EPA: Water at Puerto Rico Superfund site is fit for consumption

Puerto Ricans given water from hazardous site 00:51 (CNN)

Water drawn from wells at a hazardous waste site in hurricane-hit Puerto Rico meets federal drinking water standards and is fit for consumption, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency said in a news release on Tuesday.

The water being pulled from wells at the Dorado Groundwater Contamination Site, which is part of the Superfund program for hazardous waste cleanup, meets federal drinking water standards for certain industrial chemicals, as well as for bacteria, Elias Rodriguez, an EPA spokesman, told CNN. The water is "OK to consume based on the analysis that we’ve done," Rodriguez said.

CNN previously reported that desperate locals had been breaking into wells on the Dorado hazardous waste site in search of water. Following Hurricane Maria, which ravaged the island about six weeks ago, 18% of households in Puerto Rico remain without working taps . Bottled water has been scarce on parts of the Caribbean island, which is a U.S. territory. "Sampling at the site has found chemical contamination that is impacting wells used to supply drinking water to the local communities," the agency said at the time. "Drinking water with the solvents, which include tetrachloroethylene and trichloroethylene [aka TCE —ed.], can […]

Full article: EPA: Water at Puerto Rico Superfund site is fit for consumption