As the world marks World Water Quality Control Day on September 18, a senior water management official in the Dominican Republic has shed light on a widespread, underaddressed issue facing urban communities in Greater Santo Domingo: while treated water leaves processing facilities fully fit for consumption, systemic infrastructure flaws and poor household maintenance practices often degrade its quality before it reaches residents’ glasses.
Water, the foundational natural resource that sustains all life and maintains planetary ecological balance, faces consistent quality degradation along the delivery chain in the Dominican capital region, according to José Mateo Mota, Director of Water Quality at the Santo Domingo Water and Sewerage Corporation (CAASD). In an interview with local newspaper Hoy, Mota outlined the multiple factors that erode water quality after it exits treatment plants. Intermittent water service, cracked and aging distribution pipes, and unaddressed leaks all create opportunities for contaminants to enter the supply, he explained. But the single largest contributor to post-treatment quality loss, he emphasized, lies within residential and commercial properties themselves: poorly maintained household water storage systems.
“In almost 100% of cases, water leaves our treatment plants 100% potable. That does not mean it arrives at your home with the same quality, because there are widespread problems across the distribution network and service model,” Mota told reporters. “The intermittent nature of our service alone means that the initial high quality we produce cannot be preserved all the way to the end consumer.”
Unlike many regions where water is delivered directly to taps through constant pressurized service, the Dominican Republic relies heavily on private on-site storage for most residential and commercial buildings. By standard construction practice, cisterns are excavated before any building work begins, and overhead water tanks are a near-universal fixture to offset inconsistent supply. But according to Mota, there is a critical lack of public awareness around regular maintenance for these storage systems, creating widespread contamination risks.
Sediment buildup, damaged or ill-fitting cistern lids that allow dirt, insects, and rainwater to enter, and years without cleaning or disinfection all combine to compromise stored water quality. Mota’s data shows that between 93% and 96% of potable water delivered to residential properties ends up degraded by the time it is consumed, a trend he directly links to homeowners failing to follow the recommended six-month cleaning schedule for cisterns and tanks.
Beyond highlighting the issue, Mota also pushed back against widespread public dissatisfaction with water quality in the capital, noting that most residents receive water of far higher quality than the minimum regulatory standards require. He attributed much public frustration to a widespread lack of awareness about homeowner responsibilities for maintaining on-site storage, saying “There is a real disregard for the role of end-users in preserving water quality, and a general lack of understanding about where contamination actually occurs.”
To address ongoing quality monitoring across the capital’s distribution network, CAASD implements rigorous sanitary control protocols, collecting more than 80 random water samples from distribution lines every day for laboratory bacteriological testing. Mota emphasized that with rare exceptions, the entire urban area of the National District and Santo Domingo province receives water that meets all safety standards when it exits the distribution network.
For residents concerned about the quality of their drinking water, Mota outlined clear steps to verify safety. While visual checks for clarity and the absence of unusual odors can flag obvious issues, he said the only reliable way to confirm water quality is to submit a sample to a certified laboratory for testing. Both CAASD and the National Institute of Drinking Water and Sewerage (INAPA) operate accredited testing facilities, alongside multiple private sector providers that can deliver accurate results quickly.
Reaffirming the agency’s commitment to public safety, Mota restated that the vast majority of the capital’s urban population receives water that is safe for consumption. “The entire urban area of the National District and Santo Domingo province is supplied with reliable water,” he said. “Water that comes from treatment plants producing 100% potable product, and is backed by the daily sanitary controls we conduct across the entire distribution network.”