Page 11 - ARUBA TODAY

A11
WORLD NEWS Thursday 11 May 2017

Report: Puerto Rico has worst drinking water violation rate

By DANICA COTO tions from 2005 to 2015. In
Associated Press 2015 alone, nearly half of
SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) more than 400 water sys-
— The U.S. territory of Puer- tems across the island vio-
to Rico has the worst rate lated federal health stan-
of drinking water violations dards, according to the
of any U.S. jurisdiction, with environmental group.
dangerous contaminants Eli Diaz-Atienza, the newly
in recent years ranging appointed executive presi-
from lead to disinfectants dent of Puerto Rico’s Aque-
to coliform bacteria, an duct and Sewer Authority,
environmental group said told The Associated Press
Wednesday. that updated tests show
Nearly the entire island was there is currently no lead in
supplied in 2015 with water
from systems that violated the island’s drinking water.
the U.S. Safe Drinking Water He also said the 146 water
Act, according to a report systems that the agency
from the Natural Resources operates out of the island’s
Defense Council, which total of 466 systems meet
used the most recent statis- federal standards.
tics available. “Right now we understand
Most of the violations were there’s no threat to the
for failure to test the water’s public health of Puerto Yahaida Porrata poses in front of a landfill located just steps from her home in Toa Baja, Puerto
safety or failure to report is- Rico,” he said, adding that Rico. Puerto Rico has the worst rate of drinking water violations of any U.S. jurisdiction, with dan-
gerous contaminants in recent years ranging from lead to disinfectants to coliform bacteria, an
sues to the public or health he would provide copies of environmental group said Wednesday.
authorities as required, the those tests. (AP Photo/Danica Coto)
group said. He noted the violations of
“Millions of people in Puer- certain contaminants oc- the entire population of 3.4 Those violations could be that are violating the test-
to Rico consume water curred under previous ad- million people has been masking a lead problem, ing and reporting require-
daily confident in its qual- ministrations, but said he served by systems that vio- said Erik Olson, co-author ments.”
ity and purity, but that is far was not making excuses lated standards regulating of the report and director He said this could mean a
from the truth,” said Hector for that. the presence of lead and of the council’s health pro- range of things, including
Claudio Hernandez, one of “Just one case of contami- copper. It said all but one gram. that government officials
the report’s co-authors. nants is a problem for us, of the more than 600 viola- “Because the testing was failed to test for lead or oth-
The group said many of the and we have to address it tions were for failure to test not completed, we may er contaminants or did not
violations have occurred responsibly,” he said. for lead or report problems never know,” he said. “Ba- report those test results to
for years, noting that there The Natural Resources De- to the public or health au- sically the entire island is the island’s health depart-
were nearly 34,000 viola- fense Council said nearly thorities. being served by systems ment. q
Puerto Rico aims to rehabilitate 179 schools after closing

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) to municipalities and non- to 2015 remain abandoned ing a proposed austerity Congress oversees Puerto
— Puerto Rico is preparing governmental organiza- because there is no money budget for the upcoming Rico’s spending while giv-
to close 179 public schools tions. He said the buildings to rehabilitate them. fiscal year after a federal ing it some protection from
this month, and the island’s also could be used as drug Puerto Rico is mired in a control board demanded creditors as it tries to re-
governor said this week treatment centers, business decade-long recession it be improved. structure a portion of its $73
that he hopes to turn those incubators or tutoring cen- and has seen its school en- Elias Sanchez, the gover- billion public debt load. It
buildings into shelters for ters. “We’re seeking new rollment drop 42 percent nor’s representative to the said Monday that it’s giving
animals and homeless peo- uses for these buildings so in the past three decades board, said the board is the government two weeks
ple or for other uses. they don’t turn into eye- amid an exodus to the U.S. seeking more information more to submit an amend-
Gov. Ricardo Rossello sores like in previous years,” mainland. The closures are on previous government ed budget.
signed an executive or- he said. Skeptics of Ros- part of the U.S. territory’s spending to help it check The budget isn’t yet public
der creating a committee sello’s plan note that the measures to confront that estimated revenue projec- and many Puerto Ricans
charged with overseeing majority of the 150 schools crisis. The government also tions for upcoming years. fear it will bring even great-
the transfer of the buildings that were closed from 2010 said Tuesday that it is revis- The board created by er austerity measures. q