...
2007
...
In
...
Review
...
The
...
year
...
2007
...
was
...
filled
...
with
...
challenges,
...
opportunities
...
and
...
major
...
milestones.
...
The
...
Ojojona
...
water
...
treatment
...
plant
...
came
...
on
...
line
...
and
...
demonstrated
...
that
...
the
...
AguaClara
...
technology
...
is
...
able
...
to
...
produce
...
safe
...
drinking
...
water
...
without
...
an
...
external
...
power
...
source.
...
Our
...
close
...
connection
...
with
...
Agua
...
Para
...
el
...
Pueblo,
...
...
,
...
in
...
Honduras
...
grew
...
stronger
...
and
...
APP
...
hired
...
a
...
Honduran
...
technician,
...
Antonio
...
Elvir,
...
and
...
two
...
Cornell
...
graduates,
...
Carol
...
Serna
...
and
...
John
...
Erickson
...
to
...
work
...
full
...
time
...
on
...
the
...
AguaClara
...
project.
...
The
...
design
...
team
...
at
...
Cornell
...
continued
...
work
...
toward
...
our
...
long
...
term
...
goal
...
of
...
producing
...
the
...
first
...
automated
...
design
...
tools
...
for
...
municipal
...
water
...
treatment
...
plants,
...
and
...
the
...
research
...
team
...
continued
...
their
...
work
...
to
...
better
...
characterize
...
the
...
conditions
...
necessary
...
to
...
produce
...
effective
...
flocculation.
Ojojona
| Wiki Markup |
|---|
h2. Ojojona {float:right|border=2px solid black|width=310px} [!Ojojona Photos^0015_08_096.JPG|width=300px!|Ojojona Photos^0015_08_096.JPG] h5. Ojojona water treatment plant in January 2008 (photo by Lindsay France). {float} |
The
...
AguaClara
...
water
...
treatment
...
plant
...
at
...
...
is
...
the
...
first
...
implementation
...
of
...
a
...
suite
...
of
...
technologies
...
designed
...
by
...
the
...
AguaClara
...
team.
...
These
...
technological
...
firsts
...
include:
...
...
...
...
- for
...
- constant
...
- and
...
- easily
...
- adjusted
...
- delevery
...
- of
...
- both
...
- aluminum
...
- sulfate
...
- and
...
- calcium
...
- hypochlorite
...
- Modular
...
- assemblies
...
- of
...
- plastic
...
- corrugated
...
- roofing
...
- material
...
- for
...
- both
...
- hydraulic
...
- flocculator
...
- baffles
...
- and
...
- plate
...
- settlers
...
- Piped
...
- delivery
...
- of
...
- water
...
- into
...
- the
...
- sedimentation
...
- tank
...
- to
...
- reduce
...
- horizontal
...
- fluid
...
- velocities
...
- Sedimentation
...
- tanks
...
- designed
...
- to
...
- take
...
- advantage
...
- of
...
- a
...
- floc
...
- blanket
...
- to
...
- get
...
- enhanced
...
- turbidity
...
- removal
...
- Vertical
...
- flow
...
- hydraulic
...
- flocculator
...
- for
...
- small
...
- flowrates
...
- (The
...
- previous
...
- minimum
...
- flow
...
- for
...
- these
...
- flocculators
...
- was
...
- 7000
...
- liters
...
- per
...
- minute.
...
- We
...
- proved
...
- the
...
- technology
...
- can
...
- be
...
- adapted
...
- for
...
- flowrates
...
- as
...
- low
...
- as
...
- 200
...
- liters
...
- per
...
- minute.)
...
- Novel
...
- plant
...
- design
...
- that
...
- uses
...
- only
...
- one
...
- valve
...
- per
...
- tank
...
- and
...
- yet
...
- can
...
- be
...
- easily
...
- controlled
...
- for
...
- normal
...
- plant
...
- maintenance
...
- Plant
...
- operating
...
- tables
...
- that
...
- eliminate
...
- the
...
- need
...
- for
...
- calculating
...
- plant
...
- flow
...
- rates
...
- and
...
- chemical
...
- dosages.
| Wiki Markup |
|---|
{float:left|border=2px solid black|width=210px} [!photos^IMGP1281.JPG|width=200px!|photos^IMGP1281.JPG] h5. Inauguration ceremony of AguaClara water treatment plant at Ojojona in January 2007. {float} |
The
...
Ojojona
...
plant
...
was
...
inaugurated
...
in
...
January
...
of
...
2007
...
with
...
a
...
ceremony
...
that
...
included
...
representatives
...
from
...
water
...
sector
...
organizations,
...
local
...
mayors,
...
AguaClara
...
team
...
members,
...
...
Foundation,
...
NRWA,
...
and
...
...
.
...
The
...
ceremony
...
marked
...
a
...
signficant
...
milestone
...
of
...
the
...
end
...
of
...
the
...
construction
...
phase,
...
but
...
it
...
wasn't
...
until
...
later
...
in
...
the
...
year
...
that
...
we
...
were
...
able
...
to
...
bring
...
the
...
plant
...
fully
...
online
...
and
...
operating
...
according
...
to
...
design.
...
The
...
first
...
year
...
of
...
plant
...
operation
...
was
...
a
...
learning
...
experience
...
for
...
everyone
...
involved
...
as
...
we
...
developed
...
operating
...
guidelines,
...
made
...
improvements
...
to
...
various
...
components,
...
and
...
learned
...
the
...
art
...
of
...
adjusting
...
the
...
alum
...
dose
...
to
...
obtain
...
clean
...
water.
...
At
...
the
...
inauguration
...
ceremony
...
we
...
committed
...
to
...
providing
...
upgrades,
...
technical
...
support,
...
and
...
whatever
...
else
...
was
...
required
...
to
...
produce
...
clear,
...
safe
...
water
...
at
...
the
...
Ojojona
...
plant.
...
Due
...
to
...
the
...
number
...
of
...
technical
...
innovations
...
required
...
to
...
build
...
and
...
operate
...
a
...
small
...
scale
...
gravity
...
powered
...
water
...
treatment
...
plant
...
it
...
took
...
an
...
additional
...
9
...
months
...
after
...
construction
...
was
...
completed
...
to
...
reach
...
that
...
goal.
...
During
...
those
...
months
...
we
...
developed
...
new
...
fabrication
...
techniques
...
for
...
modular
...
baffles
...
and
...
plate
...
settlers,
...
learned
...
the
...
importance
...
of
...
controlling
...
the
...
plant
...
flow
...
rate
...
to
...
eliminate
...
flow
...
spikes
...
after
...
rain
...
storms,
...
developed
...
a
...
much
...
simplified
...
plant
...
operating
...
procedure,
...
devised
...
maintenance
...
procedures
...
that
...
optimize
...
plant
...
performance,
...
and
...
designed
...
and
...
fabricated
...
the
...
next
...
generation
...
of
...
flow
...
control
...
modules.
...
The
...
result
...
is
...
a
...
water
...
treatment
...
plant
...
that
...
is
...
easy
...
to
...
operate,
...
easy
...
to
...
maintain,
...
and
...
that
...
already
...
performs
...
better
...
than
...
many
...
of
...
the
...
"high"
...
tech
...
plants
...
in
...
Honduras.
Tamara
As Honduran communities learn of the AguaClara technology an ever increasing number are requesting that they be considered as potential sites for future water treatment plant projects. Site selection proved to be a challenge during the fall of 2007. The community of Moroceli was a top candidate because of its proximity to Tegucigalpa, size, and the recent construction of a new water storage tank at an ideal site overlooking the town. Unfortunately, poor engineering by the agency responsible for building the new tank left the tank high, dry, and unusable. Without water in the new storage tank Moroceli was no longer a viable candidate and APP helped identify additional communities that were close to Tegucigalpa in the Amarateca valley. A series of community meetings and engineering studies ensued and before long Tamara was identified as an ideal community. Tamara has a population of 3500, a well organized water board, and a single water supply serving the community. APP was already working with Tamara to extend their distribution system and so the addition of a water treatment plant was a logical next step.
Capacity building and training
| Wiki Markup |
|---|
h2. Tamara As Honduran communities learn of the AguaClara technology an ever increasing number are requesting that they be considered as potential sites for future water treatment plant projects. Site selection proved to be a challenge during the fall of 2007. The community of Moroceli was a top candidate because of its proximity to Tegucigalpa, size, and the recent construction of a new water storage tank at an ideal site overlooking the town. Unfortunately, poor engineering by the agency responsible for building the new tank left the tank high, dry, and unusable. Without water in the new storage tank Moroceli was no longer a viable candidate and APP helped identify additional communities that were close to Tegucigalpa in the Amarateca valley. A series of community meetings and engineering studies ensued and before long [Tamara] was identified as an ideal community. Tamara has a population of 3500, a well organized water board, and a single water supply serving the community. APP was already working with Tamara to extend their distribution system and so the addition of a water treatment plant was a logical next step. h2. Capacity building and training {float:right|border=2px solid black|width=210px} {anchor:output control box}[!photos^DSC01084.JPG|width=200px!|photos^DSC01084.JPG] h5. Plant operator training workshop using the demonstration plant in Ojojona in August, 2007. {float} |
In
...
August
...
Monroe
...
presented
...
a
...
2
...
day
...
workshop
...
in
...
Ojojona
...
on
...
the
...
theory
...
and
...
operation
...
of
...
the
...
AguaClara
...
water
...
treatment
...
plant.
...
The
...
workshop
...
was
...
attended
...
by
...
3
...
plant
...
operators
...
and
...
2
...
members
...
of
...
the
...
water
...
board
...
from
...
Ojojona,
...
the
...
plant
...
operator
...
and
...
head
...
of
...
the
...
water
...
board
...
from
...
La
...
34,
...
Antonio
...
Elvir
...
(the
...
AguaClara
...
APP
...
technician),
...
and
...
7
...
employees
...
of
...
AHJASA
...
(a
...
Honduran
...
water
...
sector
...
NGO).
...
The
...
transparent
...
...
...
that
...
was
...
built
...
by
...
the
...
AguaClara
...
team
...
during
...
the
...
spring
...
of
...
2007
...
proved
...
to
...
be
...
a
...
valuable
...
teaching
...
tool.
...
The
...
demonstration
...
plant
...
is
...
able
...
to
...
illustrate
...
the
...
concepts
...
of
...
reactor
...
residence
...
time,
...
flow
...
measurement,
...
chemical
...
dosing,
...
the
...
development
...
of
...
floc
...
size
...
in
...
the
...
flocculator,
...
and
...
sedimentation
...
on
...
the
...
plate
...
settlers.
...
The
...
operator
...
training
...
continued
...
from
...
August
...
to
...
December
...
as
...
John,
...
Carol,
...
and
...
Antonio
...
worked
...
with
...
the
...
3
...
plant
...
operators
...
from
...
Ojojona.
...
We
...
anticipate
...
that
...
the
...
training
...
period
...
will
...
be
...
shorter
...
in
...
future
...
plants,
...
but
...
a
...
significant
...
training
...
period
...
of
...
at
...
least
...
several
...
months
...
will
...
always
...
be
...
necessary
...
to
...
ensure
...
that
...
the
...
plant
...
operators
...
have
...
the
...
experience
...
and
...
confidence
...
to
...
continue
...
operating
...
the
...
plant.
...
It
...
is
...
essential
...
that
...
the
...
plant
...
operators
...
become
...
completely
...
familiar
...
with
...
all
...
of
...
the
...
operation
...
and
...
maintenance
...
procedures
...
and
...
have
...
the
...
confidence
...
to
...
make
...
changes
...
and
...
repairs
...
to
...
the
...
plant
...
as
...
needed.
...
One
...
of
...
the
...
reasons
...
that
...
the
...
high
...
tech
...
plants
...
fail
...
is
...
because
...
the
...
plant
...
operators
...
don't
...
feel
...
ownership.
...
It
...
is
...
our
...
goal
...
that
...
by
...
including
...
a
...
thorough
...
training
...
period
...
of
...
successful
...
plant
...
operation
...
that
...
the
...
community
...
will
...
begin
...
to
...
expect
...
safe
...
water
...
and
...
that
...
the
...
plant
...
operators
...
will
...
develop
...
pride
...
in
...
providing
...
a
...
high
...
level
...
of
...
service
...
to
...
the
...
community.
...
AguaClara
...
Engineers
...
working
...
for
...
Agua
...
Para
...
el Pueblo
| Wiki Markup |
|---|
Pueblo {float:right|border=2px solid black|width=160px} {anchor:pressure sensor}[!AguaClara Engineer Application^0015_08_647.jpg|width=150px!|AguaClara Engineer Application^0015_08_647.jpg] h5. Carol Serna and John Erickson, AguaClara Engineers in Tamara, Honduras. {float} |
Beginning
...
in
...
August
...
of
...
2007
...
...
hired
...
two
...
Cornell
...
graduates,
...
Carol
...
Serna
...
and
...
John
...
Erickson,
...
for
...
a
...
year
...
assignment
...
working
...
on
...
AguaClara
...
projects
...
in
...
Honduras
...
as
...
...
...
.
...
Funded
...
by
...
the
...
...
...
Carol
...
and
...
John
...
have
...
worked
...
with
...
Antonio
...
Elvir
...
to
...
make
...
improvements
...
at
...
the
...
Ojojona
...
plant,
...
to
...
train
...
plant
...
operators,
...
to
...
evaluate
...
potential
...
sites
...
for
...
future
...
plants,
...
and
...
to
...
document
...
the
...
performance
...
of
...
the
...
Ojojona
...
plant.
...
They
...
have
...
also
...
been
...
an
...
invaluable
...
link
...
between
...
the
...
research
...
and
...
design
...
teams
...
at
...
Cornell
...
and
...
APP.
...
We
...
plan
...
to
...
continue
...
the
...
AguaClara
...
Engineers
...
program
...
at
...
the
...
same
...
level
...
in
...
2008-2009.
...
Research
...
and
...
Design
...
The
...
AguaClara
...
team
...
at
...
Cornell
...
made
...
advances
...
on
...
many
...
fronts.
...
Much
...
of
...
the
...
design
...
work
...
had
...
direct
...
application
...
to
...
the
...
Ojojona
...
plant.
...
The
...
team
...
designed
...
new
...
fabrication
...
techniques
...
for
...
plate
...
settlers
...
and
...
for
...
the
...
flocculator
...
baffles
...
using
...
materials
...
that
...
are
...
available
...
in
...
Honduras.
...
They
...
designed
...
a
...
modular
...
flow
...
control
...
device
...
that
...
is
...
easier
...
to
...
intall
...
and
...
use.
...
And
...
they
...
designed
...
and
...
built
...
a
...
transparent
...
demonstration
...
plant
...
that
...
replicates
...
all
...
of
...
the
...
systems
...
found
...
in
...
the
...
full
...
scale
...
AguaClara
...
water
...
treatment
...
plants.
...
In
...
the
...
fall
...
of
...
2007
...
the
...
design
...
team
...
created
...
an
...
improved
...
plant
...
layout
...
for
...
Tamara.
...
Now
...
that
...
the
...
process
...
design
...
has
...
been
...
proven
...
the
...
team
...
focused
...
on
...
making
...
the
...
plant
...
as
...
easy
...
as
...
possible
...
to
...
operate
...
and
...
maintain.
...
Another
...
branch
...
of
...
the
...
design
...
team
...
made
...
great
...
strides
...
toward
...
our
...
goal
...
of
...
creating
...
an
...
online
...
fully
...
automated
...
design
...
tool
...
for
...
AguaClara
...
water
...
treatment
...
plants.
...
Our
...
goal
...
is
...
to
...
be
...
able
...
to
...
provide
...
fully
...
detailed
...
designs
...
including
...
3-D
...
AutoCAD
...
drawings
...
and
...
parts
...
lists
...
to
...
municipalities,
...
NGOs,
...
and
...
consulting
...
firms
...
who
...
want
...
to
...
build
...
the
...
AguaClara
...
water
...
treatment
...
plants.
...
Our
...
goal
...
is
...
to
...
get
...
version
...
1
...
of
...
this
...
capability
...
running
...
by
...
the
...
end
...
of
...
the
...
spring
...
semester
...
in
...
2008.
...
Project
...
Funding
...
Now
...
that
...
we
...
have
...
demonstrated
...
that
...
the
...
AguaClara
...
technology
...
can
...
reliably
...
produce
...
safe
...
drinking
...
water
...
we
...
are
...
expecting
...
a
...
rapid
...
increase
...
in
...
the
...
rate
...
of
...
water
...
treatment
...
plant
...
construction.
...
We
...
are
...
currently
...
building
...
water
...
treatment
...
plants
...
with
...
a
...
capital
...
cost
...
of
...
$20
...
per
...
person
...
served.
...
We
...
anticipate
...
that
...
we
...
will
...
be
...
able
...
to
...
lower
...
that
...
cost
...
as
...
we
...
move
...
from
...
the
...
prototyping
...
phase
...
to
...
steady
...
construction.
...
Assessing
...
and
...
developing
...
appropriate
...
funding
...
sources
...
for
...
the
...
capital
...
costs
...
became
...
a
...
priority
...
during
...
the
...
latter
...
half
...
of
...
2007.
...
Our
...
circle
...
of
...
...
has
...
continued
...
to
...
grow
...
with
...
the
...
addition
...
of
...
the
...
...
...
...
...
...
and
...
Somers
...
Rotary
...
Club.
...
The
...
Somers
...
Rotary
...
club
...
is
...
taking
...
the
...
lead
...
in
...
funding
...
the
...
Tamara
...
project.
...
We
...
hope
...
to
...
build
...
5
...
water
...
treatment
...
plants
...
in
...
2008
...
and
...
thus
...
we
...
will
...
continue
...
to
...
explore
...
additional
...
funding
...
sources.
...