With energy costs continuing to increase, municipalities are looking for more ways to increase their efficiency and reduce power demands. The Puerto Rico Aqueduct and Sewer Authority (PRASA) is no exception. PRASA recently contracted the Black & Veatch Corporation (B&V) to conduct an island wide study of their facilities to determine which sites had small or micro-hydropower feasibility. B&V utilized the existing PRASA GIS data, island wide piping maps, and site investigations to conduct a hydro feasibility study of the existing facilities. Facilities considered during the study included: pressure reducing stations, water treatment plant intakes, and wastewater treatment plant outlets. Once data was gathered, preliminary evaluations were conducted of the most promising sites to determine viability. This process serves as a model for studying and evaluating large scale systems for small and micro-hydropower potential. This paper will discuss the overall process utilized for this island wide screening, the criteria that were used to narrow the site searches, and will provide a brief overview of the sites that were found to be most promising. Finally, it will offer guidance for future studies and provide guidelines for studying large scale systems.
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