During the last couple of weeks, Puerto Rico has suffered severe water shortages due to the deterioration and old infrastructure of the reservoirs. Although UT’s new project, the WaterHub, was not designed to help with the island’s problems, it can serve as a good example for its communities.
These water shortages have left thousands of Puerto Ricans without water for weeks, reminding many that water cannot be taken for granted, and at the same time, emphasizing that those communities who invest in sustainable planning for resilient infrastructure will be much better prepared to face future water crises before becoming critical.
Although Puerto Rico and central Texas are two different environments, water experts explain that the principle is the same: communities must invest in an infrastructure that serves and is able to provide clean and potable water.
David J. Eaton, a UT professor with a PhD in Environmental Engineering, explains that the water shortages are not caused by a singular problem, but can be due to the climate, poor maintenance or other technical problems, and the best way to avoid this is to plan for the future.
“In the state of Texas, the government tries to plan up to 50 years in advance,” says Eaton. “But there are communities that do not do this.”
An example of this strategy is UT’s upcoming project, the WaterHub, a water processing facility that will open in 2028. The institution will recycle the campus’s residual waters for non-potable applications.
Ryan Thompson is UT’s executive director of public services and energy management, and has been working on this project for the past 8 years. He expects a significant impact in UT’s excessive use of water.
“It really offers plenty of benefits,” said Thompson. “Not only is there a water resource, but also an energetic component, a treatment one, and of course, a resilience one, which is very important.”
Apart from reducing the excessive use of water, it also works to protect against future droughts and bad weather.
“I’m really excited about that part, especially for the resilience that it will provide us,” said Thompson. “We will have water when we need it to keep the campus running.”
It is said that the UT WaterHub will be the biggest installation in a university, and represents a strategy to improve water resilience, but Puerto Rico’s reality is completely different.
UT professor Carlos Ramos Scharrón studies the erosion, river basins, and sedimentation in Puerto Rico’s reservoirs; he affirms that the island depends on these reservoirs to save and distribute water, but that they are too small and full of sediment.
“Basically, the problem is that you are filling a cup where the water with sediment is kept,” said Ramos Scharrón. “The lake is full of sediment. The magnitude of this problem is significant.”
The situation becomes more serious now during summer, when the El Niño phenomenon occurs. Ramos Scharrón confirms that the climate brings drier conditions for the Caribbean, which limits developments for tropical storms that bring life to the island.
“Larger periods without rain result in droughts,” said Ramos Scharrón. “They are interrupted by extreme thunderstorms, which means more sediment for the river basins.”
Ramos Scharrón says that these effects are not noticeable as they occur under water. He explains that the steep lands and storms accelerate erosion, causing large amounts of sediments to travel towards the reservoirs after hurricanes.
“You go to the lake and it remains there,” said Ramos Scharrón. “You can’t see the effects because it’s all happening underwater.”
Although Puerto Rico’s challenges are different from those in Central Texas, experts say that maintaining or investing in water resources offers better results than limiting responses to emergencies only. Be it through investing in the development of projects like the WaterHub or in infrastructure, communities are better prepared when planning for the future.
“I think people take for granted that the water will always be there,” said Thompson. “But that’s not the case.”
