REVISTA PALMAS_66 ABRIL 2022

PDM UTILITY ...
MORE THAN A WATER COMPANY
Eng. Daniel E. Torrellas Cruz 1
During the 70’s, the residential-tourist
complex Palmas del Mar in the municipality
of Humacao was designed and started construction.
With the Development Master Plan
running, the growth that was gradually taking
place had to be adjusted to the infrastructure
system that had already been conceptualized
with the creation of the Palmas del Mar
Utility Corporation (PDMU Corp.).
Palmas del Mar Utility is an independent
and non-profit corporation that emerged in
the 70s with the purpose of developing the
necessary infrastructure for the Palmas de
Mar complex. As part of its creation, this corporation
obtained a franchise from the Public
Service Commission in 1974 to operate an
aqueduct and sanitary sewer system for the
total development of the 2,800 acres that
make up what is today the property of Palmas
del Mar. Palmas del Mar Utility serves a combined
community that includes recreational,
tourist and residential (3,400 housing units),
hotels, marinas, a tennis court complex, two
golf courses, a school, 20 restaurants, and an
equestrian center, among other facilities.
PDMU operates two main systems: 1) a
potable water distribution system, which receives
potable water from the PR Aqueduct
and Sewer Authority (PRASA), and 2) a treatment
plant with 5 pump stations that collect
and transport all the effluent from the houses,
hotel, golf club, equestrian center, and all
the properties and activities that are carried
out within Palmas to the treatment plant.
THE WATER SUPPLY
We receive all of our potable water from
the PRASA (Autoridad de Acueductos y Alcantarillados,
AAA in Spanish) at our Pump Station
#359, located in Buena Vista Ward, behind
EZ Waste Facility. From that station, we
increase the received flow pressure in order
to assure enough flow gets into Palmas for
water distribution and also be able to deposit
part of it inside the Reservoir Tanks located at
Harbour Lights. The water is pumped thru a
1.6 Km/ 16” line that runs along PR 923 until
reaching our metering facility. From that
point, potable water system starts the distri-
bution process inside the development (See
Fig. 1). Our system works with high water
pressures. In that way, we can have enough
flow for regular consumption and reservoir
replenish. The 2.1 million gallons reservoir
tanks work as part of a floating system where
water that gets in will be used as part of the
community daily consumption. Under an
emergency situation, the reservoir can supply
2-3 days of NORMAL Consumption. We
are replenishing the consumed water continuously.
Being a Consecutive PRASA System,
we are not allowed to add anything to the
potable water received from them. Our authorization
is only for distribution. That is the
main reason we cannot store water without
circulation for more than 24-30 hours. We are
obligated to perform bi-weekly testing to corroborate
water quality, using an independent
laboratory certified by PRASA.