#Cuatro Comunidades
#Documentation of AguaClara Plants
#CCC Study
#Tamara
#AguaClara Plant Manual
Cuatro Comunidades
The roof is almost complete for the construction of the new AguaClara treatment plant for the Four Communities: Los Bayos, Aldea Bonita, Rio Frio and La Jagua.
The bottom of the sedimentation tanks has been filled with the sloping bottoms to collect sludge.
The shafts connecting the channel to the sedimentation tank entrance manifolds have also been poured in one tank. They are still going to smooth the turns at the bottom of the shafts there is less opportunity for floc buildup.
We finalized the designs of the ferrocement plaques that will enclose the manifolds that control the flow entering the sedimentations tanks.
We also decided to build an elevated curtain across the middle of the plant entrance tank (see diagram below). The curtain will divide the surface of the tank in two parts: where the water enters from the source and where the dose controller and tank exit are. Water will pass below the curtain from one part to the other. The curtain will help stabilize the water level in the part of the tank where the dose controller is.
Documentation of AguaClara Plants
Based on meetings with APP personnel and engineers from FHIS (Honduran Social Investment Fund), the organization that is building gravity-run, multi-stage slow-sand filtration plants called FIME, while the students were here in January, we have realized there is a need to better document the AguaClara experience and compare our plants to the FIME plants. Monday 1.26 we met with Engineer Martin Rivera, director of the Peace Corps Water and Sanitation Program, and Engineer Edith Rivera of Save the Children to discuss what criteria should be considered in the evaluation of the AguaClara and FIME plants. We will bring their ideas to the Centro de Recursos (Resource Center), a part of the RASHON (Water and Sanitation Network of Honduras), where together with FHIS we will design a study to evaluate both types of plants using the same parameters.
CCC Study
AguaClara would like to work with SANAA to devise a study to evaluate the CCC (Controlador de Caudal de Cloro). We are working on putting together a document to explain the terms of this study.
Tamara
We were in Tamara Monday 1.19 and Wednesday 1.21 checking up on the operation of the plant. There are still problems with intermittent flow from La Chorrera, but it appears that in the two weeks after the Cornell trip was in Tamara the plant was functioning well. However, it is unclear whether the operator Carlos always records plant failures. For instance, one day when the Cornell students were at the plant there were no flocs for several hours, but during those hours Carlos took no data to document the problem. We have decided that more frequent visits by Antonio to the plant might improve the situation. We also discussed the possibility of hiring second operator with Ramón Rivera, the vice president of the water board.
While in Tamara on Wednesday we finished setting up the automatic dose controller and began testing it with water. It appeared to be working quite well. We are not entirely sure how to proceed, but will probably try it a few more times, change the flow meter orifices to the linear arrangement, and put the controller online with aluminum sulfate soon.
AguaClara Plant Manual
An extensive plant manual was written by John, Carol and Antonio and presented to the Tamara operator and Water Board in the official handing over of the project to the community. While this manual may be useful for technicians and engineers who want to learn about the plant, it is too detailed to be referred to often by the operator. Antonio is working on making a simple version for operator.