Abstract
The University of Wisconsin-Madison student chapter of Engineers Without Borders (EWB-UW) has been working on a wastewater problem in El Salvador since 2005. The project began when members of the West Bend Rotary Club brought the project idea to EWB-UW in fall 2005. The primary objective of the project is to install a wastewater collection system in the rural communities of La Granja and Nuevo Ferrocarril. The wastewater problem emanates from the lack of any wastewater infrastructure except pit latrines for individual households. Thus all greywater (i.e., water due to bathing, cooking, and commercial uses) is discharged into the streets and either stagnates in low lying areas or finds its way to a small stream that flows between the two communities. The stagnant pools of wastewater are breeding grounds for bacteria, which are potentially pathogenic to the humans and animals that are exposed to the wastewater daily. The effectiveness of installing the wastewater collection system is being monitored through microbiological and epidemiological studies that are being conducted concurrently with installation. Over the past five years several assessment and implementation trips have been taken; where over 2,000 meters of pipeline has been installed in the first community of La Granja, a bridge has been constructed between the communities which serves as a crossing for the pipeline as well as a pedestrian crossing, and several educational workshops have been given. The next phase of the project consists of implementation of the pipeline in the second community, Nuevo Ferrocarril.
YouTube Video
