Water Rationing news article

This is in the news every day. The Old San Juan/condado areas have the water pressure turned down so low that sometimes I have no water in our 4th floor apt. The metro area has been divided into 2 zones that alternate every day, 24 hours with water and 24 without. Yesterday the head of the water authority said they are not seeing the results they were looking for, and are considering going to 48 hour periods (how that helps, I don't know). They also said it could last until September.  Apparently the reservoirs have so much silt from lack of dredging and maintenance that even though it rained every day from Jan-Mar, no rain in April-may has been a huge problem.

suzanne12345 wrote:

This is in the news every day. The Old San Juan/condado areas have the water pressure turned down so low that sometimes I have no water in our 4th floor apt. The metro area has been divided into 2 zones that alternate every day, 24 hours with water and 24 without. Yesterday the head of the water authority said they are not seeing the results they were looking for, and are considering going to 48 hour periods (how that helps, I don't know). They also said it could last until September.  Apparently the reservoirs have so much silt from lack of dredging and maintenance that even though it rained every day from Jan-Mar, no rain in April-may has been a huge problem.

So this issue is just in the Metro area of San Juan?
I plan to move to the East side (Liquillo, Fajardo, Ceiba, Naguabo, Humacao) and plan to get a water tank, likely also get solar panels and have a MANDATE to install an in-ground pool. I need water for that pool!!!!!!

Wife made it very clear ....... No pool, no moving to PR. Pools are cheaper than divorse 

I haven't heard anything about that area. Might want to do some research though... Happy wife, happy life!

Palmas del Mar has its own water company. They sent an email saying that their reserve is OK at this time.  The lake in front of my condo is very low, but it is not a water supply.

suzanne12345 wrote:

Apparently the reservoirs have so much silt from lack of dredging and maintenance that even though it rained every day from Jan-Mar, no rain in April-may has been a huge problem.

This is disturbing.

There is no reason to be apocalyptic. It has just been an unusually dry dry season on the island this year. It is possible that with climate change these types of extreme phenomena (that is, very wet wet seasons & unusually dry dry seasons) will become more common, but Puerto Rico will never be a dry tropical island - like USVIs, BVIs, or Bahamas. In fact, under most climate change predictions Puerto Rico should become on average warmer & wetter over the long term (although that also means more evaporation).

I read about this in the news as well and was warned that our building may experience low pressure; however in conversation this morning I learned that the metro area is fed by two main reservoirs. One is very low, which has meant water rationing in some areas since Wednesday. The other feeds OSJ, Miramar, Condado, Ocean Park, and a few other areas, and is OK for now. The good news is, it has been raining again for the past few days including a good rain overnight last night. I also see dark rain clouds on the horizon out my window as I write these words!

Good, by the time I move, I hope this is all over and she can have the pool.
Thanks

One question for those in the island (Just curious), I seen some ads for well painted and pristine houses but the sidewalks look dirty or moldy. While the sidewalk belong to the town, why don't people clean them anyway? It takes a lot away from the house.

ReyP wrote:

One question for those in the island (Just curious), I seen some ads for well painted and pristine houses but the sidewalks look dirty or moldy. While the sidewalk belong to the town, why don't people clean them anyway? It takes a lot away from the house.

I don't know quite how to respond to this. Due to the high humidity, concrete surfaces, both painted & not, tend to grow algae if not power-washed regularly (which many people do). This applies both to sidewalks & buildings. Also, plants are constantly generating debris (leaves, dropped flowers, etc.) on to sidewalks which need to be cleaned. These are just attributes of the wet tropics! I wouldn't let it turn you off.

Anolis wrote:

ReyP wrote:

One question for those in the island (Just curious), I seen some ads for well painted and pristine houses but the sidewalks look dirty or moldy. While the sidewalk belong to the town, why don't people clean them anyway? It takes a lot away from the house.

I don't know quite how to respond to this. Due to the high humidity, concrete surfaces, both painted & not, tend to grow algae if not power-washed regularly (which many people do). This applies both to sidewalks & buildings. Also, plants are constantly generating debris (leaves, dropped flowers, etc.) on to sidewalks which need to be cleaned. These are just attributes of the wet tropics! I wouldn't let it turn you off.

Maybe those owners don't have a power washer. In my opinion, clean sidewalks do nothing for a house, but dirty ones do and may cost them a sale because some potential buyers may move on to the next house for sale. Maybe I am just being unreasonable.
Thanks

ReyP wrote:

In my opinion, clean sidewalks do nothing for a house, but dirty ones do and may cost them a sale because some potential buyers may move on to the next house for sale.

Can I ask where you have been looking at properties?

Mostly in the east. Around Fajardo, Ceiba.
Here are 2 Examples:
http://www.zillow.com/homes/for_sale/Fa … o-lightboxhttp://www.zillow.com/homes/for_sale/ho … o-lightbox

ReyP wrote:

Mostly in the east. Around Fajardo, Ceiba.
Here are 2 Examples:
http://www.zillow.com/homes/for_sale/Fa … o-lightboxhttp://www.zillow.com/homes/for_sale/ho … o-lightbox

That black color on the sidewalk - I don't know what that is. Probably dead algae. You can powerwash that off smooth surfaces, but textured concrete like a sidewalk - it just gets stained over time. I wouldn't worry about it. Virtually all but the newest sidewalks look like that down here.

You are in a different world now. Make no no comparisons or expect ANYTHING to be the same or similar to the world you just left. If you want to do well in PR, learn great patience, understand that everything is different, learn the culture and how the Puerto Ricans think. Did I mention patience? Expect anything at anytime and watch the drivers.Above all, don't expect a whole lot of things to make sense.

Anolis wrote:

That black color on the sidewalk - I don't know what that is. Probably dead algae. You can powerwash that off smooth surfaces, but textured concrete like a sidewalk - it just gets stained over time.

I think that particle pollution has a  lot to do with this, too. It (the black stuff) is virtually everywhere and pretty much evenly distributed.
I wouldn't be surprised to find out that burning fuel oil # 6 (heavy and dirty) in electricity plants and the black non-burned carbon particles that most of the diesel engines in trucks blow into the air are at least part of the cause. (I also suspect it's contributing to the alarmingly high asthma occurrence in children here on the island).

GreggK wrote:

You are in a different world now. Make no no comparisons or expect ANYTHING to be the same or similar to the world you just left. If you want to do well in PR, learn great patience, understand that everything is different, learn the culture and how the Puerto Ricans think. Did I mention patience? Expect anything at anytime and watch the drivers.Above all, don't expect a whole lot of things to make sense.

I was born and raised in PR. I left PR about 40 years ago when I was in my early 20s to Join the Army because there were not many jobs back then. My family was poor and we lived in a poor area called Buena Vista I think part of Santurce. Our house was made out of wood and you could see the beams in the walls because there was no interior walls. The roof was made of corrugated tin and we had no ceiling, you could see the nails used for the roof and the beams. We used mosquito nets because there was no way to have screens due to windows basically being cutouts. A few street over, people had house next to the lagoon and used the lagoon as a bathroom. I been in Puerto Rico and know what being poor means and I know the "old" culture of respect still in practice to some degree in the interior of the country. Most of my family lives in Las Piedras, Juncos, and Pueblo del rio. Poor but had a wonderful childhood in PR.

I remember the house in front of ours, there was a widow living there in her 70s with her son. She made money by holding wakes at her house and praying for people. Her house was a wooden shack that was badly weatherbeaten and missing a few boars, the house had a DIRT floor. The lady would get up early every day and sweep her dirt floor and the front of her house (no sidewalks there). She had little but took good care of it and was proud of what she had.

If she can sweep her dirt floor, people better off than her, can power wash their sidewalks and apply sealant. It is a mater of pride, but also a mater of of economics as it makes your home more presentable when you are trying to sell it.

ReyP, thank you for sharing some of your childhood.  I bet you have some very interesting tales of your growing up period.  Taking pride in your home and yourself is something to be praised and admired no matter what the circumstances are.  Take care!

ReyP wrote:

It is a mater of pride, but also a mater of of economics as it makes your home more presentable when you are trying to sell it.

One issue that you may also find to be the case if you are looking to buy in PR is that many sellers are taking a huge loss on the sale due to the economic situation. Even then, you could argue "well, why not invest in maintenance to reduce the amount of the loss" - but this could end up being 'good money after bad' if you never sell, which is a distinct possibility here.

Hi GreggK. I have lived on this mysterious island since October 2014.
I can sure agree with your comment of, "Above all, don't expect a whole lot of things to make sense."
For me personally, living here is like living inside a painting of abstract art.  So much is often unclear to me. It is often disconcerting, mesmerizing, and confusing. But, please no worries for me, anyone. I can like and I can appreciate abstract art, for these very reasons. Abstractions help keep my mind interested, and open to different realities. I am never bored here.

By way of sharing some information about the water rationing going on right now, starting today the water pressure in my home is unusually very low. This is happening in the Puntas area of Rincon.

Anolis wrote:

ReyP wrote:

It is a mater of pride, but also a mater of of economics as it makes your home more presentable when you are trying to sell it.

One issue that you may also find to be the case if you are looking to buy in PR is that many sellers are taking a huge loss on the sale due to the economic situation. Even then, you could argue "well, why not invest in maintenance to reduce the amount of the loss" - but this could end up being 'good money after bad' if you never sell, which is a distinct possibility here.

How different is the government assigned value to a home from the selling price in this economic situation?
I remember my parents buying a house in Villa Fontana, Carolina (1968-1970) for 11 thousand, similar houses in Villa Fontana build around the same time in Villa Fontana are now selling for 80+.
Is the government assessed value larger than the selling price?
Here in MA, the government assess value is usually lower than the selling price but the economy is much better (5.6% unemployment)

That's what I'm talking about Deborah. Expect to make some major adjustments in your thinking in order to be able to live nicely in PR. It's not always easy and it's not for everyone. I say these things because I see so many people writing on this forum that think they are going to some exotic utopia and have absolutely no clue as to what they are getting into.

Hi ReyP, I agree with Schuttzie.  Thank you for sharing!  I grew up poor too (in mainland), and I have fond memories of being poor and of life being more simple, but people have a certain pride.  It is one of the reasons I am going to PR.  My neighbor has chickens in his yard (they come into my yard too). My landlord is in her late 70s, worked in a factory all her life and now works in her garden.  I expect and welcome the slow.  People think I'm crazy, but I won't have a car in PR, just a bike.

I'll clean my sidewalk too

I am going home to PR for the same low key simple life. I am not looking to have a chauffeur to drive me. I want those chickens and plantain, mango trees, etc. I plan to get back to Jibarito life.
Bummer when the neighbor chickens eat your plants. Have neighbor cut the wing feathers down some so they can not fly over the fence. We lost many chickens when we failed to cut the wings down. They end up as road kill or as someone's fried chicken.

Go home Rey. I wish you well my friend.

ReyP wrote:

How different is the government assigned value to a home from the selling price in this economic situation?
I remember my parents buying a house in Villa Fontana, Carolina (1968-1970) for 11 thousand, similar houses in Villa Fontana build around the same time in Villa Fontana are now selling for 80+.

How are you finding the government assessed home values? There are 'values' for tax purposes on the CRIM viewer (http://www.satasgis.crimpr.net/flexviewers/cdpr_crim/), but these are a fiction with respect to the sale prices (way lower). For instance, I see home's with a 'value' for tax purposes of $40K that sold for more than 10x that amount.  However it is possible to find out the purchase prices of recent registered sales using the same website, so this could be useful. Appraised values (tasaciones) tend to be high in my limited experience. Good luck!

Anolis wrote:

ReyP wrote:

How different is the government assigned value to a home from the selling price in this economic situation?
I remember my parents buying a house in Villa Fontana, Carolina (1968-1970) for 11 thousand, similar houses in Villa Fontana build around the same time in Villa Fontana are now selling for 80+.

How are you finding the government assessed home values? There are 'values' for tax purposes on the CRIM viewer (http://www.satasgis.crimpr.net/flexviewers/cdpr_crim/), but these are a fiction with respect to the sale prices (way lower). For instance, I see home's with a 'value' for tax purposes of $40K that sold for more than 10x that amount.  However it is possible to find out the purchase prices of recent registered sales using the same website, so this could be useful. Appraised values (tasaciones) tend to be high in my limited experience. Good luck!

Here in MA a house may for taxes be worth 210k (equivalent of CRIM) and likely sell in the market for 285k so the difference is not overly pronounced.

So just to see if I understand correctly...... A house that for CRIM purposes may be listed as 40K may have a market value of 200K? or did I misunderstand?

If that is the case, no wonder the government is broke, it is not taxing properties anywhere near market value and in some cases it is not taxing property at all.

ReyP wrote:

So just to see if I understand correctly...... A house that for CRIM purposes may be listed as 40K may have a market value of 200K? or did I misunderstand?

I don't know about tax evaluation as we are renting, but the numbers that you will see in the CRIM link I sent you are 10-20x (or more) lower than purchase prices. I would ignore them except to figure out what tax rate the homeowners will pay. On the other hand, if you can find recent comparable sales in the area using that site & see the sale prices, then this might offer you some guide.

ReyP wrote:

If that is the case, no wonder the government is broke, it is not taxing properties anywhere near market value and in some cases it is not taxing property at all.

It's a little more complicated than that IMHO, but, yes, they need to collect more revenue. One issue is many Puerto Rican's would be reluctant to accept higher property taxes for municipal services such as public schools, when everyone who can afford it has their kids in private school anyway! It's a tough situation with no single solution.

Anolis wrote:

ReyP wrote:

So just to see if I understand correctly...... A house that for CRIM purposes may be listed as 40K may have a market value of 200K? or did I misunderstand?

I don't know about tax evaluation as we are renting, but the numbers that you will see in the CRIM link I sent you are 10-20x (or more) lower than purchase prices. I would ignore them except to figure out what tax rate the homeowners will pay. On the other hand, if you can find recent comparable sales in the area using that site & see the sale prices, then this might offer you some guide.

ReyP wrote:

If that is the case, no wonder the government is broke, it is not taxing properties anywhere near market value and in some cases it is not taxing property at all.

It's a little more complicated than that IMHO, but, yes, they need to collect more revenue. One issue is many Puerto Rican's would be reluctant to accept higher property taxes for municipal services such as public schools, when everyone who can afford it has their kids in private school anyway! It's a tough situation with no single solution.

You make some great points.
Thanks