Water issues in DR

Pretty scary! We see a lot of locals here carrying water from rivers or other sources.

The infrastructure is in need of so much improvement! We have problems here in Las Terrenas with the water being turned off any time we have a lot of rain - sometimes for a full day. And I know of at least two times over the past several years when there was no municipal water available for multiple days in a row. And they keep giving out building permits for more apartments. We have already outgrown the existing infrastructure and it's going to get much worse.

This is why we've built a large cistern and will collect rainwater as our primary source of water!

Our house will be

This is nothing new. The study was done back in June 2002. I came across it yesterday as I was doing some research on water lense levels in dominican republic. I can send a copy to anyone who is interested. Just DM me and we can arrange for a copy.

I was not aware of the previous study. 

Let's hope something is done!

Cisterns are a good idea if you are building where water supply could be problematic.

A word of caution. Frogs. You have to put guards on all gutter outlets leading to your cistern plus on overflows - but they still get in. You may need to find a local frog catcher to clear them out periodically.

A "local frog catcher"?  That is funny.       I know the little rascals get around, and drive us crazy with the night time "croaking" and such.

Good info, thanks. Something we didn't think of. We are definitely learning a lot building an off-grid house   

Okay 18 years here and Never ever seen a frog in a  cisterna!

Outrage in Boca Chica over statement on beach pollution

The local authorities, businessmen and community asked that the level of contamination be determined

https://www.diariolibre.com/actualidad/ … DP29518784

The authorities, businessmen and community of Boca Chica expressed their outrage this Saturday at the statements that there is fecal matter in the waters of their beach and represent a danger to the health of children.

The representatives of the different sectors clarified that it is not denied that there may be contamination in the shallow waters of the beach, but not at levels that represent a health problem for bathers.

Fermín Brito, mayor of Boca Chica, argued that there are no reports from the city's health centers of people affected with gastrointestinal or skin problems by the popular spa.

The statements of the different sectors of Boca Chica come after the director of the Cabinet of the Water Sector of the Ministry of Economy, Gilberto Reynoso, affirmed that there is fecal matter in the waters of Boca Chica.

Reynoso explained that this is due to the fact that the wastewater that moves through the Soco and Higüamo rivers to the coast of the Caribbean Sea arrives and remains stagnant in Boca Chica.

The mayor reiterated that Reynoso's statements were taken "out of context . " "Make a study and, with that study, intervene in the sanitary sewer system and in the sanitation and regeneration of the beaches," said Brito.

And it is no surprise that everyone is now questioning the poor water quality of Boca Chica beaches within the coral lined bay..

After 20 years turning a blind eye to the problems of water and sewage throughout DR we now have a government willing to tackle the problem but that requires openness first and it does shock.

Some of these guys need to get out of their fancy homes and hotels and go see what the vast majority of Dominicans have to put up with.

Supposedly how that sewage gets to the Boca Chica bay is as above map.

A more than serious problem

https://www.diariolibre.com/actualidad/ … MK29541926

The problems that the Dominican Republic faces with respect to water are specified in a very simple list: scarcity, pollution, mismanagement, lack of ecological regulation, impact of climate change on the hydrological cycle, and little investment in research and technological development. It is a diagnosis of the Water Cabinet, expressed in its proposal “Commitment to a pact for water. 2021-2026 ".

In this context, the creation by the Presidency of a Water Cabinet seems a good initiative and the teams of the Ministry of Economy, Planning and Development have delivered the first document to "fix things", in the words of Minister Ceara Hatton.

It is a long-term project, which would involve an investment of 8.5 billion dollars until 2036. The figure is scary, but if you understand that it is a vital resource for survival, whose scarcity leads to wars in other latitudes and that the country has Being able to invest in Education more than 20,000 million dollars in the last years, it does not seem unfeasible.


18 institutions
In the water sector, as is the case (was it?) In the transport sector, the multiplication of institutions with something to comment on the subject makes coordinated management and a defined strategy impossible. From deforestation in the upper watersheds, to drinking water served at home, everything must have a connection

There are 18, with the Ministry of Public Health and Inapa as the main responsible for the design and application of policies in the Potable Water and Sanitation (PHC) sector. The Inapa in particular serves 24 of the 31 provinces of the country, in which 40% of the inhabitants live.

Different aspects of water management are governed by the Ministry of the Environment, the Irrigation Board, the Caasd, Asocar, Coramoca, Coraasan etc ...

It is necessary, they think of the Water Cabinet, a reengineering of all these organizations to make it clear who is in charge of what aspect of the cycle.

In the pipes

The data provided by the Ministry of the Economy is quite disappointing. Only 26% of Dominican households receive water for 24 hours. 84% of homes have toilets, but only 20% are connected to the sewage system. This results in 95% of the wastewater being discharged without treatment.

And as with electricity (the other great problem of daily life and national competitiveness), the poor condition of the distribution networks causes serious losses: up to 48% of the drinking water that is served is lost, according to the presentation "Gap and water risk in the national territory" made by engineer Gilberto Reynoso, who heads the Cabinet.

In the agriculture

82% of the water used in agriculture is wasted by inefficient irrigation systems. It is important to understand that two thirds of the water used throughout the country is an economic resource (agriculture, industry, tourism). In other words, it is an input for economic production to which 60% of the available water is used. Of those two thirds, 90% is directed to irrigation and livestock, and the other 10% to industry and tourism. The water needs of this sector will grow significantly in the coming years.

What awaits us?

Last week, the most talked about news of the forum where this Plan was presented was the contamination on the Boca Chica beach. The map presented showed the route of the wastewater, which, bypassing treatment plants, falls into the Caribbean. The currents lead them to stagnate on the most famous beach in the capital.

The lack of treatment plants is a major problem for a country that aspires that its tourism development continues to be the engine of the economy, in addition to affecting the health of citizens. Population growth, housing development will continue to pressure.

Furthermore, the problem of salinization and contamination of groundwater does not seem to have an easy solution. Deforestation and damage from material extraction from rivers are not new news either.

Dams

The storage capacity of Dominican dams is low. A technical fact that specialists point out is that this capacity is proportional to the degree of hydraulic development of a country. 40% is a high level, says the Plan's report. The Dominican Republic has 9%, a low level. The lack of proper maintenance, the sedimentation they receive due to deforestation and the high rate of evaporation make our dams need a good revision to be incorporated with their full potential to the objectives of this project.


2025 projection

The maps, provided by the report of the Ministry of Economy, Planning and Development show the water pressure of the different regions of the country. With a horizon of just four years, in 2025, the country will have serious water availability problems.

Boca Chica, Juan Dolio and Guayacanes beaches are suitable for bathing

Diario Libre took samples of its waters, which were analyzed in the laboratory of the Institute for Innovation in Biotechnology and Industry (IIBI)

https://www.diariolibre.com/actualidad/ … LK29762832

The waters of the beaches of Boca Chica, Guayacanes and Juan Dolio are within the environmental parameters allowed for its visitors to bathe in them.

As determined by the Institute for Innovation in Biotechnology and Industry (IIBI), which analyzed surface samples taken by Diario Libre on the three beaches, their total coliform values ​​are below 1,000, which is the maximum allowed by the Environmental Quality Standard of Surface and Coastal Waters of 2012.

The most acceptable conditions are for the Juan Dolio beach, which is below five in total coliforms and fecal coliforms.


It is followed by Guayacanes beach, which has its total coliforms below 50 and fecal coliforms below 35.

While Boca Chica has its total coliforms at 130 and fecals at the same value, which are the highest.

Boca Chica also presents the highest E coli values, with 130 in 100 milliliters, these are 33 in Guayacanes and less than three in Juan Dolio.

The results come from six surface samples taken by Diario Libre at two different points on each beach on October 26, which were duplicated and sent to the laboratory at noon on that date.

The first sample was taken at 8:41 in the morning and at 9:08 at two different points on Juan Dolio beach.

While at 9:24 in the morning and at 9:38 in two places in Guayacanes.

Meanwhile, at 10:10 in the morning and at 10:22, samples were taken at two points on the Boca Chica beach.

The samples were collected in whirl-pak bags, following the instructions indicated in these cases, refrigerated and taken to the laboratory, where they were delivered at noon and the results were received on November 3.

It maybe acceptable in the DR but in some states in the USA the fecal coliform content is too high - New Hampshie is as below:

What is the acceptable level of coliform bacteria per 100 mL of swimming water?
88 per 100 milliliter

E. coli levels at designated swimming beaches should not exceed 88 per 100 milliliter (mL) in any one sample, or exceed a three-sample geometric mean average over a 60-day period of 47/100 mL. Recreational waters that are not designated beaches should not have more than 406 E.