Puerto Rico could tap rainwater to ease drought amid rationing
Facing historic drought and water rationing, experts say rainwater harvesting could provide billions of gallons annually, but the island lacks required infrastructure and incentives.
Puerto Rico is under water rationing after July recorded the driest month on record, prompting authorities to shut off supply two days a week for thousands of households. While the drought has intensified the crisis, experts argue the island’s main problem is mismanagement of existing water resources rather than an absolute shortage.
Environmental lawyer Ruth Santiago of the Comité Diálogo Ambiental noted that “even with the climate crisis and these droughts, we still have abundant water,” adding that rainwater could be harvested immediately. Architect Fernando Abruña, a partner at Abruña & Musgrave, highlighted rooftops as “one of the best unused reservoirs of water in Puerto Rico.” He estimates that if one million homes installed rain-catchment systems, the island could collect about 30 billion gallons a year.
The Puerto Rico Aqueduct and Sewer Authority currently loses roughly 60 percent of treated water due to leaking pipes, and recent ruptures in the 72-inch Superaqueduct have further strained supplies. While repairing the aging distribution network is urgent, rainwater harvesting is presented as a low-cost, quickly deployable supplement.
Other Caribbean territories have mandated or incentivized rain-catchment; for example, about 90 percent of homes in the U.S. Virgin Islands have cisterns, and Honolulu County offers free rain barrels. In Puerto Rico, no such incentives exist, leaving non-profits like Plenitud Puerto Rico to fill the gap. The group has installed 73 systems since 2010, costing $500-$5,000 each, primarily for non-drinking uses such as toilet flushing.
Legislator José Pérez Cordero introduced a resolution in June to study the feasibility of island-wide rainwater harvesting, citing a 2024 law that requires public agencies to install collection systems—a mandate that remains unenforced. > “We are, right now, in the perfect moment to do it, because we are in the middle of a crisis,” Pérez Cordero said.
While rainwater harvesting cannot replace centralized supply in dense urban areas and depends on sufficient wet-season rainfall, officials and experts agree it could bolster a fragmented water system as climate change lengthens dry periods.