At the end of August, a travel team consisting of eight individuals traveled to the community of Charguarloma to complete an assessment trip. Of the eight travel team members, five were students–Joe Hubach, Emily Hausmann, Peter Householter, Josh Krsek, and Amy Metz. The other three travel team members were Jed Holt, the technical mentor; Liam Sawyer, the traveling mentor; and Dr. John Gardner, the faculty mentor. Upon arriving in Ecuador, the team met with their NGO, Engineers in Action to discuss logistics and plans of action, before heading to the community the next day. After meeting the community members and attending the fiesta the community threw on the first day which featured traditional dancers and food, the travel team split into two groups, one focused on the social side of the project and the other on the technical.
The social team conducted a survey to gauge the knowledge base of the community, their current access to water, the health of the community, and how willing community members were to work with Rose-Hulman’s chapter of Engineers Without Borders. In total, the social team met with approximately thirty-three families and viewed upwards of 70 homes and parcels of the land. At each home and parcel, a GPS point was taken to help create a tentative map of the community. Throughout the course of these surveys, the team members were able to form personal connections with each community member, while also brushing up on their Spanish. After the social surveys were completed, the social team members worked on completing a presentation for the community to explain the data gathered, give tips to stay healthy in the time before a water system is implemented, and explain the community agreement.
The technical team focused on two different areas, the quality of water sources available and land surveying. The first few days of the trip focused on viewing and testing the water sources, many of which were hard to access. While at each spring, the team tested for coliforms, anaerobic bacteria, and the overall flow rate of the springs. Overall, approximately twenty-two were tested and all were found to have varying levels of contamination. After completing the preliminary water testing, the team determined which sources would be most viable and began a surveying circuit to the lowest and highest point of the community. Along this route the team also surveyed back to one of the more viable springs. GPS points were taken at each turning point, foresight, and backsight along the route to gather elevation data that will be used to start designing the water distribution system for the community.
On the last day of the trip, both the travel team and social team met with the community to present the presentation the social team compiled after completing their surveys. During the course of this meeting, the team members answered any questions the community of Chaguarloma had and presented both EIA and the Chaguarloma water board with the community agreement, a document that outlines the responsibilities of each party involved in the project–Rose-Hulman Engineers Without Borders, EIA, and Chaguarloma. Following the signing of the document, the community through another fiesta to send off the travel team members and thank them for their work in the community for the week they were there.
The information gathered on this trip is now being compiled and assessed by the club. Once the data gathered has been assessed, it will be determined if another assessment trip is needed to complete a full system design. The information gather from this trip will form the foundation for the design of the water distribution system that will ultimately provide all residents of the community of Chaguarloma with clean drinking water in their homes.