💧 Raíces Rurales – Ejercicios de Mesa Prácticos de Preparación Para Emergencias (Pacific Institute – Tabletop Exercise)

Doña Mayo, a village in Barranquitas, Puerto Rico, was struck by two devastating hurricanes between 2017 and 2022 – first Hurricane Maria, a Category 5 storm, followed by Hurricane Fiona, a Category 4. Despite the immense challenges caused by these disasters, the community of Doña Mayo demonstrated resilience by steadily rebuilding and maintaining its water systems.

Through a collaborative effort among RCAP Solutions, the mayor, and local residents, the village worked tirelessly to address the impacts of Hurricanes Maria and Fiona and develop long‑term solutions for recovery and sustainability.

This work is made possible due to the generous support from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

The neighborhood community of Alborada, Puerto Rico consists of 168 residents. During 2007, there was a large growth in community members, which led to the houses being installed with onsite septic systems. Shortly after the installation, several residents started experiencing issues with wastewater backing up into their homes and yards, which caused some to have to leave their homes. It was determined that the soil in this area could not filter the wastewater. 

The community has struggled for over 20 years of trying to resolve the issues with its wastewater system. Recently, it was determined that the best option would be to try and connect to a local Puerto Rico Aqueduct and Sewer Authority (PRASA) system, which is a government-owned corporation. This video shows how RCAP is helping them work towards regionalization to eliminate their wastewater issues.

This work is made possible due to the generous support from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

Solid Waste Case Study: Challenges with Illegal Dumping Elimination in the Community of Santa Rita in Guánica, Puerto Rico

Written By: Edwin Vázquez-Asencio, Sustainable Materials Management Specialist

BACKGROUND: This community was referred by the municipality a year before the grant period. The community has had a problem with illegal dumping and improper management of debris and waste, even when the municipality has services for debris collection and curbside for waste. Three areas were commonly used as illegal dumping sites. The largest impacted area is a 0.6-mile dirt road, with debris on both sides of the path that has been used for illegal dumping for more than 4 decades according to RCAP Technical Assistant Provider (TAP) evaluation.

THE CHALLENGE: The place is used for illegal dumping by small contractors, community residents and others. Bulky items such as furniture, mattress, home appliances, auto parts, e-waste, construction and demolition debris (C&D), vegetative materials, domestic waste, and animal carcasses are commonly dumped on this site. Motor oils, refrigerator fluids, paints, acrylic roof sealers have been found or are part of the materials in the site. Many of them are possible sources of Volatile Organic Compounds (VOC’s), (hydrofluorocarbons) and heavy metals as well as other materials with constituents likely to contain PFAS, lead, and other regulated contaminants.

Vectors of diseases like the “Flesh Fly” (members of the subfamily Sarcophagidae), mosquitoes, cockroaches, rodents, mongoose (Herpestes auropuctatus – principal carrier of rabies in Puerto Rico), feral animals and community pets are commonly found in the area, creating a public health concern. In the rainy season the ditch behind the dumping site receives the runoff from the site and guides it to the community and the farms nearby. Many wells are in the area for agricultural purposes and drinking water that could be susceptible to any contamination from the dumping activities. The place is on the borderline of two municipalities and the road is not well defined as public or private property, creating additional challenges for investing in restoration by any of the municipal entities. The TAP presented the case to USDA looking for options for the community.

THE APPROACH & SOLUTION: An assessment was performed, and the results presented to the community and other stakeholders like the municipality, the PR Department of Natural and Environmental Resources, the PR Police Department, Public Works, and others.

The TAP presented the following plan of five steps to address the problem for short term, medium, and long-term results.

1. Education and awareness of the community and establish a working group.
2. Clean up to remove all dumped materials and dispose of them correctly and collect data about the materials removed for developing a long-term action plan.
3. Add value, changing the appearance and promote the use of the area by the community as a walking place or other recreational activities.
4. Maintenance plan to establish an adoption plan of the area and law enforcement support to reduce illegal dumping activities.
5. Empower the community to develop activities that keep the area clean, organized, and build their capacity to address the situation and get financial support.

In the presentation for all the stakeholders and working group, the TAP covered important topics that included: PFAS, E-waste, Volatile Organic Compounds, Household Hazardous Waste and Vectors of diseases among other related information to create awareness of the problem and to validate and justify immediate action by the stakeholder group.

THE IMPACT: The community leaders are engaging in the remediation of the area used for illegal dumping for decades. The municipality and other stakeholders received technical instruction about the proper management of the area, and information about the problems associated with this situation including constituent materials and public health concerns that need attention. The community is receiving the skills and guidance to address the problem in conjunction with the stakeholders. This is an ongoing project in which the key stakeholders such as the Puerto Rico Department of Natural and Environmental Resources, the PR Police Bureau, the Municipality of Guánica and other are looking for alternatives with RCAP Solutions to help the community and eliminate this illegal dumping site. RCAP discussed the project with the local USDA Staff and Washington representatives to help these disadvantaged people and will continue the process to identify resources to tackle the problem with them. RCAP believes in community empowerment, capacity building, and sustainable management of their resources. These foundations complement RCAP’s technical support and lead the community to a better future and the solution of a problem they have been facing for decades. We are here for them!

Solid Waste Case Study: Municipality of Comerío, Puerto Rico’s Recycling Program Re-Opening, Facilities, and Permits

Written By: Edwin Vázquez-Asencio, Sustainable Materials Management Specialist

BACKGROUND: After the hit of hurricanes Irma and Maria in 2017, the high volume of debris and waste stressed the limited capacity of Comerío’s municipality to deal with it. They depend on a small Transfer Station (TS) for the management of the materials and waste to be disposed. A Materials Recovery Facility (MRF) with noticeable challenges was part of the strategy but it ends in the closing of the program in 2019, adding significant pressure to their TS and incrementing the cost of the operation running over its capacity. The process to reopen the MRF and reduce the waste, and the operational cost required an operator with technical knowledge about the materials but also, about facilities, development, and permits.

THE CHALLENGE: The new operator was established as a non-profit organization, different than the municipality, and should work on the existing facilities. New permits were required, and the regulators requested protocols for noise and contamination controls, and the information to support the actions to be taken. The operator’s limited capacity and the lack of information on the part of the regulators made this task difficult and the permit was denied.

THE APPROACH & SOLUTION: The RCAP TAP conducted a brief assessment of the MRF facilities and revised the regulation about the specific request. All the equipment specifications and facility areas were considered in the evaluation, including noise generation according to the industrial levels permitted. Sound levels were taken and recommendations to establish the necessary controls were discussed with the operator. The information required to satisfy the permits’ application was included, based on the regulations. The TAP consulted with the regulators and the application was submitted by the operator granting the permits that were previously denied.

THE IMPACT: This project is of great importance, since it is a model based on the expansion towards the circular economy of materials that are not currently processed in Puerto Rico. It is expected that this MRF will become a HUB for the processing of materials collected by other communities and municipalities. For the Municipality of Comerío, it is very important since it immediately reduced the cost of operating the TS, and the final disposal of materials that can be recovered from the waste stream. The RCAP TAP continues to provide guidelines and alternatives to improve the system, and coordinated a meeting with USDA to evaluate possible grant programs that could help in the development of the facilities.

RCAP Solutions’ Caribbean Team Participates in USDA Rural Development Stakeholder Meeting with Secretary of Agriculture

Written By: Juan Campos Collazo, Community Specialist

The U.S. Secretary of Agriculture, Thomas Vilsack, hosted a discussion with stakeholders in Puerto Rico, including community groups and economic development officials, to discuss the importance and impact of the Rural Partners Network (RPN). The purpose of this conversation was to encourage further development of the community networks. Secretary Vilsack wanted to hear directly from stakeholders about the benefits, opportunities, and their hopes for the RPN in Puerto Rico.

Background: In April 2022, the Biden-Harris Administration and USDA launched the Rural Partners Network, an all-of-government program to help people living in rural areas access federal funding and resources to create thriving communities. The network is working in 36 rural and tribal community networks; three of those community networks will serve regions in Puerto Rico. These community networks were selected through a series of deliberations with state directors and teams from RPN states, and additional consultations with prospective community networks. Each of these networks will be supported by up to four full-time federal staff who live and work locally. These community liaisons help communities navigate federal programs, build relationships, identify community-driven solutions, and develop successful applications for funding.

Cohort I: The first RPN Cohort was announced in April 2022 and included the launch of community networks in Arizona, Georgia, Kentucky, Mississippi, and New Mexico.

Presently, participating community networks are selecting their initial projects and refining their long-term priorities (i.e., future projects); USDA will organize federal partners to support these initial projects in an effort to secure early wins on behalf of the network. Additionally, thirteen staff have been hired to support these community networks with the only outstanding positions being an additional liaison in Mississippi, Kentucky, and New Mexico, and supervisory positions in Mississippi, Georgia, and Kentucky. Every Cohort I state has some level of RPN staff in place that are engaging with networks to facilitate a community-driven vision.

Cohort II: The second RPN Cohort includes Wisconsin, West Virginia, Nevada, Puerto Rico, Alaska, and North Carolina. Secretary Vilsack announced the inclusion of Puerto Rico in November 2022, but did not announce the specific community networks in Puerto Rico (nor in Alaska) since the selection process was interrupted by recent natural disasters.

Secretary Vilsack wanted to know from each of the panelists about the kind of work we do and how it relates to the Rural Partners Network. RCAP Solutions staff explained that we are part of a national affiliate, the Rural Community Assistance Partnership (RCAP), providing rural communities with on-site technical assistance and training to help small, rural communities address their drinking water, wastewater, and other community development needs. In addition, RCAP Solutions staff elaborated on how we help these communities access dollars from state and federal agencies for necessary infrastructure upgrades and improvements. RCAP Solutions also acts as a liaison between these communities and USDA Rural Development funding programs in Puerto Rico. The technical assistance provided by RCAP Solutions to the communities is free of charge and is funded under the grants from the USDA , EPA, and HHS.

A question arose from the secretary about what we consider to problems in achieving economic development. The mayor of Coamo, Puerto Rico pointed out the decrease of population as one of the most relevant problems, because of the lack of professionals, the decrease of laborers, and the decrease of economic movement. The mayor of Villalba, Puerto Rico mentioned the lack of agriculture development in Puerto Rico as a problem, and noted a dependance on foreign imports.

RCAP Solutions expressed that not all the rural communities have the commitment to improve their capacity and our work depends on community collaboration to achieve their goals and improve their quality of life.

Finally, the secretary advised to all the partners, especially the mayors, to first identify an economical driver and then write proposals based on it. He referenced the example from the mayor of Villalba, who identified the agriculture as an economical driver. The meeting ended with the thanks from Secretary Vilsack and from the USDA Rural Development State Director for Puerto Rico, Maximiliano Tujillo.

Juncos’ Landfill Repairs and Expansion After Hurricane Maria

Written By: Edwin Vázquez-Asencio, Sustainable Materials Management Specialist

Juncos municipality is in the eastern central region of Puerto Rico. Juncos’ landfill receives approximately 35,105 tons of non-hazardous solid waste each year. In 2017, winds from Hurricane Maria destroyed the facility’s leachate collection system, creating a serious health and safety hazard for neighboring communities and was at risk of contaminating underground water resources and nearby streams. The storm’s effects also reduced the landfill’s capacity by 20% and severely reduced its predicted lifespan.

The main challenge was to define the project and determine how the municipality could finance the necessary repairs that were imperative to address this problem. Our goal was to protect the community’s health, assist them in achieving compliance, and support the transition of the facility into a sanitary landfill system. In addition, the community also needed to account for the capacity overflow due to the extraordinary amount of debris which the landfill received in the aftermath of the disaster.

The RCAP Solutions staff served as a fundamental liaison between the municipality, stakeholders, and USDA Rural Development as we assisted the municipality in achieving compliance. Our technical assistance provider coordinated and conducted a training about disaster assistance grant funding and guided them throughout the process, outlining key elements to completing a successful application for USDA funds.

USDA Rural Development awarded Juncos’ Municipality with $23.7 million in grant funding to repair its landfill facilities. The facilities will be expanded to achieve compliance, and in addition, the community’s health will no longer be at risk due to the damage caused by the hurricane.