Caribbean Water Science Center Science Plan 1999

Water-Resources Management

The network consists of 129 hydrologic data-collection sites equipped with satellite telemetry instrumentation.  It includes streamflow, lake-stage, ground-water, rainfall, and meteorological stations. The Ground Water Site Inventory includes data from over 5,000 wells in Puerto Rico and 1,000 wells in the U.S. Virgin Islands.

Data gathered in past years has been used by the Caribbean District to establish the long-term yield of major watersheds and reservoirs in Puerto Rico and build ground-water models for major aquifers in both Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands.  Flow duration and flood frequency studies have been conducted and updated studies will be published soon.  These studies are essential in managing the water resources of the islands.

Real-time simulation of river flows during storm events has been conducted for the Río Grande de Loíza and its major tributaries.  Additional basins like the Río Grande de Arecibo, Río de la Plata, and the Río Grande de Manatí should be modeled in the future.

Information Needs and Deficiencies

1. Data collection.  While some basins have numerous gaging stations, several large areas of the islands are ungaged.
   
   
2. Because of the high sediment loads, the capacity of many of the important water-supply reservoirs in Puerto Rico is decreasing rapidly.
   
   
3. There is a lack of understanding on the effects of land-cover changes (particularly urbanization) on water-quality, baseflow, and peak flows of rivers.
   
   
4. There is a general lack of understanding on the definition, on-set, and frequency of droughts.
   
   
5. Alternate sources of water need be established to mitigate severe water rationing during droughts.
   
   
6. There is a need for defining the quantity and quality of water supply sources at a municipal scale for sustained development within the municipal boundaries.
   
   
7. Lack of accurate, up-to-date topographic maps hinders water-resources management.
   
   
8. Real-time simulation of river flows during floods are needed for the Río Grande de Arecibo, Río de la Plata, and the Río Grande de Manatí.

Program Opportunities

1. Assess present surface-water monitoring network to define optimum coverage of the Caribbean District for the intended purposes of the network and taking into account our cooperators strategies to meet current and future demands.
   
   
2. Continue periodic mapping of reservoir bathymetry in Puerto Rico to update storage capacities and rates of sedimentation.  Conduct interpretive studies of the results of the long term monitoring of selected rivers for sediment loads and characteristics.
   
   
3. Conduct detailed studies to determine the effects of land-cover changes (particularly urbanization) on water-quality, baseflow, and flood peaks of rivers. Collaborate with the Puerto Rico Department of Health in its development of a Source Water Assessment Program for drinking water systems throughout Puerto Rico.
   
   
4. Develop an improved understanding of droughts by proposing a better definition of droughts, developing a drought index, and studying their recurrence intervals.
   
   
5. Identify alternative sources of drinking water for use during droughts.
   
   
6. Promote the development of water assessments for the municipalities of Puerto Rico.
   
   
7. Work together with the National Mapping Division to produce updated topographic maps of Puerto Rico.
   
   
8. Complete real-time simulation of rivers during floods for the Río Grande de Arecibo, Río de la Plata, and the Río Grande de Manatí.

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