Mexico Project

Project Lead: Mike Lutomski.

Project Summary

After successful implementation of the Bring Your Own Water (BYOW) filtration system in Africa, EWB-JSC began looking to expand this technology to communities in Mexico. An assessment of several villages in Nuevo León revealed a strong need for clean, safe water. Gastrointestinal diseases plagued people of all ages and were the major cause of illness and death in infants. Water sampling and testing showed considerable amounts of harmful bacteria and pathogens in the surface sources, but geographical surveying indicated high salinity in the underground water of the region. Thus the BYOW water filtration and purification system was a good match for these communities.

An implementation team assembled and installed a BYOW system in La Puerta de Aguilar with help from the community. However, the project did not end there. Because Engineers Without Borders is committed to ensuring our technologies are sustainable in the long term, we are now helping the residents of Aguilar adapt to and maintain their BYOW system. Current efforts are focused on two main areas. An educational campaign is working to ensure everyone in the community understands the importance of drinking treated water as well as knows how to use an maintain the system. In the initial implementation trip, the men in the village were trained on the system, but the women and children are the ones tasked with supplying water for the family. Our next visit will incorporate education to the end users of the system to help fully integrate the BYOW into community practices.

A technical team is working to resolve concerns recently expressed by the community. Although the system is still operating and providing clean water, several improvements can be made to the Aguilar design. Due to increased operational pressure from the pump used in this implementation of the BYOW, a new lid design is needed to prevent leakage. Additionally, clay in the Aguilar water sources is not being removed by the current filter design, so a turbidity team is looking at new ways to completely remove the fine particles. Finally, some of the plastic valves will be replaced with metal ones to minimize issues with sand buildup.

Our projects wouldn’t be possible without the help and support of others. If you are interested in getting involved with the Mexico project, please contact us for more information. We are always happy to receive new volunteers or donations!

Mexico Project Documents

Posters

Reports