Jenniffer González Colón declares a state of emergency over lack of water in Canóvanas and Río Grande

On July 7, 2026, Metro reports that Governor Jenniffer González Colón signed an executive order declaring a state of emergency for Canóvanas and Río Grande over the lack of potable-water service, tied to scheduled work that began the previous day. In the same declaration, OE-2026-032, she ordered the activation of the National Guard. Juan Marrero bylines the note. The outlet underlines, in the dek, that the municipality of Loíza was not included in the official document published that day at the Department of State.

"It is necessary to declare a state of emergency in the municipalities of Río Grande and Canóvanas, as well as in any other municipality or community of Puerto Rico that is affected by drought conditions or by the scheduled interruptions of potable-water service determined by AAA. Likewise, it is necessary to authorize the activation of the Puerto Rico National Guard to support the response operations of AAA and of the other agencies," reads part of the document Metro reproduces. Jenniffer González Colón delegated to the secretary of the Department of Public Safety, Arthur Garffer, in coordination with AAA president Luis González, extending the declaration to any other affected municipality or community and assigning extraordinary resources to guarantee access to potable water. Every determination, the coverage adds, must also be documented. Metro does not publish here a count of cisterns or of liters delivered.

On July 6, NotiCel had announced the 48-hour rationing in those two municipalities from Guzmán Arriba. The July 7 emergency does not erase that rationing: it is another instrument, another URL. On the same July 7, Ey Boricua covered more than 180,000 metro-area customers without water because of the AAA-LUMA work. Loíza appears on that metro-customer list and not, according to Metro, in OE-2026-032. Two maps. They are not fused.

On July 15, NotiCel reported that Jenniffer González Colón said customers in six municipalities could receive a rationing notice. That expansion is later. Here the fact is OE-2026-032. The reader who wants the order text has the Metro URL at the foot.

Source: Metro. https://www.metro.pr/noticias/2026/07/07/gobernadora-declara-estado-de-emergencia-por-la-falta-de-agua-en-canovanas-y-rio-grande/