P.R. Laws tit. 21, § 4662
Municipalities may engage in efforts leading to providing water supplies to their citizens, medical and school facilities, hotels and industries, when the service rendered by the Aqueduct and Sewer Authority is interrupted by said agency and/or is substantially reduced or there is no service at all for any reason whatsoever; Provided, That the expenses incurred by municipalities shall be billed to the Aqueduct and Sewer Authority, which shall be under the obligation to pay the same, once said expenses have been certified by the director of finances of the municipality or a competent official. The acquisition of water supply services by the municipalities shall be conducted pursuant to the provisions contained in §§ 4451 and 4452 of this title.
Before proceeding to procure and/or distribute the water supplies, municipalities shall notify by any electronic means or in person through their representatives, the absence or substantial reduction of the service with a specific statement of the area or areas and a description of the problem being experienced. Said notice shall be given to the official assigned with tending to local matters of the municipality, or in default thereof, to the executive director of the agency. The Authority shall address the matter thus brought to its attention, provide the water service and take any additional measures within a term of twenty-four (24) hours of this request. Should the agency not address the issue, the municipality may provide the water supply service to its population, and the Authority shall be under the obligation to reimburse the cost of said service to the municipality, pursuant to the provided above. The water to be used for these purposes shall be taken from the official Aqueduct and Sewer Authority containers or from municipal containers duly certified by the Department of Health. In any of these cases, representatives from both the Authority and the municipality shall be present at the time of dispatch to certify jointly the volume of the water being supplied. Municipal governments that opt to get involved in this activity shall contract the responsibility of complying with the protocols required by the Department of Health, in order to ensure the quality of the water distributed, and thus, the health of the public receiving it.
History —Aug. 30, 1991, No. 81, added as § 14.012 on Feb. 5, 2002, No. 32 § 1.