South Florida Water Technology Firm Deploys 100 Systems to Puerto Rico Amid Drought Crisis

Puerto Rico confronts a mounting water emergency as severe drought grips the U.S. territory, forcing residents to ration supplies and scramble for clean drinking water. The crisis compounds existing infrastructure challenges stemming from Hurricane Maria’s devastation nearly a decade ago, which left the island’s power grid still undergoing extensive repairs and rebuilds.

Altitude Water, based in Lauderdale Lakes, is responding by shipping approximately 100 atmospheric water generation units to the island. The machines extract moisture from the air using condensation technology, converting it into drinkable water without requiring traditional water infrastructure or reliable power sources.

The systems operate on either generator power or solar energy, making them particularly suited for Puerto Rico’s deteriorating infrastructure where water losses during distribution remain a persistent problem. Jeffrey Szur, representing the company, noted that the drought compounds an existing delivery crisis affecting residents long before current conditions worsened.

The units have been deployed previously during natural disasters, including recent wildfires in Maui and in hurricane-affected communities such as Asheville. A local distributor contracted with Puerto Rico’s government purchased the equipment for approximately $250,000.

Szur indicated his intention to travel personally to Puerto Rico to oversee distribution and ensure the systems reach those most in need. Social media activist Sofia Droz, who highlighted the territory’s living conditions earlier this year, emphasized that ongoing crises are forcing residents to abandon an island they deeply value.