Source-to-Tap Assessment of Microbiological Water Quality in Small Rural Drinking Water Systems in Puerto Rico Six Months After Hurricane Maria

Abstract

Maria made a landfall in Puerto Rico on September 20, 2017 as a category 4 hurricane, causing severe flooding, widespread electricity outages, damage to infrastructure, and interruptions in water and wastewater treatment. Small rural community water systems face unique challenges in providing drinking water, which intensify after natural disasters. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the functionality of six very small rural public water systems and one large regulated system in Puerto Rico six months after Maria and survey a broad sweep of fecal, zoonotic, and opportunistic pathogens from the source to tap. Samples were collected from surface and groundwater sources, after water treatment and after distribution to households. Genes indicative of pathogenic <i>Leptospira</i> spp. were detected by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) in all systems reliant on surface water sources. <i>Salmonella</i> spp. was detected in surface and groundwater sources and some distribution system water both by culture and PCR. <i>Legionella</i> spp. and <i>Mycobacteria</i> spp. gene numbers measured by quantitative PCR were similar to nonoutbreak conditions in the continental U.S. Amplicon sequencing provided a nontarget screen for other potential pathogens of concern. This study aids in improving future preparedness, assessment, and recovery operations for small rural water systems after natural disasters.