Improvements to the water supply, wastewater disposal, and solid waste management systems for the El Parque Community, Barranquitas, PR

Abstract

El Parque is a rural community in the mountain area of Puerto Rico with 113 habitants. Currently, a natural spring provide the water that is consumed by the community. The water does not comply with the Surface Water Treatment Rule (SWTR) of the Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA) since it is not filtered. The sewage generated at each housing unit is disposed either in septic tanks/cesspools or directly over the terrain. The solid wastes are handled by the Barranquitas Municipality and disposed at the Barranquitas sanitary landfill. The recycling materials are recovered by the IFCO Recycling Inc. Several alternatives were analyzed in order to improve the water quality, wastewater and solid waste management systems. The selected options were: the use of the existing water supply aqueduct, two-chamber septic tanks with an outlet filter, and an aerobic composting system. These are the most feasible options from an environmental, public health, sustainability, and economical perspectives.