Improvements to the water supply, wastewater disposal, and solid waste management systems for the El Parque Community in Aguada, Puerto Rico

Abstract

Non-PRASA communities are known for their limitations to connect to potable water and sewer systems from the Puerto Rico Aqueduct and Sewer Authority (PRASA). These types of communities normally operate in conditions that challenge their opportunity of compliance with the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) National Drinking Water Regulations. The Community Development Engineering (CDE) team worked on the improvements for El Parque, a rural community located in the Cerro Gordo ward in the Southeast of Aguada, which consists of 102 households and 6 commercial areas. The community extracts its drinking water through a well system located 492 feet above sea level. Wastewater management in the El Parque Community is an issue because the households do not have adequate septic tanks. Instead, untreated wastewater infiltrates into the soil and could be compromising the quality of the drinking water well. In terms of solid waste management, CDE evaluated several ways to diverge generated waste from landfills and reduce the cycle of disproportionate generation and disposal. The alternatives that have been selected were focused on the wellbeing of the community, the environment, the feasibility of implementation of the project, and the economic factors that are attached to the project itself.