AlHijjah 02, 1436, September 16, 2015, SPA -- Puerto Rico's water and sewer company has agreed to invest $1.5 billion to upgrade its system as part of a settlement with the U.S. government to help cut down on water pollution, officials said Tuesday, according to AP. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency said the federal government waived civil penalties in the case given Puerto Rico's economic crisis. The island's Aqueduct and Sewer Authority had been accused of releasing untreated sewage and other pollutants in the San Juan Bay, the Condado Lagoon and the Atlantic Ocean, among other places. "This agreement will reduce the massive amount of untreated sewage and other pollutants that harm major waterways in the San Juan area, improving water quality and public health conditions for thousands of people," Judith Enck, an EPA regional administrator, said in a statement. The company also agreed to invest $120 million to build sanitary sewers for an impoverished community in the capital of San Juan that is expected to help some 20,000 people as part of a deal that also involved the U.S. Department of Justice. The agreement replaces three previous ones between the Aqueduct and Sewer Authority and the U.S. government. Officials noted that previous projects under prior deals are no longer necessary given the island's drop in population as people flee to the U.S. mainland.
