Water+Requirements

In July 2010, the population of Puerto Rico was at nearly four million (Central Intelligence Agency, 2012). To provide enough water to each of these people, the Puerto Rico Aqueduct and Sewer Authority (PRASA) produces 541 million gallons per day (MGD) of purified drinkable water. In addition to this, PRASA receives 307 MGD of raw sewage that it is responsible for treating (Carey, Jaimes, Song, & Woods, 2008). This services most of the population of Puerto Rico, while the remaining population uses private wells or other nonregulated sources for their water needs. To better meet the needs and requirements of Puerto Rico, PRASA has proposed creating a reverse osmosis water treatment plant in the city of Arecibo. This plant is intended to treat 10 MGD initially, but will eventually expand to produce 25 MGD of drinkable water (Rojas et al, 2006). This will supply quality drinking water that meets the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) standards.