Las Mojarras, Guatemala

EWB-SIUC worked on a clean water project in Las Mojarras, Guatemala. Las Mojarras is a village of about 150 families, located in central Guatemala. Only about one-third of the families have access to running water, while the other families have to carry water to their homes in canteens. The water they carry and store in canteens are used for everything from drinking to washing clothes and bathing. This project focused on remedying the water distribution issue. The priority was to provide every community member with running water in their home. The chapter planned to focus on the sanitation of the water supply once the distribution problem was solved.
Two assessment trips to Las Mojarras served to sample the bacterial levels of the water, survey both the village and the water supply, and begin to establish a relationship with the community. Preliminary plans were to build and install a better pipe system, and possibly some kind of filtration. The chapter wanted not only improve the water supply in Las Mojarras, but also educate the people on how to maintain a cleaner, more efficient water supply on their own.

Status

Unfortunately, problems arose in the communication channels between the chapter and Las Mojarras, resulting in the premature closing of the project in 2016.

El Sauce, Honduras

El Sauce, Honduras is home to approximately 600 people, most of whom are subsistence farmers. The main area of the community, about 22 acres, is served by a damaged water system which causes the residents to suffer health issues. Several more families live outside the area the water system serves. EWB-SIUC made the first assessment trip to El Sauce in 2013 to evaluate the existing water system and introduce group members to the community.
The water system consists of a hole dug in the side of a hill to collect spring water, and a set of pipes leading to a concrete tank. The tank has no fixed roof, instead, it is covered by rusting sheet metal panels supported by branches. PVC pipes drain into the tank from the hole by the spring at the top of the hill. Vegetation is growing into the tank through gaps in the roof. The spring is contaminated by coliform bacteria, but the concentrations are even higher in the collection tank.
The chapter discussed the situation and potential solutions with community members to determine which option would best serve El Sauce. The proposed solution was to build a spring box to protect the source water from surface contamination, then design a new tank and distribution system. From preliminary flow rate analysis and observation of tank overflow, the chapter believed a bigger tank would increase storage capacity to deliver more water to the community. With a system that would prevent water contamination throughout the collection, storage, and distribution processes, the chapter hoped to decrease the prevalence of bacteria and occurrences of bacteria-related illness.

Status

Due to safety concerns, the administration of SIU-Carbondale and EWB-USA decided that it was ill-advised to travel to Honduras and the project was closed in 2013.

Pimienta, Honduras

In 1998, hurricane Mitch wiped out the roadway and bridge culvert connecting the two sides of Pimienta, Honduras. The culvert was too small to handle that much water all at once, and its erosion left a deep gulley through the center of the community. In 2010, the St. Louis Gateway Professional Chapter of EWB began assessment to construct a new culvert with sufficient capacity for hurricane flooding. Designing and building a bridge culvert is a major undertaking, however, and the Gateway Professional Chapter needed some extra hands.

In 2010, the SIUC and SIUE EWB student chapters were both looking for projects to work on. The Gateway Professional Chapter brought both student chapters on board in a supporting capacity. The resulting partnership allowed both student groups to assist and learn from an experienced professional chapter while providing the professional group with the extra help they needed. Between the three EWB chapters and the dedication of the Pimienta community, the new culvert was constructed in 2011.

The new culvert and roadway were designed to use as much material available in Honduras as possible. Geotextile fabric was donated by ASP Enterprises in Fenton, MO to prevent erosion. Selecto, rock, and sand layered over the fabric support large concrete pipes. The pipes direct the bulk of the water safely underneath the roadway to prevent it from washing out. The result was a safe and structurally and sound roadway that is unlikely to washout and leave parts of Pimienta cut off from each other.

Status
Successfully completed in 2011.