San Juan's Mayor Demands Answers from the Water Authority: These Are the Neighborhoods Left Out of the Credit

San Juan Mayor Miguel Romero sent a formal letter to the president of the Puerto Rico Aqueduct and Sewer Authority (AAA), Luis Reinaldo Gonzalez Delgado, demanding that he expand the 50 percent water bill credit program announced last week and provide written metrics explaining why more than a dozen San Juan neighborhoods were left out of the benefit ². The move, made public on October 1, opens a new chapter in a controversy Governor Jenniffer Gonzalez Colon thought she had closed just three days earlier.

Where this started

On September 28, the governor announced that roughly 37,000 AAA customers in sections of San Juan, Carolina and Loiza would receive an automatic 50 percent credit on their water bills, as compensation for service deficiencies documented by the utility itself ¹. The benefit is split into two groups. A first group, which includes Villa Palmeras, the Luis Llorens Torres public housing project, Barrio Obrero, Monteflores, San Mateo and Sagrado Corazon, will receive the credit for seven billing periods: July 2025, October 2025, January-February 2026 and May-July 2026 ¹. A second, much larger group, covering Condado, Ocean Park, Minillas, Alto del Cabro, Machuchal, Seboruco, Martin Pena, Hipodromo, Tras Talleres, Chicharo, Maria Moczo, Placita de Santurce, Parque Central, San Juan Moderno, Gandul, Miramar, Puerta de Tierra, Pulguero, Campo Alegre, Figueroa, Pinones-Loiza and Isla Verde-Carolina, will get the credit for three periods: May, June and July 2026 ¹.

According to the AAA, the credit is applied automatically, with no application required from customers. If an account is current, the credit shows up as a balance credit; if the account has outstanding debt, the amount is subtracted from what is owed ¹³. "This credit represents direct relief for the families and businesses that have faced these deficiencies," the governor said when announcing the program ¹⁴. The AAA president, for his part, said his team completed an evaluation process to precisely identify the sectors and periods that qualify for the benefit ¹.

The numbers and what's missing

What sparked the latest controversy is what does not appear on those two lists. In his letter, Romero identified San Juan neighborhoods that, he says, suffered the same documented service failures from August and September 2025 but were not included in either credit group: Hato Rey, Puerto Nuevo, Rio Piedras, Cupey, Caimito, Sabana Llana, Shanghai, Santa Teresa, Cantera, El Mirador, San Justo, the Villa Kennedy cooperative, Paseo del Condado and the Las Margaritas and Bartolome de las Casas public housing projects ². The mayor questioned, for example, why Condado, Ocean Park and Miramar were recognized with three months of credit while other service interruption periods in those same sectors were not counted ².

Romero formally requested that Gonzalez Delgado provide a detailed written analysis of the metrics and eligibility thresholds the utility used to draw those lines, along with an exact figure of how many San Juan residents will receive the credit and for what amounts ². "He is not trying to diminish the AAA's initiative, but wants it to fulfill its purpose," is how the mayor summarized the spirit of his request ². As of this publication, the AAA has not publicly responded to the mayor's letter ².

What this means for you

If your water account is in one of the communities listed above, you do not need to do anything: the credit applies automatically. If you live in San Juan and your sector does not appear on either list, Romero's letter is the first public signal that the exclusion is being formally challenged, which could open the door to an expanded program if the AAA responds favorably. For the households and businesses that do qualify, the 50 percent credit could mean a noticeable reduction on accumulated bills covering up to seven billing periods.

How to check / Checklist

1. Check your address against the two community lists published by the AAA to see if your sector qualifies ¹.
2. Review your most recent bill or your online AAA account to confirm whether the credit has already been applied.
3. If your account is delinquent, confirm the credit was applied to the outstanding balance before making additional payments.
4. If you have questions about your eligibility, call the AAA Customer Service Center at 787-620-2482 ³.
5. If you live in one of the excluded communities named in Romero's letter, document any service interruptions you experienced in 2025 and 2026, since that evidence could matter if the program is expanded.
6. Follow the official channels of the Municipality of San Juan and the AAA for any formal response to the mayor's request.

What's next

The ball is now in the AAA's court, which has not set a deadline to respond to Romero nor confirmed whether there is budget room to expand the credit to more communities ². If a response materializes, the utility would have to publicly explain the exact methodology it uses to measure "service deficiencies," a standard that has not yet been made public in detail. Meanwhile, other mayors in the metro area could join the demand if they identify their own communities with similar unacknowledged complaints under the current program.