Water for Life Project Apatut, La Union, Philippines

EWB-USA Vision: Our vision is a world in which the communities we serve have the capacity to sustainably meet their basic human needs, and that our members have enriched global perspectives through the innovative professional educational opportunities that the EWB-USA program provides. Mission: EWB-USA supports community-driven development programs worldwide by collaborating with local partners to design and implement sustainable engineering projects, while creating transformative experiences and responsible leaders.

EWB-MAP Established 2006 Rwanda Health and Healing Philadelphia regional chapter Mentor University chapters Local Service Projects Rwanda Health and Healing El Salvador Project FIAT Philippines Water for Life

Apatut – Community Overview Located approximately 200 miles northwest of Manila Approximately 750 residents Approximately 300 students at school Predominantly farming community Large variations in income, water access, and home quality across community

The Problem: Apatut residents obtain water from shallow wells that show high levels of fecal coliform in water quality tests 7 of 8 wells tested show contamination above allowable levels Community members suffering from illnesses associated with poor drinking water quality, such as diarrhea, dysentery and stomachache Access to clean, consistent source of water is not equitable across the community In some cases, wells built immediately adjacent to latrines Manual pumps – up to 12 families, lots are broken Shallow wells – water testing shows contamination Some electric pumps Storage tank creates “indoor plumbing”

EWB-MAP Project Goals Provide clean, potable water at school (primary goal of community) Provide clean, potable water at centralized faucets (Phase 1) and to every house in community (Possible Phase 2) Ensure equitable distribution of clean, potable water throughout the community Get community ‘buy-in’ by incorporating community feedback during design phase and community labor and financial donations during construction phase Facilitate project sustainability by providing financial and operation and maintenance training to Water Cooperative

March 2010 EWB-MAP Assessment Trip Meetings with Water Cooperative members, local Rotary Clubs, St. Louis College, Apatut residents Inspected ‘mountain spring’ – not a spring, ruled out as water source Collected water samples from shallow supply wells and ‘spring’ – shallow wells show contamination Repaired well pumps at school Completed surveying with St. Louis college Walked proposed pipeline run Conducted visual inspection of soils – classified as SM based on Unified Classification System Met with local well driller and local electric company representative Evaluated tank and well sites Completed health surveys Installed solar data collector to evaluate applicability of solar powered system components

Major System Components Well – 120 feet deep Pump – submersible, 5 HP Electric Service – new transformer and service line Tank – 21,000 gallons, concrete block Pipeline – 4,000 feet Tapstands – 3 for community, 1 for school Water Treatment – chlorination and/or sand filtration

Deep Well Well Site Need 26 GPM minimum Pump Testing to be completed after well install Rotary or Hammer drilled Approximately 120 feet deep based on driller estimates Overburden Construction 6” diameter PVC Well to be developed after install

Storage Tank Tank Capacity = 21,000 gallons Tank Site Well site on community land near gazebo Up mountainside behind gazebo is tank site Tank site on privately-owned land donated to project Tank Site

Pipeline and Tapstands 4,000 feet of pipe 2” and 3” PVC Road and stream crossings 3 community tapstands 1 tapstand for the school

Water Treatment Unable to test water until well is drilled Local well drillers believe water will be safe to drink straight from the well Required to disinfect by Philippine government Bag filter and in-line chlorine disinfection

Sustainability Measurements Health: measured via health surveys 2 and 5 years after system completion Goal: Improved health conditions based on original health surveys Water Quantity: measured via flow meters at tank and tapstands Goal 1: Supply sufficient to meet current and future demands Goal 2: Water equitably distributed and used by all residents Water Quality: tested by certified labs Goal: 100% of samples with concentrations below Philippine National Standards for all tested parameters Financial Stability: determined using financial documents from Water Cooperative Goal 1: Water Cooperative able to afford maintenance, repairs, and upgrades Goal 2: Water Cooperative able to successfully and routinely collect fees Technical Stability: determined using repair and maintenance logs in O&M manual Goal 1: Inspection and maintenance conducted on a routine basis Goal 2: No service outages are experienced as a result of poor maintenance

Challenges Obtaining Reliable Information Time Window for Construction During Dry Season Communication with Host Community Permits Funding Keeping all partied engaged and involved through it all!

Timeline/Next Steps 2010 Assessment Trip – Now Final design plans and reports completed and submitted to EWB-USA EWB-USA Technical Advisory Committee review and design approval Secure landowner Memorandum of Agreement Submit for well drilling permit (Sept 2011 permit projection) Continued fundraising efforts Summer 2011 Finalize and submit RI Grant Application (July 1) Continue to refine pricing and coordinate design/construction items October – December 2011 Drill well, perform water testing and confirm well viability as required by EWB-USA and RI.

Timeline/Next Steps (cont.) January 2012 EWB-USA approvals for remainder of Phase 1 Implementation February –April 2012 Remainder of Phase 1 implementation – storage tank, distribution system, tap stands. Post Implementation System monitoring and assessments as required by EWB-USA Planning and implementation of possible Phase 2

Funding Phase 1 Budget: Well Drilling – approx $37k Remainder of Phase 1 Implementation – approx $67k Funding Status: Current account balance - $27.3k Committed funding from Hatboro and Corporate Sponsors to be used in RI grant process – 13k Filling the Gap: RI Matching Grant app to be submitted in July 2011 for further funding. Project is set up on RI website for outside funding Solicit Philadelphia District and clubs to join the effort. EWB-MAP is continuously applying for additional grants. EWB-MAP is planning additional fundraisers for this summer. EWB-MAP travel members getting assistance from employers to defray travel expenses (Baker).