Water Supply Problems on the North Coast

[Olly]

A quote from a HOA Board Member from Facebook:
"PLEASE THINK ABOUT THIS BEFORE BUYING in PERLA MARINA - If you are considering investing in Perla Marina, regardless of what a Real Estate Agent, owner of the land or property, developer, property manager or any other individual tells you - THERE IS NO STREET WATER AVAILABLE TO EXISITING AND/OR FUTURE HOUSEHOLDS AND DEVELOPMENTS IN PERLA MARINA. This was confirmed at a meeting we had with Coraapplata in Purta Plata on 4 April 2023 - no water is coming in the near future. 3 years for me now."

Olly and the Team.

 

[cavok]

That is just absolutely unbelievable! I remember there was a thread on this before. I thought the wells that they were drilling in the laguna were going to solve that problem(?). Costa Azul also had(has?) a water problem.

 

[LindseyKaufman]

Talk to your political representative. Get a tv reporter. Write to the newspaper. Take action in your hands. That is a tourist area. All the president is doing but is not taking care of the infrastructure. This is only the beginning. Wait until all the new huge condo developments are complete. Water, streets, and electricity are to become a serious problem.

 

[RDKNIGHT]

it's pretty simple too many people and they drink water

 

[LindseyKaufman]

You will know when you will finally get water. Someone previously said that the former (abandoned) resort next to Perla Marina is owned by the President's family. If that is so, when the President decides to do something with that land, I predict the water company will fix your water problem.

 

[Olly]

You will know when you will finally get water. Someone previously said that the former (abandoned) resort next to Perla Marina is owned by the President's family. If that is so, when the President decides to do something with that land, I predict the water company will fix your water problem.

THere is a well that used to supply that resort and Sol De Plata but that no longer is in use.

 

[NALs]

it's pretty simple too many people and they drink water

I think a bigger issue is the severe drought.

 

[Olly]

I think a bigger issue is the severe drought.

We have kept daily rainfall figures since 2007 and you are right that there has been a steady decline in the rainfall here on the North Coast but it is still averaging 100 INCHES per year!!! It is really a problem of demand and management of the supply.

 

[Olly]

Here is the translation of the response from Coraapplata :
journalist Daniel Mercado, Director of Communications and Public Relations of CORAAPPLATA

Dear lady, who is addressed to you is journalist Daniel Mercado, Director of Communications and Public Relations of CORAAPPLATA for the municipality of Sosúa, I take the opportunity to respectfully disprove your words as in recent months no meeting has been held at our main offices with you or any area commission to which it may concern. It is false of all falsehood that we have ever held any meeting, yet our institution has always been open to receive users. On the other hand, we have certainly had inconveniences with the service, due to the inclement drought affecting the country, this is added to a series of sabotages some oriented for political reasons approaching an election year and in which we have been victims of broken pipes, manipulations of valves on the verge of destabilizing the system, facts which we have timely communicated to citizens through our channels and social networks every sitaution, we have always remained open to receive any complaint but, on the date that you claim to have met with us you lack the truth, of all forms any approach or meeting that you and the community in question may need, we are ready to listen, taking into account that tremendous and false statements affect tourist activity for lack of veracity

 

[chico bill]

We went without water for 2 months in Los Cerros recently when the Corraplata pump went out. It was fixed about 8 weeks ago but again, just two days ago it caught fire and burned up.
God knows how long or if they will even fix it again.
The problem is Corraplata - they have a bunch of toad stools running the organization, don't have anyone who can wire a pump or lay pipe deeper than 6" and they don't have safeguards to protect the equipment that does function.

I would caution anyone who wants to invest on the North Coast or any where in DR - lack of dependable water infrastructure is the issue that will kill your dreams of a tranquil life in the Caribbean. It will get much worse.

But anyone who is looking at Perla Marina must know they have no water - it's not a secret. Maybe factor in 5 years (or more) of water delivery trucks ($300/mo) and deduct double that from the price you pay for a small villa with pool and factor in the inconvenience.

Do people in Perla Marina still get a Corraplata bill each month ?

 

[windeguy]

A quote from a HOA Board Member from Facebook:
"PLEASE THINK ABOUT THIS BEFORE BUYING in PERLA MARINA - If you are considering investing in Perla Marina, regardless of what a Real Estate Agent, owner of the land or property, developer, property manager or any other individual tells you - THERE IS NO STREET WATER AVAILABLE TO EXISITING AND/OR FUTURE HOUSEHOLDS AND DEVELOPMENTS IN PERLA MARINA. This was confirmed at a meeting we had with Coraapplata in Purta Plata on 4 April 2023 - no water is coming in the near future. 3 years for me now."

Olly and the Team.

This applies to most, if not all, of the region. Some developers dig their own wells to avoid the problem.

That is just absolutely unbelievable! I remember there was a thread on this before. I thought the wells that they were drilling in the laguna were going to solve that problem(?). Costa Azul also had(has?) a water problem.

A few tubular wells were going to supply water for thousands of people? That was a joke. Costa Azul is indeed in the same sunk boat... All houses in Costa Azul were required to have a large cistern and pump when built years ago. Somehow there was forward thinking on this problem. But the cisterns do need water and that is falling off dramatically from CORAAPPLATA.

You will know when you will finally get water. Someone previously said that the former (abandoned) resort next to Perla Marina is owned by the President's family. If that is so, when the President decides to do something with that land, I predict the water company will fix your water problem.

That is a possibility. But he tried once and failed at that. I suspect they would just dig their own wells.

The North Coast has become the bastard child of the DR. Everything about Santo Domingo. Punta Cana and now Pedernales along with cruise ship ports. The only new thing planned on the north coast will add to the water problems when all those homes are built at Playa Bergantin.

We have kept daily rainfall figures since 2007 and you are right that there has been a steady decline in the rainfall here on the North Coast but it is still averaging 100 INCHES per year!!! It is really a problem of demand and management of the supply.

Correct. Lack of forward thinking by the government as hundreds of new homes have been built and CORAAPLATA did nothing to improve it's supply.

I think a bigger issue is the severe drought.

The biggest issue is the incompetence of CORAAPPLATA. The former manager of CORAAPPLATA had a water delivery truck business!

We had 40lbs of water pressure for at least the first 10 years (since 2003) of my living on the north coast. It slowly dropped, when the water company clearly knew it was dropping in pressure and DID NOTHING, until now we get water every other day at about 5 lbs of water pressure.

Oh WELL!... Private well, that is.

 

[chico bill]

This applies to most of the region.

A few tubular wells were going to supply water for thousands of people? That was a joke. Costa Azul is indeed in the same sunk boat... All houses in Costa Azul were required to have a large cistern and pump when built years ago. Somehow there was forward thinking on this problem.


That is a possibility. But he tried once and failed at that. I suspect they would just dig their own wells.

The North Coast has become the bastard child of the DR. Everything about Santo Domingo. Punta Cana and now Pedernales along with cruise ship ports. The only new thing planned on the north coast will add to the water problems when all those homes are built at Playa Bergantin.

Correct. Lack of forward thinking by the government as hundreds of new homes have been built and CORAAPLATA did nothing to improve it's supply.

The biggest issue is the incompetence of CORAAPPLATA. The former manager of CORAAPPLATA had a water delivery truck business!

We had 40lbs of water pressure for at least the first 10 years (since 2003) of my living on the north coast. It slowly dropped, when the water company clearly knew it was dropping in pressure and DID NOTHING, until now we get water every other day at about 5 lbs of water pressure.

Oh WELL!... Private well, that is.

Yes and I have heard the truck drivers pay some of the workers in Corraplata to keep some areas out of service when it could have been restored

 

[drstock]

Here is the translation of the response from Coraapplata :
journalist Daniel Mercado, Director of Communications and Public Relations of CORAAPPLATA

Dear lady, who is addressed to you is journalist Daniel Mercado, Director of Communications and Public Relations of CORAAPPLATA for the municipality of Sosúa, I take the opportunity to respectfully disprove your words as in recent months no meeting has been held at our main offices with you or any area commission to which it may concern. It is false of all falsehood that we have ever held any meeting, yet our institution has always been open to receive users. On the other hand, we have certainly had inconveniences with the service, due to the inclement drought affecting the country, this is added to a series of sabotages some oriented for political reasons approaching an election year and in which we have been victims of broken pipes, manipulations of valves on the verge of destabilizing the system, facts which we have timely communicated to citizens through our channels and social networks every sitaution, we have always remained open to receive any complaint but, on the date that you claim to have met with us you lack the truth, of all forms any approach or meeting that you and the community in question may need, we are ready to listen, taking into account that tremendous and false statements affect tourist activity for lack of veracity

A friend of mine is on the Perla Marina committee and was telling me the other day about the meeting with CORAAPPLATA. I've sent a link to this thread to him for his comments. I doubt whether the whole committee is lying or hallucinating, By the way, I'm not doubting you in any way, Olly.

 

[NanSanPedro]

We went without water for 2 months in Los Cerros recently when the Corraplata pump went out. It was fixed about 8 weeks ago but again, just two days ago it caught fire and burned up.
God knows how long or if they will even fix it again.
The problem is Corraplata - they have a bunch of toad stools running the organization, don't have anyone who can wire a pump or lay pipe deeper than 6" and they don't have safeguards to protect the equipment that does function.

I would caution anyone who wants to invest on the North Coast or any where in DR - lack of dependable water infrastructure is the issue that will kill your dreams of a tranquil life in the Caribbean. It will get much worse.

But anyone who is looking at Perla Marina must know they have no water - it's not a secret. Maybe factor in 5 years (or more) of water delivery trucks ($300/mo) and deduct double that from the price you pay for a small villa with pool and factor in the inconvenience.

Do people in Perla Marina still get a Corraplata bill each month ?

So what do you do?

 

[aeng]

To answer chico bill

I had no street water in Perla Marina for 6-7 months despite which Coraaplata were still sending me Bills
I wrote to their Head Office and complained. Surprise, surprise ! I got a letter of apology ; they cancelled the Bills and promised I would not receive any more until the service was re-instated to a supply which was acceptable. !
A year or more ago , no Bills. I installed my own Bore hole and Pump.
I should frame that letter !!!!

 

[chico bill]

So what do you do?

Buy expensive trucks while Corraplata continues to bill you for water they can't deliver. They posted cutoff notices last time at everyone's house to pay the bill. How do you cut people off when they are already not receiving water ?

Which reminds me they bill people with their own well too, because Corraplata states they own all the water - even under your property

 

[JD Jones]

Buy expensive trucks while Corraplata continues to bill you for water they can't deliver. They posted cutoff notices last time at everyone's house to pay the bill. How do you cut people off when they are already not receiving water ?

Which reminds me they bill people with their own well too, because Corraplata states they own all the water - even under your property

What happens when one doesn't pay?

Nothing, until the property is sold and a certificate of no outstanding debt is required to complete the transaction.

 

[rogerjac]

The property where I live has never been hooked up to town water. They still get a bill every month. Its several hundred thousand pesos now. Its never been paid since the building was built.

 

[chico bill]

Are wells successful en Perla Marina or salty.

 

[lifeisgreat]

Are wells successful en Perla Marina or salty.

Perla Marina to Casa Linda area is the worst water area for wells ..I have my own well test every yr perfect never ran out 15yrs 230’ down..