AguaClara is a program in Civil and Environmental Engineering at Cornell University that is improving drinking water quality through innovative research, knowledge transfer, open source engineering and design of sustainable, replicable water treatment systems.

The AguaClara Program was launched in 2005 as a collaborative venture between Cornell University and Agua Para el Pueblo, an NGO in Honduras. AguaClara provides a scalable approach to infrastructure design, integrating education, innovation and invention with sustainable implementation and empowerment. Partners include multiple non-governmental organizations, towns with AguaClara facilities, donor organizations, Cornell students, and Cornell University. Together these partners are working to create a lasting solution to the problem of how to provide safe drinking water to the estimated one billion people who lack access to this most basic of life's necessities.

The AguaClara project provides students an opportunity to carry on Ezra Cornell's vision: his sense of invention, his focus on the future, his belief in hands-on learning, his dream of a well-rounded education available to anyone.

Read more about the concept behind the project and its sustainability.

AguaClara Technology

AguaClara technology is uniquely capable of producing high quality drinking water from turbid surface waters without using electricity. It is simple to manage, and is suitable for poor communities in developing countries.

Our Progress

The first AguaClara plant began producing clean water for the Honduran community of Ojojona in 2007. Since then full scale municipal plants have been added in Marcala, Tamara, Cuatro Comunidades, Agalteca, and Alauca.

To the left you can see influent and effluent water collected at the plant in Cuatro Comunidades. The brown turbid plant influent water is in the bottle on the left, and the clear water on the right is what the plant was producing from it!

How can I help?

We are raising funds for water treatment plants in Honduras. We ask that you donate to bring safe water to many people, and that you continue to invest in the education, innovation, and capacity-building that are included in each AguaClara project. We require continuous funding to develop the most efficient and cost-effective drinking water treatment plants, which is only possible through the generous contributions of our sponsors. Our implementation partners also need support to build these plants. If you are interested in becoming a supporter there are multiple options for making a tax deductible donation.

Read more about supporting AguaClara on our Get Involved page.