La Puntilla Sanitary Trunk Sewer

On September 20, 2017, during the passing of Hurricane María through Puerto Rico, the strong waves of the Atlantic Ocean and the rising of the Río Grande de Arecibo caused significant damage to the Troncal La Puntilla. After the hurricane, the flow increased to 10 MGD and there was a violation of the The National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) Stormwater Program discharge permit. Faced with this situation, an analysis of the conductivity of the effluent water was carried out and a high salt content was found (infiltration of seawater in the pipes). An inspection and evaluation was performed with divers to determine the condition of the trunk at the river crossing. The divers were only able to inspect the exterior as 75% of the line was found to be sedimented. An operational emergency was declared to install a bypass of 500 linear meters to stop the intrusion of saline waters into the 42-inch pipe of this trunk and then proceeded to clean and verify the 600 linear feet of trunk pipe. This project contemplates the reconstruction of manhole #2 and cleaning and inspection of approximately 356 linear feet of the trunk and promptly repairing any additional infiltration that is identified during the inspection. The project is still ongoing and will benefit the service area of ​​the Arecibo Sanitary Sewerage Plant.