Puerto Rico Is Rationing Water. It Could've Avoided It by Harvesting Rainwater

Puerto Rico is going through one of its worst droughts in history. July was the driest month ever recorded on the island, and the government has started rationing water — meaning families can only get water on certain days. About 180,000 households in the northeast have had limited water access, and some families have gone more than 100 days without a steady supply. Experts say a simple fix has been ignored: collecting the rain that already falls on the island every year.

Puerto Rico gets between 30 and 169 inches of rain every year depending on where you are on the island. But the government does not require people to install systems that catch and store rainwater. Environmental lawyer Ruth Santiago says the real problem is not a lack of water, but poor management of it. 'Even with the climate crisis and these droughts, we still have abundant water,' she says. 'We could be harvesting rainwater right now,' she added, even as a storm started outside during the interview.

Rainwater harvesting systems can be simple and low-cost. The most basic ones use gutters to send rainwater from a rooftop into a large container, which connects to indoor pipes for things like flushing toilets or showering. Larger systems can collect water for factories and power plants. Architect Fernando Abruña estimates that if just 1 million households used these systems, the island could collect 30 billion gallons of water per year.

One big reason Puerto Rico is short on water is that its pipes are old and broken. The Puerto Rico Aqueduct and Sewer Authority loses about 60 percent of drinking water before it reaches people's homes because of leaks. A large pipe called the Superaqueduct, which serves major cities on the northern coast, has had several serious breaks. Experts say fixing the water system is most urgent, but rainwater harvesting could be set up quickly in the meantime.

Other island communities have already made rainwater harvesting a normal part of life. About 90 percent of homes in the U.S. Virgin Islands have a cistern — a large tank — to collect rainwater, and building codes there require many new buildings to include one. Barbados has similar rules, and in Hawaii, Honolulu County gives some residents free rain barrels. Professor Farah Nibbs says governments should treat rainwater harvesting 'as part of the national water supply.'

In Puerto Rico, the government offers no money or support to families who want to install these systems. A local nonprofit called Plenitud Puerto Rico has donated and installed 73 rainwater systems in the mountain town of Las Marías since 2010. The systems cost between $500 and $5,000 depending on size, and there are extra costs to maintain them and check water quality. One recent installation helped an elderly man who lives alone and often loses access to water — it helps him flush his toilet and fill his dog's water bowl.

Some lawmakers want things to change. Representative José Pérez Cordero introduced a proposal in June to study how rainwater harvesting could work across the island. He also noted that a 2024 law requiring all government buildings to collect rainwater has not been followed or enforced. 'We are, right now, in the perfect moment to do it, because we are in the middle of a crisis,' he says. 'Sadly, we always wait for the reaction.'

Rainwater harvesting is not a perfect fix for every place. It is hard to install in tall apartment buildings, and the systems won't work well if the rainy season becomes too dry — something that may happen more often as climate change worsens. But experts agree these systems can make Puerto Rico's water supply more reliable. 'Facing climate change, every year is going to be harder,' Pérez Cordero says. 'Every year, the dry season is going to be longer.'