Student ProjectsNorthwestern Engineers Without Borders Implementation Trip in Ecuador
Project Manager
Maria Charisi, Student
Amount Requested
$10,000
Summary
We are currently planning an implementation trip to the Paja Colorado community in Manabí, Ecuador to start building a water distribution system for the community. Seven undergraduate members of Northwestern Engineers Without Borders (EWB) and one mentor (a professional engineer who works with EWB) will travel to Ecuador for six days in December of this year. Paja Colorada is a rural community located in Manabí, Ecuador, and is home to about 200 individuals, for whom the availability of clean water is a major concern. There are no local water sources, and community members currently obtain water brought in by trucks from a nearby municipality. However, data from Engineers in Action (EIA), our Ecuador-based NGO partner, indicates high levels of coliform bacteria in this delivered water. The current method of obtaining water also places a significant financial burden on Paja Colorada residents and is not environmentally friendly. Over the past two years, Engineers in Action has been working on a water distribution system in the surrounding region. Our proposed solution will be to design and build an extension of this water distribution system to connect to Paja Colorada. During our assessment trip in December 2022, we collected technical information about the existing system and assisted in the design of the Paja Colorada extension. We received a lot of positive feedback and the members of the community were so happy to finally see progress happening. Being able to visit in person again is key to our ability to build our design solution and we hope that you are able to help us fund this implementation trip.
Planned Activities/Investments:
Our chapter plans to travel to the project site in Ecuador to begin construction of the water pipeline. With findings gained from the assessment (topographic data, water testing), as well as professional guidance from EIA, we plan for the implementation of this water distribution system to span three phases: the first phase will build pipeline and a pump station to carry water from the highway mainline uphill to the community center; the second phase will then construct a concrete storage tank within the community center; the third phase will be to connect individual households to the water storage via metered connections, and possible to extend the project further up the hill to a nearby adjoining community that is not presently affiliated with the project. During this upcoming trip, our team will be examining the first phase of the water treatment system which has started to be constructed, consisting of pipes connecting several towns in the region to the broad local water supply. Looking at the filters, pipes, and infrastructure of the existing structure will help us get a better understanding of what types of materials will be needed, what construction arrangements are being made, and how our design will branch off the already existing pipes and treatment facilities.
Impact
The community members of Paja Colorada, Ecuador will be the primary beneficiaries of this project, and the implementation trip is the most crucial step in the design process. Our project aims to improve the health conditions of the roughly 200 residents by implementing a solution to provide clean and safe water for the village. After gathering useful information from our assessment trip, we are starting to build the system and gauge the community response. This will be followed up by a monitoring trip the following year that will be dedicated to conducting a post-implementation survey of the population and evaluating the long-term effect of the water system on the community. A previous implementation trip we conducted in July of 2021 gave us baseline data on different water metrics and public opinion to compare to. This allows us to compare conditions before and after our project has been completed so the project’s impact on the community of Paja Colorada can be quantitatively evaluated.
Sustainability
Projects for Engineers Without Borders take place in multiple stages spanning across several years. They begin with an assessment phase, gathering data and deciding on a proposed solution; this is followed by an implementation phase, which we are currently in, designing and building the proposal; and the project finished with a monitoring phase to ensure the efficacy of the solution and the long-term effect of the project. EWB Northwestern is working alongside our local NGO and mentors to progress into the implementation phase and to develop plans for the extension of the existing water filtration system to bring the water to community members' homes. After this implementation trip, EWB Northwestern will continue to track the community and plan to travel back to Paja Colorada for a Monitoring and Evaluation trip about a year after implementation is complete. This trip is to ensure that the design is still fully operational, to make any necessary repairs and to see that the community has everything it needs to maintain the functionality of the system.
Deliverables
In this implementation trip, we seek to learn from EIA and assist in the installation of 1.3km of 90mm HDPE pipe and 600m of 63mm HDPE pipe, as well as the pipeline to the general storage tank. We will compile a list of materials (i.e. tank accessories) needed for the project, put together resources to help further the water project to other local communities, and create a video showing our work.
Previous Projects
Previous Projects: We completed our assessment trip for this project in December of 2022. We collected important water testing results (physical and microbiological) that indeed revealed the presence of contaminants in the water. We evaluated the current water storage in the community (cisterns and jugs) and their cost. We also conducted a technical analysis of the local water treatment facility, distance to closest connection points, alternative pipeline routes, pipeline pressure and flow rate calculations, and a topographical survey of the area. We also examined cost and demand estimates for construction and materials, water demand calculation for Paja Colorada, expected metered water fee for each household, as well as community agreements, contracts, and cost-sharing plans with the municipality, the Paja Colorada community, and other stakeholders in the water treatment plant.
Budget Overview
We are seeking to cover a portion of the trip’s cost with a grant from the Murphy Society. Our tentative travel budget is as follows:
- $7,200 - $9,00 per person: Round trip flights
- $1,200: In-country transportation, including airport pickup and bus and car rental
- $2,320: Lodging costs for one night in Quito and 5 nights on-site in Paja Colorada
- $1,720: Food costs for 6 days in-country
- $1,702: Services fees, bank fees, and contingency fees
- $8,000: Construction materials: HDPE pipes, valves, fittings, trenching
Total: $22,142
Advisor Sign-off
Engineers Without Borders (EWB) - Russ Joseph, Electrical and Computer Engineering