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Project Report Central Water Treatment For Oliveros and San Martín Chiquimulilla,
Santa Rosa, Guatemala
The Rotary Club
16-31 January 2008 Project Team: Rotarian Greg Ledesma Rotarian John Spielmann Rotarian Dave Wolbrink Committee: Rotarian Dave Wolbrink, Chair Rotarian Loni Jaeger, Pres. 2007-08 Rotarian Greg Ledesma, Pres., 2006-07 Rotarian Thom Brown, Pres., 2005-06 Rotarian John Spielmann Rotarian Dave Smith Rotarian PDG Enrique Gandara, ad hoc member Prt:
15-Feb-08 Project
Report Central
Water Treatment For Oliveros and San Martín Chiquimulilla, Santa Rosa, Guatemala Forward This narrative tells a fascinating story
of a journey that encountered a variety of obstacles along the way, and still
succeeded. The project was thoroughly
planned, and components extensively prefabricated, but the team could not
follow the plan because new obstacles appeared frequently. In the end, hope prevailed, the project was a
success, and the result was made more gratifying because the team watched each
barrier disappear—just in time! This narrative was drafted immediately
upon return, relying in part on a fresh memory. The narrative writer’s second objective was
to organize a mass of day-by-day information contemporaneously scrawled in his
project journal. Where journal errors
are found, they are corrected. This
information forms a valuable record for future reference as Hartford Rotary
communicates with the Oliveros and San Martín water committees. Numerous data are included as needed for
accurate documentation. Data are
necessary for the project record, but it is not necessary to study the data to
enjoy the story. The original Plan specifies the project
in detail, and some data herein are not consistent with it. The team deviated from the Plan when they
found unexpected conditions, or as needs changed with new information. Because of deviations, this Report updates
the Plan. The reader may form the impression that
each day was tediously like the last. In
some ways that is true: weather, environment, and people. However, the team found it a time of great
intensity as problems and obstacles threatened, and it was continuously
necessary to resolve details in changing sequence dictated by the ever-changing
critical path. The opportunity to bond with members of
the Oliveros and San Martin water committees, and with Kico’s Ranch Foreman, Juan
Carlos Cruz, was unprecedented and, frankly, wonderful. Finally, this is
the story of a true Rotary experience.
Throughout, the team was completely engrossed in ‘Service Above Self’
and experienced the most soaring sense of reward as success developed at
last. The team owes a thank you to
Rotary, particularly Hartford Rotary, for this rewarding experience. D. W. W. – Slinger, WI, February 2008 Anticipation,
concern, excitement, and discipline compete for our attention. Greg and Carla Ledesma, and John and Suzi
Spielmann, come to Dave and Rosie Wolbrink’s house for packing and departure
plans. After distributing piles of water
system materials, equipment, and literature, each will have less than the allotted
50 pounds baggage in our extra suitcases.
Review of the
critical path renews our concerns about the necessary water equipment that is on
the truck ‘somewhere between Afterward, we bond
over pizza and beer, but fear of failure caused by being a day or two short
looms as a specter, threatening the project.
14-15 Jan 2008, Monday
& Tuesday – Final Plans John has had truck
contacts and calls to report the news: it is stuck at the Mexican Border (‘Federales’). How long is only a guess. They are concerned about ‘syringes’. Is money a solution? They want to unload, check, reload, and
charge for that work in addition to normal import duties. The critical path becomes more critical. Shall we still
go as scheduled? Yes!, after John asks
whether we may be able to duplicate the first few days’ critical path materials
in Carla drops Greg
in Slinger and five of us ride in John’s extended pickup to the bus for O’Hare. Then Houston International and finally we are
in After a quick breakfast
at Villa Espanola, we are off to Thrifty Car Rental, where we finally settled
on a Toyota HiAce 15-passenger microbus with a large engine for mountains. Now that we finally have a vehicle, we can go
back to the hotel to load the baggage. (My
only warm shirt, needed as a jacket for the return to Cell phone
contact with Patricia (Patty) and Francisco (Frank) Gandara, Enrique (Kico) Gandara’s
sister-in-law and brother, established a meeting place. Driving the wrong way, we find ourselves lost
in Santa Catarina, Pinula, a small village down in a steep valley outside the
city. Cell phones do not work and local people
cannot direct us to our meeting place because it is on the other side of the
city (but it is a neat little town).
Finally, the Police hear John’s phone attempts and escort us all the way
to the other side of town where we meet Patty and Frank. (The climb out of the deep valley helped Greg
and the Patty knows of a
chemical house that purveys ‘industrial’ bleach. Although there are 50 jugs on the truck, we need
bleach for the time-consuming purge of the system, and procure 48 gallons at
Q23 each. It is 4.5% Cl with pH 12—acceptable. After waiting over an hour, we learn that
they are actually mixing and bottling it by hand for our order. Four girls are wiping the jugs before boxing
and loading. (Later we find Proctor and
Gamble bleach in the stores, a little better for a bit less money.) Before purging, we
must seal tank leaks and coat the inside for a sterile surface. Thoroseal had been chosen after considerable
research and advice from the manufacturers, but it too was in the truck at the
Mexican border. We know it is distributed
internationally and that Kico used it on his tank at one time, so it must be
here somewhere in this great city. Can
we find it? Perhaps Cemaco, but no luck,
and they do not have much advice. Patty
and her cell phone locate it at a builders supply in Zona 5—a long drive and
they close at Rush hour and we
must drive Patty back to the center of the city to meet Frank who has picked up
Rotarian Jeanine Desautelles from the airport—I am sure Greg enjoys the rush
hour drive, but he hides it well. Patty
has helped all afternoon, saved us from disaster, and we must get her
back. Surprise: Just before the meeting
place, we spot a TrueValue sign painted high on a building, so we drop Patty
and work our way over to it. Solution! We find the Vista
Real, a great hotel, and have a nice dinner.
Greg drove all day—great job, heavy HiAce, heavy traffic, crowded city,
tense schedule—and we are now able to begin our work even though the truck is
still in After a fine breakfast
at Vista Real, we are on the road to Oliveros, via CA1 to 2 km past Cuilapa,
then 37 km to Chiquimulilla, finally the rocky road to Oliveros. At the well site, we meet Lázaro Gonzales, the pump tender. He works from The new
treatment building, built to Dave Wolbrink’s detailed plans (translated by
Mercedes Crovetti), only weeks before our arrival, is beautiful! The floor is ceramic and has a little pitch
to the door for flushing. The door is protective,
steel with a lock, and there are vents through the walls on both gables. There is no ceiling under the steel roof, so
we will omit the exhaust fan. The
builder who constructed Kico’s complex was engaged by Kico and Juan Carlos
Cruz, his ranch foreman, coordinated construction. No building – no project. Thanks to Juan Carlos and Kico. The building has
polyethylene electrical conduit built into the walls, and the conduit to the
pump electrical building is already buried.
No time need be spent trenching.
There will be no need to figure out how to bury the ends of the
underground wire because it has been cut into the concrete and comes out inside
the well pump building in the middle of the wall. All we need to do is pull several individual wires,
which can be bought in Chiquimulilla, so the cable on the truck will not delay
us. The existing pipe
the first few feet from the well is 2-inch galvanized, a relief because that is
the same as the treatment loop prefabricated in Wisconsin. It transitions to pressure-rated, good
quality 3-inch PVC across to, and then up, the tank. Cemented hubs join pipe lengths. We make a new
work plan: Friday, Saturday and Sunday:
seal and coat. At the same time, learn
about the tank and system, and start local wood and PVC items. Meeting with
Juan Carlos Cruz, Lazaro, and Ruben Garcia (water tank neighbor), we explain we
are here to help. We tell them they have
a great well and 4.5 km of pipe, but in the end they need treatment because the
pipes in the warm ground have become infested over time. Our plan is to seal and coat the tank to
enable a sterile system, and then flush the tank and pipes. Next, we will install the treatment system and
train treatment technicians. The work
requires that the water flow be interrupted and we plan to tell the people. At this time, the best we can do is seal and
coat Saturday, cure Sunday, and run water normally on Monday. Tuesday we will begin the purge, and flush on
Wednesday, returning to normal on Thursday.
The committee will spread the word.
(This plan, like so many of our ‘well laid plans’ will soon
change.) Today, and indeed
every day for two weeks, Juan Carlos is helpful. He has great judgment and a sense of urgency,
and he comfortably participates in decisions.
His memory is remarkable, and frequently we laugh together because he
has ‘lists’ in his head, and I have lists in my pocket. Kico is fortunate to have such a capable
supervisor. I am concerned
about the existing electrical system because it is complex. There is usually a reason for every design
and change, but reasons for the complexity are not immediately apparent. Are we missing something? Did we miss something in the prefabricated
panel that is on the way? If we did miss
something, will we be able to make the modifications indicated by our analysis
of the existing system? Thorough
analysis must take place before we make changes because we want to make
improvements. Tomorrow . . . This morning we
started at Several people
showed up to work on the tank, thanks to Juan Carlos, and we instructed them in
the use of the hydraulic cement. The
sealing must be done in as much water as we can work in, to flex the sides and
bottom, and to drive the cement into the leaks.
All four sides leak near the bottom, some more than others. The cement sets in 3-5 minutes, so small
batches must be carefully placed a handful at a time. Unfortunately, we only have one gallon
instead of the three that are on the truck, and must portion it to all
sides. Greg goes up the
tank to work with three Guatemalans.
Using the ropes, we pull tools and materials up and mix the cement in
the tank. The tank manhole has a hinged
steel cover with a concrete curb about 1.5 inches high. The tank roof is flat and has three holes,
one with a pipe vent, the rest simply open.
A portable ladder is hooked over the edge to provide access into the
tank. Although we brought lots of cable
and lights because we anticipated a dark tank, they were not needed because
good light came through the large manhole.
Greg is in the
water over his knees, directing the operation.
It is unimaginably hot in the tank, with every day’s high between 95 and
100 degrees. Within an hour all
Waterplug is used up, and most of the floor-to-wall joint has a small
fillet. While the tank
is being drained and scrubbed, other Oliverians are instructed in the mixing
and application of Thoroseal: Mix Acryl
60 1:1 with water, then with the powder, a half bag at a time; let the mix rest
10 minutes, re-temper with water if necessary and pull the bucketful up with a
rope. The mixing paddle is
invaluable—thanks Hahn TrueValue, and thanks for carrying it in the luggage. Brushes scrub
the tank, then a few inches of water rinse it, and the dirt drains through the
side valve. The mud that comes out shows
that the scrub is worthwhile, and reminds us we need to close the vents in the
top. Two people, one
on a ladder ahead of the other, apply the coating. Someone runs after a fan, and it helps because
it is hot and humid in there. While
painting the walls, the floor is dried, and it drains so well that we do not
need the wet vac; better to have and not need than to need and not have. When the walls are finished, the team coats
the floor, but the fan is removed, to avoid electrical danger. Greg spends most of the morning in the
tank. He is wet with water on the bottom
and sweat on the top. It is hot in
there. While painting,
Greg measures and photographs the inside of the tank. It is 138” by 138” and 114” high to the
center of the 3-inch overflow. Counting
25 ladder rungs, 24 spaces @ 16” = 32 feet, and the first rung is 13 feet above
the ground. Thus, the tank is 49 or 50
feet to the top. All these dimensions,
and more, are needed to later calculate capacity and well pump flow, enabling
us to calibrate the amount of Chlorine (Cl) and Fluoride (F) to be infused. The tank is
constructed of 20 cm concrete block, with a light plaster coat on the
outside. Inside, there is a 3-inch liner
of concrete against the block, then two thin coats of cement plaster. Greg finds that the liner does not reach to
the ceiling, but leaves an opening all around the top where rebars protrude
upward. They apparently kept the inside
concrete forms short of the ceiling so they could pour concrete over them. Since the overflow is located so high, water can
get over the concrete and into the walls and leak out. We will set the water level lower than the
liner to keep water out of the walls and reduce tank flex. The smooth
finish takes less Thoroseal than expected, and we decide to save a day by
applying only one coat instead of two.
Another unexpected benefit. The
sealing and coating are finished a day ahead of our revised schedule, and will
cure tomorrow! The electrician,
Jose Gilberto (‘Joe’), comes by later in the day and tells us he can do the
work tomorrow, but needs wire. We agree
on five colors, 35 meters of red and black, plus 22 meters each of three other
colors. We take him to Chiquimulilla for
wiring materials. The first store has
insufficient quantity. The second store
has no 14 gauge, but the electrician says he can pull 12 gauge. We can get only four colors, plus the black
iron pull wire he wants. I worry about
this guy’s experience, but not his eagerness.
He has a regular day job and wants to become an electrician. He will be OK, with a little more experience. The electrician
is pulling wire today. We identify two
circuits, one two-wire and one three-wire, as planned. He marks the black wire ‘negative’, even though
it is alternating current, and there are two blacks. Today I assess
the electrical system. At the pole, the
ground rod is connected to the tensile member of the overhead cable. The meter is an Elster 13L, 15 (60) A. From the pole, two unmarked (#8?) red
conductors and a smaller white ground wire run underground to the pump building. Inside is a box with a double 40-amp breaker
fed by red and black (there must be a splice somewhere). A ‘120’ volt circuit is rigged between the
white ground and one leg. The motor
control panel is fed by waterproof cable that appears to be #8 (measures about
3mm). A label attached
to the panel tells us the pump is a 5 hp Grundfos MS4000. It is single phase, rated at 27.5 SF
Amps. There is a pump control box, Grundfos
Model 911262218, under the panel with start and run capacitors and overloads
for both start and run circuits. In addition,
the pump has an internal thermal overload.
Later in the
day, we watch the pump. It runs 20
minutes and one side of the breaker trips.
It is so hot it smells. Through start
and stop, we pump the tank to within 42” of the top to test the tank
sealing. It takes over an hour of actual
running to raise the water approximately 100 inches. Accurate measurements will come later. With the pump
off, the breaker measures 250 volts alternating current, and running it measures
230 vac. The pump is rated 230, so it is
perfect, but why the drop? We have no time
to find out. The panel is
complex inside. There is a type of surge
protector hung between line terminals of the starter. There are ‘flota’ (float) terminals. There is an under-voltage device with red,
amber, green, and the pump will not start until green, which takes a few
minutes each time. In addition, an
11-pin ‘octal’ socket obviously held a relay or something. I ask those who are there, and Sergio hands
us the device. It appears to be a
conductance type water level control (electric float, which we decided to avoid
because of electrical danger). The wiring and
rewiring in the panel makes it confusing.
I’m concerned. The pump keeps
shutting down after anywhere from 20 minutes to an hour, and Sr. Lázaro
restarts it after waiting for a ‘green’.
If a pump thermal protector is causing the intermittent operation, we
may be accused of screwing it up. Logical
analysis seems to indicate it is not the motor, but the existing panel, but we
are never sure. During the day,
Greg makes more tank measurements.
Outside height is 154”. Roof down
to the center of the overflow on the outside is 21”. Overflow center is 114” from floor
(previously measured). Thus, bottom is
about 19” thick (more reasonable than the 9” I miscalculated at the site). The roof is about 5” thick, with the 1.5-inch
curb above it. Outside are nine 16-inch ladder
rung spaces, plus about 10” to equal the 154” overall outside height of the
tank. These dimensions are at the wall;
the floor is thinner where it slopes inside to the center outlet pipe. The Oliveros and
San Martin well committees meet at the well at Purging the
system to kill coliform is mandatory, so we agree to purchase four valves and
the necessary hardware if they will install immediately so we can flush
immediately. Timed perfectly, we can purge
while they install, and then flush through the new valves after the strong Cl
water has been in the tank and part of the system for the required 24
hours. It is a complex, risky plan that
requires local response, hard digging, and still compromises the purge of the long
lines. We must purge, but there is not
time for a proper job. Is this plan an acceptable
compromise? We must do no harm. They agree to find
the terminal pipe, dig, and install terminal valves. They will dig tomorrow; we will check and
measure, then provide parts. Visiting the
terminals, we find they are already digging at most locations. Digging is hard; the ground is so solid that
the younger men loosen a little ground by taking turns chipping chunks of dirt loose
with a big fat homemade pinch/pick bar, then the older men shovel it out. They take turns working at their
maximum. (We are glad regular freezing
loosens the ground at home.) While we are out,
Rubén seals the three top openings with Thoroseal, and a screen is installed
into the overflow. These improvements
exclude birds and most dust, a big improvement.
Rubén continues to be a good helper to the end. Later we learn he is somehow associated with
the church next door and, when we ask, says he took two years of training to be
a pastor, but is no longer training. He is
a good, conscientious, and precise person; in the end, he is the one who does
the most work on the system. We devise a plan
for tank measurement and pump calibration (tabulated in this report under next
day). Some of the outside measurements
come from this day. Greg is up the tower
every day—Thank You! Later, we note that
his photos from the top show some of his reward. Driving around later,
we see the pipe system, measure pipes, and determine parts needed for terminal
valves. Using GPS, we map the main parts
of the system and document latitude, longitude and elevation for key
points. The diagram follows. Oliveros has a
straight line with one major terminal (and a couple shorter branches). San Martín has a major bend, then two branches and the end, for three
terminals. Discussing the problems takes
time. Moisés, of San Martín, believes they have inferior altitude,
air that stops the water, etc., etc. He
says the Japanese drilled a hole in a pipe where there was no water and only
air came out. He is passionate. We put together
a long shopping list for tomorrow morning in Chiquimulilla. 50’ hose 3” PVC: 1.75 PVC: wire hook 3 T’s 1 T 3 meters #8 wire 3 L’s 1 L dbl 40-A breaker 3 caps 1 cap adapt 1 ¼ fem –
hose 3 valves 1 valve distilled water 6 meters pipe 3 meters pipe pressure gauge 2 adhesive teflon sealant hose barb &
clamp adapters adapters pilot light John is afraid
he must go to Esquintla, with passports and $500 from each of us, to meet a Rotarian
who will expedite the truck’s release at the border into To Chiquimulilla
by store opening time. As before, we first
get Quetzales. The plumbing parts and
other stuff cost less than Q2400 (US$350); it would be more in the Once again, we
evaluate the existing electrical and the effect the new panel will have. The pump, when running, continues to drop
out. Although we repaired a breaker terminal
yesterday, it still heats, but less. Our
electrical diagram shows that our panel could cause a condition where the pump
goes out on the starter overloads, but the treatment pumps continue to
run. I must later call Dave Komp in The water is off
for installing terminal valves, so it is a good time to calibrate the tank and
well pump.
Fifty feet of
transparent yellow hose on the discharge side valve and up the ladder provides
a tank gauge. We can use this rather
than the overflow and thereby keep the water out of the inside of the walls. It saves time and reduces the trips up the
tank ladder because we had been sending someone up the tank to measure down
from the manhole. Later, the floats will
make it fully automatic. Late in the day,
we checked the four terminals. San
Martin is quite far along, but needs two adapters because one pipe size is
wrong. We provide money and they will go
to town on their ‘moto’. They say they will
be ready 8 or On the phone, Dave
Komp suggests the treatment relay coil should be tied to #96 of the motor
starter, rather than neutral. That way,
the motor overloads also disconnect the treatment relay. We will make that change later. Why does the
pump cut out after 20-60 minutes? If caused
by the motor thermal overload, there will be a continuing problem, and someone
is likely to investigate and overcomplicate our excellent panel as they have
the existing one. Discussing this with
Dave Komp, he agrees that the thermal overload within the motor, which is in
cool water, would be expected to reset in less than the 20 minutes we are
experiencing. Chances are the problem is
in the complex existing panel, but the root cause is never discovered. Currently, Lazaro
watches the pilot light to determine whether the pump is running. He watches it closely because the pump is off
so much. Our panel does not have a
pilot; should it? Dave Komp says a 120-volt
pilot would work between A1 & A2; a 220-volt pilot between starter load
terminals. We will try to procure and
install later if required. Driving to check
the new terminal valves, we find them nearly ready by The truck is
expected, perhaps later today, more likely tomorrow. It will be just in time. We have used the supplies purchased in John is asked to
drive to Neri and Glenda
drive us around. First, the South
San Martin valve is opened, using a long polyethylene ‘hose’ to carry the water
to a low place. There is fine pressure,
gushing several feet high at first, and we let it run an hour until we smell
chlorine. The local people attach the
hose using an elbow closest to the right size, but still smaller. It is the best fit they can come up with,
after several tries at nearby houses.
They connect the assembly by tightly wrapping a strip of bicycle inner
tube, which both seals and provides mechanical positioning. Ingenious! We leave the valve closed, purging, to provide
a full flow to the next terminal. Next Neri drives
us to the middle San Martin terminal; to get there we walk through a resident’s
yard where they are constructing a building with poles and thatch. Neri points out a tamarind tree in another yard. The fruit is not yet ripe, but the taste is recognizable. This 3-inch terminal runs full, spouting a
few feet high at first. There is clearly
good pressure when no one is using the water.
Why is the water here so turbid?
The people think the chlorine is cleaning the lines; personally, I think
there are breaks that draw dirt into the pipe when the pressure becomes
negative with the rationing, which has gone on for months, only to be dislodged
from the bottom of the line with full flow.
We will soon find out about leaks.
We leave the valve closed to provide full flow to the next main branch. The process is going faster than it should
for perfect purging, but there is no choice.
We skip the
first (long) San Martin terminal for several reasons. The truck has arrived and we need to hurry
there to find our materials. In
addition, we are told there is usually no water at the far end of that line
(although it would be interesting to learn if it flows when all others are
closed). With a quick drive
over to the Oliveros terminal, we find it is ready to go. However, there is no one there, and we must
go to unpack the truck anyway. Neri informs us
(at about 11 am) that he has not yet had breakfast, so he goes home while we go
to the truck. We are working these
people hard. The semi is
parked along the North fence at the compound with the door open. Kico’s man, Goyo has backed a 4-wheel trailer
to it, and he and Juan Carlos are beginning to unload. I help in the trailer for over an hour, and
it is hot in there. The truck is
chaos! The Mexicans unloaded and
reloaded very casually at best. We can
see halfway to the front of the trailer, but not one piece of our equipment is
visible. After unloading
thousands of pounds of tables, we finally locate the prefabricated treatment pipe
loop, now the critical item, fastened to the floor in the forward part of the
trailer. After that, other parts begin
to materialize, and by mid-afternoon we have the HiAce full of items and the local
water team. The treatment loop sticks
out the sliding door to the right, with team members holding it as they ride
along. We haul selectively items needed for
the new critical path, and for the time being, leave chlorine, Thoroseal, and
other items not yet needed. With no
possibility for rain, the stuff is simply stacked on the crisp, brown
grass. Today,
everything is jumping! We position the
treatment loop and mark holes through the building wall. Ruben will drill and chisel through for plumbing
connections. These will locate the new
pipe as we break into the well-to-tank line.
Greg and Rick Klemp,
Sun Prairie, WI, begin to install electrical cable and to plan installation of
the floats in the tank. The parts off
the truck will work, and the float heights can be roughly determined. One more worry disappears. The ironworker
comes with the partially prefabricated brace for the vertical supply pipe. Based on previously planned float
installation, the ironworker agrees to fabricate a bracket to support the top
of the float mast. He fabricates the
bracket as a contribution, using a piece of rebar we had for pipe supports and
a scrap he had left from the brace. He also
reacts positively to the possibility of contributing fabricated window bars to
protect the computers that have been donated for the school (also on the truck). Mounting the
heavy pump control panel and the treatment panel appear as an obstacle because
we have no anchors big enough to hold them, and are reluctant to spend the time
for another trip to Chiquimulilla. During
the discussion, someone comes up with the idea of bolting through the walls,
and the ironworker agrees he can do that, but needs long fasteners. He goes away for a while, and I assume he is going
to weld ends on rebars, but later a messenger from a hardware store arrives
with long bolts (COD, of course). After the holes
are in the wall at the treatment loop, we anchor it and develop a shopping list
for the pipe and parts required to route the water through the treatment
building. Sergio, Chair of the Oliveros
water committee, agrees to procure the pipe and fittings with our money. Sergio Cothillo is
a good and interesting person. He has a
great and ready smile, and we notice some locals tease him about his ‘belly’. He does not say much, but he
contributes. No wonder he is the chair
of the committee and is usually asked to chair joint Oliveros/San Martin meetings. The carpenter,
who had been hired Januray 20th, delivers the Cl platform, F
platform, Cabinet, partition, and bulletin board. We had met with him a few days ago and, at
his advice, had these made from local hardwood because it is much cheaper than
plywood. He installs the cabinet. Greg and Rick plan
the float installation, using a concrete block to anchor the bottom, and the
bracket the ironworker made for the top.
They map out the path for the
electric cable from the float to the junction box on top the tower, then the
path for the UF cable down the ladder to the treatment building. The rope and bucket procedure once more feeds
parts to them at the top of the tower. We
have lowered the water so they can work.
Greg’s walkie-talkies really help.
Those two really roll. At dusk, the
ironworker and his strong helper come to mount the electrical panels. They drill through one face of the block at a
time, measuring to locate the outside hole.
The strong helper holds the panel, and the young son runs back and forth
from inside to outside; a very capable team.
What a day! Greg and Rick are so productive, installing
the float, installing cable, and a hundred other things. Tio Juan (John S.), faithfully translating as
always, has made it possible to have various local teams working on carpentry
installation, ironwork, electrical panels, plumbing, mounting the treatment
loop and so much more. We may have
turned the corner! Perhaps we can make
it after all. This is the big
day for all major items to come together.
One problem with the critical path method is that the important critical
items all end at the same time—a high class problem. When connected
to the new panel, the pump works on manual, and does not cut out! A huge worry is relieved. A new breaker does not overheat. Tracing the electrical
diagram reveals that we are one wire short between buildings: the #13 wire that
activates the treatment panel. We had
missed that when we planned one 2-wire and one 3-wire circuit underground. Fortunately, closer scrutiny warns us before
we experience a failure and waste time troubleshooting and reworking. Saved again.
The solution is to use a shared neutral for both circuits, which will be
OK because the transformer is fused 15 A, and the wire is #12. Ringing out the circuits avoids confusion caused
by duplicate color wires. John and I
work at it and later the electrician comes by and helps. Another disaster diverted, because we never
would have been able to pull another wire through that ¾-inch polyethylene
conduit between buildings. How many
times can we possibly avoid problems? Final wiring
connections are planned for this day. The
float switch is wired into the pump control circuit, the treatment panel is
connected, the missing underground wire is resolved by sharing the neutral, and
everything is finally tied together. The
treatment panel is connected and closed up.
The junction box has all wires connected and is closed up. Connections in the pump house are
complete. Modifications, unusual wiring
method, new equipment, all create suspense.
It is time to
try it! The pump answers to the low
float! Keep filling, and the pump does
not cut out for the entire hour and a half!
When the hose/gauge reaches about the fifth rung (2 meters), the float
turns the pump off just where and when it should—like magic! The automatic level control works, and the
float is in the right place! The entire
system works without any time lost troubleshooting. What a relief. Thanks.
It is time to
connect the treatment building into the 3-inch PVC pipe from the well to the
tank. After Lazaro clean the pipe with
sandpaper that someone was able to come up with, we courageously saw through it
in two places. We are one elbow short,
so Sergio again runs quickly to Chiquimulilla on his ‘moto’. Finally, we make the last connections. Time is passing so rapidly that we allow only
a few minutes for the cement to dry, and then turn the pump on. The 5-hp pump transfers a lot of force to
that pipe; will it stay in place with the water flowing around all the elbows? We turn the pump
on and the pipe jumps a little, but has very little lateral movement and stays
in place! We are pleased that we ordered
the brace from the ironworker days before.
Another disaster averted (the whole pipe could have come down). We now have enough concrete blocks to support
the pipe, and the test reveals where they are needed. Ruben has done much of the plumbing—with my
micro-management. It works, and now Ruben
begins building neat concrete supports with rebar staple-retainers, using
cement and materials we had brought before.
During all of
this, I manage to get the treatment pumps mounted, but not connected. Oh well, at least it is a start. It has been a great
day, and everyone feels the excitement!
Sergio saw the approaching milestone, and brought a melon to the site on
his last trip. Now we celebrate with the
melon. They choose not to cut it with
the ever-present machetes, so Ruben gets a shiny stainless kitchen knife from
his house. It is delicious! There is great camaraderie: John, Greg, Rick,
and Dave with the local people, particularly Lazaro, Lazaro Junior, Sergio,
Ruben, Moisés, Gilberto, and
more. We look forward
to Even though the
punch list is long, we start a little later today because there is a
‘non-denominational service’ in the compound’s dining area. Rick’s wife, Karen, speaks, and several
others make brief remarks. I listen, and
share the spirituality, but cannot resist organizing the day plan. At Some very
important items critical to success remain, plus a ton of little ones. The third revision of the work lists makes it
look possible, especially if Rick helps again.
Even though
Ruben said he could not work Sunday, he once again shows up and works on the
concrete pipe supports, etc. Rick installs
the partition, the bulletin board, and then mounts the sink solidly. He pipes the drain outside. The electrician, Gilberto (or ‘Joe’)
helps. The drain runs just outside the
building, and we suggest adding scraps of pipe over to the tower base after we leave. We put chemical
in the tanks and let the system run all night.
It’s all
working, but the building is not as neat as it should be. A good example is essential. At the meeting
and training, I get the people to write their names. Some are reluctant, so Claudia does it for
several of them. She wants John’s
email. She has an email account that she
visits at an internet cafe in Chiquimulilla.
We promise to communicate. Sergio Armando Cothillo Alvarado Aldea Oliveros Chiquimulilla, Santa Rosa Edad 38
anos, Presidenti, aldea Oliveros Consejo
Comuniterio De
Desarrollo “Cocode” Claudia Genova Bron Solares Aldea Oliveros Chiquimulilla, Santa Rosa Secretaria,
Consejo Comunidino de desarrollo “Cocode” Moises Pineda
Vasquez Tel. 5803-3427
& 7848-1752 Aldea San Martin Chiquimulilla, Alfonso Martin
Chiquilla Santesa Daniel
Valenzuela Aldea San
Martin, Chiquimulilla Ruben Garcia
Ayala Apolinario
Contreros I told them that
we designed for consumption of about 60 liters/day/person. They say there are about 1000 persons. Therefore, we should expect proper operation
would use 60,000 l/da/person. I also told them
the pump rate is 500 l/min, or 30,000 l/hr.
Therefore, they could expect to pump 2 hours per day with proper
utilization. (Writing this journal, and
recalculating, I was off by a factor of two; the rate is actually 250 l/min.
and they can expect to pump about 4 hours per day. That figure (250) probably explains the
earlier report of 250 ‘gallons’ per minute.
We must notify them of this correction at some future time. However, usage problems remain a serious
issue for them to resolve.) Apolinario
reads the chronometer (well pump hour meter) as 6.2 at 6 PM. The well has pumped 6.2 hours since
activating the pumps late morning today.
A great
day! Thanks. We introduced
everyone to the new automatic level control.
We explained the treatment system, which runs whenever the well pump
runs. We showed a
coliform Petri plate we had used earlier to test ‘mi casa’. We demonstrated how to conduct a coliform
test, gave each a Petri plate, zip-lock bag, and clean pipette straw. We asked them to test at home and bring the
plates back to tomorrow’s training. This evening a
dentist describes a ‘bubbler’ in the ground near the hose bibb at the
school. A leak? If so, it will make an object lesson for
tomorrow. First thing
today, Greg goes with Sergio and a shovel, pipe, and cement. They come back announcing they have fixed the
leak the dentist found. At The pump has
pumped over 22 hours continuously and the tower tank is empty! To test the treatment chemical concentration,
we close the outlet valve and pump 15 minutes to get a sample of recent
water. Cl reads 0.51—plenty. F reads -0.281, evidence of a non-functional
F tester. Later, I call the Hach Company
and Kevin mentions a third-order polynomial, but I ask him if he will calculate
the result for me. At about Kevin asks that
we send the meter back after we return home and he will arrange for a meter
from their Pressure at the
side valve, 5 ft above the ground is 15 psi with the tank nearly empty. Pressure calculation: 38 ft. ground to tank level – 5 ft = 33 ft. x
0.433 = 14.2 psi. The gauge check shows
it is accurate. Today I wash
down the floor and let it dry naturally.
The tile looks great and is easily swept and/or flushed with water. School at Claudia Lazaro Gilberto (Joe
the electrician) Sergio Juan Carlos Moises Apolanario Hernambran Ruben We emphasize the
serious over-consumption. It appears to
be 11 times normal! (Actually 5.5 times
normal because of my unfortunate 2x error.)
Still, it is a problem, and they understand, but are not sure what they
can do. The excess has only three
possible causes: pipe leaks, agricultural use, and/or animal watering, probably
in that order. Nearly everyone
produced a Petri plate inoculated with their water. Only one showed early signs of coliform! We put them in the treatment building to
incubate naturally for one more day. We showed the
broken pipe Sergio had dug up, and Greg told the story. I promised Q20 for each one found by
tomorrow’s school, up to a maximum of Q2000.
It got their attention—at least they laughed. We’ll see.
We replenished
the Cl tank, and added both crystals and water to the F tank. They understand and no one snickered at the
use of safety glasses and a dust mask.
Moises was the volunteer, and he took it seriously. Training in the
use of the Hach Cl meter began with a few dry runs, allowing everyone to press
‘cero’ (zero) and ‘check’ while inserting test vials and simulating addition of
the reagent using the trigger dispensor.
They had no problems, and seemed interested in the sophisticated
equipment. |
