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Living Wetland Cabarete

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Concept Rationale / Problem Statement

The communities of Callejón de la Loma and La Ciénaga in Cabarete face a crisis with two inseparable dimensions: they lack functional collective sanitation, and they lack quality public space.

On sanitation: domestic wastewater from these densely populated communities discharges untreated — into informal pits, open drains, and the Cabarete micro-watershed. This is the primary source of fecal contamination flowing into the Cabarete lagoon and bay, driving eutrophication, habitat degradation, and direct public health risk. No centralized sewage network exists. Individual household septic solutions are inaccessible to most families due to cost, space, and technical constraints.

On public space: there are no parks, no safe green areas, no recreational infrastructure. The absence of quality public space is a quality-of-life deficit — particularly for women and children who bear the greatest burden of degraded household environments — and a social cohesion gap.

The core insight of this concept is that both problems share a single solution: a constructed wetland built in a public space.

A subsurface flow constructed wetland treats wastewater passively through plant roots and soil microbiology — no chemicals, minimal energy input, low mechanical complexity. Built in a community park, it simultaneously delivers sanitation AND creates the green space. The engineered ecosystem is also an educational and aesthetic asset.

The self-financing model is straightforward and equitable: households connecting to the system pay a monthly fee (USD 5–15 on a sliding scale) that is lower than current informal sanitation costs (USD 10–30/month for pit maintenance, health impacts, and emergency repairs). The Community Wetland Park Committee — formed, trained, and supported by EcoSoluciones — collects fees, manages the fund, and administers the park. Quadrao ensures the technical system performs reliably and trains community monitors to detect issues early.

Together, Quadrao (engineering and technical leadership) and EcoSoluciones (community governance and social facilitation) bring complementary, proven capacities to make this model work. EcoSoluciones has demonstrated community trust through the restoration of 340,000 mangroves in Cabarete (2023–2025). Quadrao specializes in sustainable territorial engineering, GIS, and water governance solutions across the Dominican Republic. This is the first time these two organizations co-lead implementation — creating a uniquely integrated technical-social model for NbS delivery.

This concept would be the first community-financed constructed wetland in the Dominican Republic — a proof of concept with direct replication potential across dozens of peri-urban Caribbean communities.

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Concept Sustainability Plan

The Living Wetland Cabarete sustainability model rests on four integrated pillars designed to make the system permanent — without depending on either implementing organization after the project ends.

1. Financial sustainability — The connection fee:

Every connected household pays USD 5–15/month (sliding scale by income). With 60 households: USD 3,600–10,800/year. With 100–120 households: USD 6,000–21,600/year. Estimated annual O&M costs: USD 4,000–7,000. The system reaches financial self-sufficiency within 24–36 months. A maintenance reserve fund (10% of fee revenues) accumulates for non-routine repairs without cash flow disruption. Additional income from educational visits (USD 500–1,500/year) subsidizes fee exemptions for the most vulnerable households.

 

2. Technical sustainability — Quadrao's design philosophy:

Subsurface flow constructed wetlands are engineered for minimal maintenance. No moving parts in treatment cells, no chemical inputs, no continuous energy for biological treatment. Primary maintenance — annual plant harvest, substrate inspection, inlet/outlet clearing — is fully executable by trained community members. Quadrao designs for a 20–25 year operational lifespan with modular expansion capability. Maintenance protocols are documented in plain language so the Committee can manage independently. After the project period, the Committee may contract Quadrao for optional technical support using fund resources — but this is not required for normal operation.

 

3. Governance sustainability — The Community Committee:

The Community Wetland Park Committee is constituted as a legal entity elected by and accountable to connected households — not to Quadrao or EcoSoluciones. Members serve 2-year rotating terms. Its mandate covers fee collection, fund management, technical O&M oversight, park administration, and monthly public reporting. EcoSoluciones and Quadrao provide full operational support during the 18-month project and 12 additional months of free advisory support post-project. After that, the Committee operates fully independently.

4. Replication and knowledge sustainability:

Upon project completion, Quadrao and EcoSoluciones will jointly publish a full replication package through the Caribbean Blue Economy Hub: engineering specifications (adaptable to different soil and flow conditions), governance manual, connection fee design model, financial records template, and a documented case study. Both organizations will actively promote adaptation in other Dominican and Caribbean peri-urban communities, positioning Living Wetland Cabarete as the reference model for community-financed constructed wetlands in the region.

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Concept Sector

• Coastal Protection and Restoration
• Ecosystem Services
• Community Resilience and Adaptation

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Concept Location

• Dominican Republic

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Native Language

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Concept Partners