Dominican Water Restoration Project Proposal

The majority of the Water Source for the City of Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic is obtained from the ground and surface water in a collection area east of the City. This water is highly polluted by poor sanitation in the area where Homesteaders have taken up residence. This has resulted in raw sewage seeping into the water table, as well as leachate from illegal landfills.

The proposal has been submitted to treat the water in the collection pipe-lines as it is being transferred to the City. This would significantly improve the water quality, allowing the City’s Potable Water Collection, Treatment and Distribution System to process the water far more efficiently and cost effectively. Obviously, this would have tremendous social impact, with significant improvements in public health, as well as potential cost savings to the community by making the tap-water safe for human consumption versus bottled water.

The concept is rather simple, but would be extremely effective in degrading organic pollutants, as well as reducing e-coli and coliform in the water. As discussed before, we would need to map-out the affected area, noting the locations of the Outhouse/Latrines, Septic Tanks, Wells, Pumping Stations and the routing of the Collection Pipes. Prioritizing the real targets, we would recommend focusing first on improving the City’s Municipal Water, and then secondarily on the general environment and domestic sanitation of the Collection Area/Community. That is not to say that one is more important than the other, but only reflects the cost/benefit and impact of dealing with the greatest overall need for clean, potable water in the City of Santo Domingo.

PreTreatment of Municipal Drinking Water

In this regards, we would propose to install BioMedia Filters in the collection conduits/pipes, allowing AquaClean to treat the water being pumped from this reservoir area to the City. This method is a “Plug-Flow System”, that allows the bacteria to interact with the water as it flows through the collect pipes to the City.

The wells and pumping stations are currently collecting water that has been polluted by domestic and agricultural runoff in the reservoir zone; and while we should eventually deal with the source of the pollution, the most economical and timely solution will be to first deal with the actual water being pumped to the Municipal Water System. AquaClean has proven that it can significantly reduce Coliform in ponds and lakes, and applying the formula into the collection pipes will do the same. The use of BioMedia will enhance the process; lower the costs by increasing the available bacteria, while providing access points for dosing and monitoring the treatment performance. These BioMedia Filters can be designed and installed In-Line on the Pipes where they are above ground by the Pumping Stations. These In-Line Filters are a relatively lower cost unit to design, and will certainly provide a much better return on the use of capital, especially when compared with the costs that would be required to implement and maintain traditional Mechanical & Chemical Treatment Plant expansion.

In order to estimate the actual costs involved, we would need to have a diagram-schematic of the current Pumping and Conduit Routing, as well as an overview of the actual operating data. Our treatment proposal would be based on the flow of water through the collection pipes. Therefore, we would want to understand the daily and season volume demands, as well as the current water quality parameters at the head waters of the pumping stations and at the entry of the Water Treatment and Distribution System within Santo Domingo. With this data, we would be able to develop a preliminary proposal for the entire system, along with a trial project able to demonstrate the efficacy of the program.

In simple terms, we would be able to pre-treat the water to a point where it can be easily treated by the Water Authority for potable drinking water. Obviously, we will need to review the current facilities for water treatment in Santo Domingo, and can work with their Management Group to recommend steps to enhance the final methods to treat and delivery of clean, potable water.

Rural Domestic Sanitation

The proposal for remediation of the Reservoir Zone would certainly help improve the water quality collect for Santo Domingo, but treating the collection pipes will do that more efficiently. That being said, the environmental impact of the poorly treated sewage in this area creates its own health hazards. To address this issue, we would recommend adding AquaClean to each septic tank, spray diluted AquaClean into each Latrine, as well as open water collection points, such as the various small ponds and streams. As noted above, we would need to review the mapping of the community, and develop a proposal based on monthly applications being applied to each of these septics, latrines and open water areas. The actual amount of AquaClean used in each latrine and septic is quite small, but we will have to determine the total required based on the size of the community effected, as well as the cost of implementing a local team to apply the treatment. In a matter of 3 to 4 months, the general water quality and standards for health would significantly improve, odor would be nearly eliminated, and remediation of the environment would be recognizable within the community. Long-term, it would be recommended to establish a Trash Collection Department, and establish proper landfills to further control pollution and waste water issues.

The treatment plan would retrofit BioMedia Chambers in the collection lines. As seen above, the Pump System has many above-ground stations where it would be easy to install the BioMedia Chambers and meter AquaClean ACF-32 into the system based on flow rates. This will significantly reduce the COD, BOD and Coliform. The water that is delivered to the City’s water system will be pre-treated, and final treatment with chlorine and solids removal techniques would make the task of delivering Potable Water much safer, much easier…and affordable.