With the intention of preserving our environment and for a better welfare for present and future generations, the Puerto Rico Aqueduct and Sewer Authority (PRASA) is currently the public corporation that has made the largest investment in the protection and compliance of environmental regulations, and has implanted multiple initiatives as a Green Agency.

Green Agency includes the development and implementation of projects, with special interest on wind and solar energy, oceanic-themal energy conversion and waste management of solids and bio-solids and recycling.

Wastewater treatment plants produce a byproduct called sludge, a bio-solids waste. This waste has to be disposed using an eco-friendly method. Today, PRASA utilizes various disposal methods for this kind of waste, such as: landfill disposal, composting (Mayagüez WWTP), incineration (Puerto Nuevo WWTP), and a process of injection of sludge into the ground which is unique in Puerto Rico (Barceloneta WWTP).

Since 1986, PRASA has been using a property of 1.1 acres close to the Barceloneta WWTP for the injection of the sludge produced at the plant. This land is leased by the Puerto Rico Land Authority and is operated by PRASA’s personnel. Approximately only 490 acres is currently used for sludge injection, other areas are protected wetlands and flood zones.   

The sludge injection is performed with a designated ratio that does not exceed the nutritional capacity of the ground. In fact, this method helps in the production of hay stacks due to the nutritional component of the sludge injected into the ground. This practice is regulated by the Puerto Rico Environmental Quality Board (EQB) and the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) under special conditions.

PRASA’s Compost Plant, located on the West Region, specializes in the production of a material made with organic materials and sludge.

Other materials are needed to produce good compost, such as triturated wood and garden waste. The composting process is the biodegradation of organic matter into a material that has many uses in agriculture, horticulture and others applications.

Each one of the composting production processes is performed using strict procedures to ensure the quality of the product. Since March 2007, after the approval of the environmental qualifications, PRASA’s Composting Plant has been selling the compost produced at the facility.