(WHDH) — A massive emergency supply of bottled water that FEMA brought to Puerto Rico after Hurricane Maria leveled the island last summer still sits untouched on a sun-drenched airport runaway.

In the community of Ceiba, 20,000 pallets of water stretch across the runaway, covered in blue tarps and going to waste.

It’s unclear why the water was never utilized but Ceiba Mayor Angel Cruz Ramos claims too much water was delivered at the wrong time.

[protected-iframe id=”087bc750c0e578e0a100583c9e382ca8-110336978-115069819″ info=”//z.cdn.turner.com/cnn/van/resources/2.1/scripts/van-widgets.js” ]

“The time and heat has made it bad,” he told CNN.

Critics say the discovery is another example of the United States government’s poor response to the devastation.

The head of Puerto Rico’s general services administration says the water will likely be returned.

Officials say nearly 3,000 people were killed by Maria.

(Copyright (c) 2026 Sunbeam Television. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)

Join our Newsletter for the latest news right to your inbox