Pierluisi Calls on the U.S. Army to Move Forward on Caño Martín Peña Project
San Juan, Puerto Rico—Resident Commissioner Pedro Pierluisi sent a detailed letter last week to the Honorable Jo-Ellen Darcy, the Assistant Secretary of the Army for Civil Works, urging her to immediately approve the feasibility report and environmental impact statement that has been prepared for the Caño Martín Peña project. Approval by the Assistant Secretary of these documents and an official determination that the project is “feasible” is necessary in order for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to begin preconstruction, engineering and design work for the project, which is the next major step in the Army Corps process.
Over the past several years, the Corporación del Proyecto ENLACE del Caño Martín Peña has worked diligently to identify solutions to the water pollution and other environmental challenges that threaten public health. The tidal canal is approximately 3.8 miles long, connecting San Juan Bay and the San Jose Lagoon in urban San Juan. Untreated wastewater from different areas of San Juan has been discharged into the canal for many years. Eliminating this problem and restoring the canal to its natural state will benefit the entire San Juan Bay estuary. Importantly, the proposed project will also control flooding in the region and protect the health of the approximately 27,000 residents that live within the eight communities surrounding Caño Martín Peña: Israel-Bitumul, Cantera, Parada 27, Las Monjas, Barrio Obrero San Ciprian, Barrio Obrero Marina, Buena Vista Santurce, and Buena Vista Hato Rey.
On October 22nd, Pierluisi met with leaders from ENLACE and the Caño Martín Peña communities, inspected the affected areas, discussed the next steps for the project, and witnessed firsthand the unacceptable living conditions that residents confront.
“I am impressed with the results that ENLACE and community leaders have delivered to date in planning for the restoration of the canal. Preparation of the thorough feasibility report required a great deal of time and effort, and they have come up with an excellent plan. Unfortunately, progress has been delayed at Army Corps headquarters and I am determined to work with the Assistant Secretary of the Army to find a way to get the project approved as soon as possible,” said Pierluisi.
Army Corps headquarters has yet to approve the feasibility report based on a disagreement with ENLACE about the proposed location for disposal of sediments that would be dredged from the canal and about whether historic water-related infrastructure in the canal area needs to be removed in order to properly restore the canal. Army Corps headquarters is essentially requiring ENLACE to undertake additional scientific testing of material that would be dredged, and to factor into the feasibility report removal of the water-related infrastructure. Both steps are very costly and could put the entire project over the cost limit established by the Army Corps and Congress in 2007. In his letter, Pierluisi addresses these specific points of disagreement between ENLACE and Army Corps headquarters, and urges prompt resolution.
“We are now at a critical stage in the process, and this project is receiving high level attention in Washington, D.C.,” said Pierluisi.
Since arriving in Congress, the Resident Commissioner has worked to educate Members of Congress and Army leadership about the living conditions that residents of the Caño Martín Peña communities face, as well as the environmental and public health consequences of delaying action on this project.