Título en español.

Abstract

During the last decades Puerto Rico has faced several problems related to its current water supply system. The Island‘s suburbanisation process has been a conditioning factor in the consolidation of a management logic based on large-scale infrastructures and a universal provision system. That logic is problematic because it normalizes a water demand which is far from being commensurate with the Island‘s social and environmental reality. A reflection about the 1994 drought not only demonstrates how vulnerable the current supply system is, but also represents an opportunity to investigate some underlying assumptions concerning the practices of consumption within the dominant management perspective. The Superpipe‘s controversy illustrates how the San Juan Metropolitan Area has been more and more in the need to increase its water supply by importing water from the northern coast of Puerto Rico. Nonetheless, the water scenario seems to complicate because in addition to the water stress caused by suburban growth, the climate factor is becoming a key factor in local water dynamics. The article explores some of the dominant perspectives in regards to domestic water consumption through a qualitative analysis based on the insights of key local water actors, the analysis of newspaper articles and relevant policy documents. The author of this article proposes a shift in paradigm from a supply-side to a demand-side management approach.