Santiago, Honduras is home to about 10,000 people. The community’s water distribution system is insufficient causing most homes to only get water for a few hours a day, two or three times a week.There are leaks in existing pipes causing the water waste and contamination. In the past, the Honduras team has distributed 21 Bio-Sand filters and built a 2,000 gallon Ferrocement tank as wellas 21 rainwater collection systems. Since our initial interaction with the community in 2007, our goal has been to provide the community with 24/7 potable water.

Luis talking with professionals in country

Kortnee and Luis working on the pipeline that distributes water through the community

The Honduras team traveled for a week in May 2016. The team accomplished a lot during the trip! They installed a tie-in between the two major wells in the community. This addition to the system creates more redundancy in the system and allows one well to compensate for the other if it should fail. They also monitored their previously implemented chlorine system, the operator who runs that system had a very good grasp on how it works and how to troubleshoot any problems that arose; overall the system is running smoothly. The team met with a majority of the community teachers and taught them how to teach school kids about germs, washing hand, and general cleanliness, The team also had several meetings with the community leaders to discuss future plans and even met with a Minister in the Honduran government to help secure funding for the phase of the project.

January 2014 

The Honduras team of EWB-S&T travelled to Santiago over the 2014 winter break. Five students and two mentors visited the community from January 13th-18th. A second chlorination system was installed primarily by the community members with the supervision of EWB. Water quality samples were taken from various locations in the community to test for chlorine and bacteria levels. A third chlorination system is to be installed by the community members in the near future. In addition to these installations, water meter data was gathered to help the team estimate the demand a typical household. A meeting was held between the community leaders and EWB-S&T to clarify the ultimate goal of the Santiago, Honduras project.

Summer 2013 Implementation and Assessment Trip

In August 2013, 11 Missouri S&T students, three University of Missouri Masters in Public Health students, and two advisors traveled to Santiago, Honduras. The major problems the team currently faces are poor water quality due to contamination in the distribution system, water unavailability due to an unpressurized system, poor system design, and heavy leakage. This trip was a combined implementation and assessment trip. The team installed a chlorine metering pump at one of the community’s four wells and trained the workers to operate and maintain it. The team also conducted several assessment activites gathering survey data, water quality samples, installing water meters, and mapping previously unknown portions of the distribution system.

Summer 2012 Implementation Trip

The Honduras team completed a host of projects during the 2012 implementation trip. The team hired a contractor to drill a well to increase water supply to the community. By the time the team left Honduras, the well was near completion. A contractor was also hired to build an elevated well house, which was designed by the team. In addition, the team received a fully up-to-date map of Santiago and was able to map out the entire community’s water distribution system. With the new map, the team worked alongside the community to conduct a leak study on a third of the system. They pinpointed leaks and measured the associated water loss. Lastly, the team constructed a water level indicator for the community’s storage tank. Before this tool, the water level could only be determined by climbing onto the tank and looking inside. Now anyone can easily read the water level, even from a distance.

The primary focus of this project is to provide the community with clean, safe water. A large team of students and advisors spent ten days in country working hard to collect data for future use. The stu-dents conducted land surveys to map the town’s existing water sys-tem as well as possibilities for a new well. Another small team worked on gathering health surveys from the community members. These surveys provide the team with data about the needs of the community as well as a baseline to assess the impact of the project when completed. While the team was there, they also delivered soap and crayons to local schools. These supplies were gathered and donated by several schools in the St. Louis area. The team educated the classes on proper hand washing techniques and how to maintain an uncontaminated water supply. They also held an education day for community officials. The meeting served to educate the community about the projects, as well as to help the team understand their needs. The team also tested water ran through bio-sand filters that had been distributed in 2008. The results were successful as the water was clean and safe to drink, showing the filters were continuing to work two years after implementation.