Virginia Tech University civil and environmental engineering professors and students are implementing a pilot program to tackle the problem of well water pollution in Veron, population 60,000, home to thousands of employees in Punta Cana area hotels. The programs are being coordinated by the Punta Cana Ecological Foundation.
A small-scale wastewater treatment system as a preventative step is being implemented to improve groundwater quality. It began operation in June 2014.
The treatment system aims to reduce the amount of pathogens discharged into the aquifer resulting in a reduction in water-borne diseases, thus also protecting tourists from the risk of disease outbreaks.
The final design was completed by engineers with the US Peace Corps. After the wastewater is treated by the wetland, it is allowed to filter into the soil. The wastewater in a vegetative submerged wetland is maintained below ground surface and a bed liner is used between the wetland and the surrounding soil due to its high permeability.
“This system is sustainable and can be efficient in reducing pathogens, biochemical oxygen demand and total suspended solids. The higher temperature and climate of the Dominican Republic will improve biological activity and thus increase their removal,” says Robert Garrett Wilcocks, a graduate engineering student at Virginia Tech.
Virginia Tech engineers look into wastewater pollution issues to modernize Caribbean communities