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1. Who operates and maintains the plants?
   • Similar to conventional water treatment plants in the US, the plants are operated and maintained by a plant operator selected by the community's Water Board. The plant operator is in charge of monitoring the plant flow rate and must learn when to change the dosage of aluminum sulfate and chlorine. The required chemical dose is highly dependent on the plant flow rate and the incoming turbidity of the water. The chemical dosers need to be manually changed by a plant operator. The operator also keeps a written record of plant operation and water quality so the community can be aware of how well the plant is working.
2. Do all the people in the community know where they are getting their water?
   • AguaClara works in communities that have an established Water Board. This Water Board usually consists of 5-6 people from the community that either volunteer, or are paid to take care of the town's water source. This usually involves collecting a monthly water usage fee and taking care of distribution lines and any maintenance projects. In some towns, a member of the water board adds chlorine to the water, regardless of how turbid it is.
     While most people living in industrialized cities do not know where their water source is, most people in the communities we work take an interest because water is not necessarily taken for granted.
3. What are the sources of water for the plant?
   • AguaClara technology treats surface water, usually from a spring, river or stream above the community.
4. Why Honduras and not another country?
   • AguaClara treatment technology can be applied to any country. Honduras was selected as the first country to work in for a variety of reasons, mainly because the director of the project, Monroe Weber-Shirk already had personal contacts working with water projects in Honduras. Honduras is also listed in the Millennium Development Goals as a target site for improved water and sanitation.
5. Where can I learn more about AguaClara?
   • You can learn more about AguaClara by reading our Wiki or contacting anyone from the team. You can also learn more about the technology we use on the course notes available for free online.
6. How can I get involved?
   • Students at Cornell get involved in a variety of ways. Students can join the class by enrolling in CEE255 or CEE455. Depending on the time commitment one can make, students can take the classes for a varying number of credits. Additionally, students can get involved by joining the ESW club to promote more publicity, outreach and awareness. The AguaClara Wiki has information about each student project team as well.
     People who are not located near Cornell can also get involved by contacting a team member. There are always things to do on a busy project. Volunteers can assist in making contacts and helping with a wide array of outreach events.
     Others who might not be able to spend their time volunteering might be able to contribute monetarily. As a student project team with direct community involvement, we rely heavily on private funders. Information on how you can contribute to the project can be found hereon the home page of the wiki, on the back page of the brochure, and in the donor packet on a fact sheet.

Costs

1. What are the costs associated with building each plant? 
   • Including engineering oversight, construction materials, and labor AguaClara plants can be built for less than $20 per community member benefitted. It then costs approximately $2 per person per year to operate and maintain the plants.
2. Where does the money come from?
   • A large share of the construction costs, especially labor and locally-available materials, are paid by the community, with cash or labor contributions from residents. Other construction funds come from private funderssupporters, public grants, and other donor institutions such as Rotary International. Funds to support the design of the plants and the AguaClara research team at Cornell on campus come from Cornell University, The Sanjuan Foundation Fund and other private donors.

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