveles óptimos de almacenamiento. Ante la llegada de más escorrentías, en la tarde de hoy se abrió la compuerta pequeña para regular el nivel del embalse y proteger el sistema. Esta apertura permite manejar de forma controlada el agua que continúa llegando y, a su vez, conservar las reservas ante posibles periodos de escasas precipitaciones. Continuamos monitoreando de cerca las condiciones del embalse y realizando las operaciones necesarias para mantener un servicio confiable. A su vez, como parte de los protocolos estamos en comunicación con las oficinas de Manejo de Emergencias Municipales.
The source's own post, quoted as published. Not verified by PuertoRico.com. View post
The water level
El Nuevo Día reported that the AAA's daily monitoring report, updated at 5:00 a.m., put Carraízo at 40.88 meters after a 23-centimeter rise in 24 hours, seven centimeters short of an overflow threshold of 40.95 meters. It said the U.S. Geological Survey later reported 40.94 meters at 12:45 p.m. Primera Hora reported the same two readings and described 40.94 meters as one centimeter from overflow. Metro also cited the USGS figure of 40.94 meters.
El Vocero reported the same 5:00 a.m. reading of 40.88 meters, and wrote that the AAA's own chart places the start of the overflow category at 39.70 meters. The outlets therefore describe the threshold differently, and none of them says how much water the open gate was expected to release. Primera Hora said it had asked and was still waiting for that figure.
The drought behind it
El Vocero reported that low levels led the AAA to start a rationing plan on August 7 for about 180,000 customers in San Juan, Carolina, Trujillo Alto, Loíza, Gurabo, Juncos and Canóvanas, and that the reservoir returned to the "seguridad" level on September 15 for the first time since July. Primera Hora reported that the government announced a temporary suspension of rationing on September 1 after a modest recovery, and that the eastern and metropolitan zone is still under moderate drought.
Primera Hora also reported that 64.22% of Puerto Rico is abnormally dry and that 9.05% is in extreme drought, specifically in the south of the island. It said La Plata, in Comerío, woke at 43.62 meters on Thursday, down from 43.70 meters on Tuesday, and that it is the only reservoir still below adjustment level. El Nuevo Día likewise reported La Plata down six centimeters to 43.62 meters, inside the adjustment level and 1.28 meters from the observation level.
Other reservoirs
Metro, citing the AAA, listed gains at nine other reservoirs: six centimeters at Cidra, 30 at Río Blanco in Naguabo, three at Fajardo, seven at Carite in Guayama, 20 at Patillas, five at Guineo in Orocovis, two at Guayabal in Juana Díaz, 31 at Lucchetti in Yauco and seven at Loco, also in Yauco. El Nuevo Día summarized the AAA's daily report as ten reservoirs up, eight down and one unchanged over 24 hours. El Vocero added that Carraízo has eight floodgates, which can open between one and ten meters but normally no more than four.
Where the sources differ
The outlets agree that the small gate was opened Thursday afternoon and they quote the same AAA statement, but they do not agree on where "overflow" begins. El Nuevo Día and Primera Hora describe a 40.95-meter overflow threshold that the 12:45 p.m. reading had not quite reached, while El Vocero says the AAA's chart puts the overflow category at 39.70 meters and that the reservoir had already reached it.
What the reports do not say
No report says how far the gate was opened, how much water was being released, or for how long. None says whether anyone downstream was warned beyond the AAA's statement that it is in contact with municipal emergency offices, and none gives a forecast for how long the lake will stay this high. The drought percentages cited by Primera Hora are not dated to a specific monitoring agency in the story.
Sources
Every link below was opened and checked when this story was written. Official means a government body, agency or the organization itself; Reporting means a news outlet.
- Official AAA on X
- Reporting Abren compuerta de Carraízo tras alcanzar el nivel de “desborde”
- Reporting ¡Impensable hace unas semanas!: Abren compuerta en represa Carraízo
- Reporting Abrirán las compuertas de Carraízo tras alcanzar el nivel de desborde
- Reporting Abren compuerta en Carraízo ante alto nivel del embalse
- Reporting Abren compuerta del embalse Carraízo para regular nivel tras recientes lluvias
How we checked this
The opening was reported by El Nuevo Día, Primera Hora, Metro, El Vocero and NotiCel, all relying on the AAA, whose own X account posted the same account. The water-level readings come from the AAA's morning report and from the USGS, as cited by those outlets; how much water the gate is releasing has not been reported.
This article was written by The PuertoRico.com Newsroom with AI tools, from the reports and statements listed above. It does not include original interviews. Spot an error? Tell us through the About page.