Reservoir levels drop as Costa Mar heads into lean months

The Costa Mar reservoir system dropped to 64 percent capacity this week, according to the Federal Hydro Authority's latest reading from the Esperanza station. That figure is four percentage points below the five-year average for mid-October, and the rainy season—which normally begins in earnest by now—has delivered only scattered showers across the interior watershed. The authority issued a cautious advisory on Tuesday: if precipitation remains below normal through November, the region may need to curtail power exports to Tierra Verde and reduce the grid's operating margin to below the federally mandated fifteen-percent safety buffer.

The warning has rippled through the tourism sector. Hotel operators and dive cooperatives, already navigating a lean season, are calculating the cost of potential rolling blackouts or reduced air-conditioning capacity. Several lodge owners told this bureau they have contingency generators on standby, but fuel costs are rising and the economics of backup power are tight. The Marine Ministry in Puerto Azul has not yet issued guidance on whether dive-boat operations would be restricted if load-shedding becomes necessary.

The Federal Hydro Authority is monitoring three upstream measurement stations daily and expects a clearer picture of the rainy season's trajectory by early November. Officials have emphasized that the situation is not yet critical, but the timing—with tourist bookings already soft—has focused attention on the delicate balance between exporting renewable power to the rest of the Republic and maintaining reliable supply within Costa Mar itself.