OSA WATER WORKS 

WATER SUPPLY (& DEMAND)

Supply

There are only eight different theoretical options for water supply.  Here's the list, approximately prioritized in terms of desireability.

2)  Spring Water.  Springs in Costa Rica are typically potable and are abundant and are the holy grail of water supplies for those that have access to one.  Especially when a spring can be identified that is above the building site and can provide water supply by gravity, it does not get better.  Spring water supply protection is relatively easy through installation of a spring box water catchment system.

1)  Municipal water.  Most urban communities and many small rural communities have collective water supply systems that a new home can tap into.  A monthly fee is paid based on metered consumption or some other criterion of use, and the user is subject to the limitations of the existing water supply.  In Costa Rica, all official water supply systems installed and maintained by Acueductos y Alcantarillados are made potable by chlorination.  While smaller rural supplies may not be chlorinated these are also subject to more frequent water outages as a result of damages, maintenance, acts of God, and simple over usage.  There are many ways that a private homeowner can compensate for deficiencies in water quality and quantity in a small (or large) municipal water supply.  Often this is the only practical choice, particularly for subdivisions.

5)  Ground Water.  Deep wells can be sunk nearly universally in Costa Rica, and shallow hand dug wells can be used throughout most of the country for water supply.  While there is no guarantee that water will be hit with a well, probability is high that a water supply solution can be developed with a well on the first try.  The downside to wells are the high cost of drilling (figure $10,000 for a 50 meter well), and of pumping once the well is drilled and completed.  Other drawbacks include high water hardness, and possible contaminants like iron, manganese, and sulfur.

4)  Rainfall.  Rainfall capture is viable for domestic water supply in all of the microclimates of Costa Rica.  All that is required is a roof to capture water on, a storage capacity large enough to sustain water demands through the dry season, a water pressurization system to make the water useable, and a water filtration system to ensure water quality at all times. 

3)  Stream Water.  Surface water is never of sufficient quality to be used as domestic water supply without treatment.  However, the abundance of surface water sources makes this a viable water supply option for many property holders.  Stream water is much more challenging to capture than spring water owing to the variability in flow rate and water quality.  The smallest stream can turn into a raging river with the amount of rain experienced in storms, so stream water intakes must be well designed and built to withstand the extreme forces that arise during flood conditions.

4)  Reuse / Recycle.  No list of water supply alternatives would be complete without including water streams originating from the recycling or reuse of waste streams.  In practice there is very little water recovery and reuse in Costa Rica, probably because there is no shortage of water in the first place.  Grey water can be reasonably processed to serve as irrigation-quality water.  With separate plumbing, treated grey water could be plumbed to toilets and to fixtures for use only for drip irrigation.  Some day such practices will be considered standard, perhaps even in climates with such an abundance of water as Costa Rica has.   

6)  Seawater.  The only other source of water that can potentially be used for water supply in Costa Rica is seawater.  But the removal of the salt to make it potable is very costly, and desalinated water is pretty lousy stuff.   While Costa Rica has so much water that desalinization will never be required for water supply, desert nations in the middle east have no alternative to reverse osmosis desalinization of sea water to provide for municipal water supply.

Demand

You probably know which of the water supply options apply to your case.  To continue the analysis you must determine  your water demand.  That will vary according to your use.  For residential engineering, the US uses a figure of 100 gallons per day per capita consumption of water, and Costa Rica uses a value of 75 gpd.  Based on occupancy patterns and additional water demands, like irrigation, it is possible to arrive at a number of daily gallons of water that are needed.  This is the sustained de facto flow rate that must be captured in order to supply the demand.  Since even at 100 gpd, a family of four is expected to use only 400 gallons per day, which is a continuous flow rate of only 0.3 gallons per minute.

Mechanics

Having defined the water demand and supply, the rest is the mechanics of water storage, piping, pumping, valving, purification, and automation of a completed water supply system.  And once that's all defined then it's just a question of building it. 

Write me for assistance with evaluating your water supply options.  You can fill out the questionnaire or  describe your circumstances in an email.  There is no cost nor obligation in as much as I am able by email or telephone.  Usually site surveys do incur fees, though I can often waive these for inspections that are near where I am located that do not require a written report.