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AguaClara Project Sites in Honduras

AguaClara Project Sites in India

AguaClara Project Sites in Nicaragua

Instructions on how to update the google map.

Photos

Recent albums from AguaClara on Picasa | Other Photos

Scholarly Publications

Introducing AguaClara: The Process of Establishing a Pilot Plant in the State of Chiapas
Kenichi Victor Nishikawa Chavez, Cornell Institute of Public Affairs, 2013.

An Affordable Open-Source Turbidimeter
Christopher D. Kelley, Alexander Krolick, Logan Brunner, Alison Burklund, Daniel Kahn, William P. Ball and Monroe Weber-Shirk. Sensors 2014, 14(4), 7142-7155

Floc Roll-up and its Implications for the Spacing of Inclined Settling Devices
Michael J. Adelman, Matthew W. Hurst, Monroe L. Weber-Shirk, Tanya S. Cabrito, Cosme Somogyi, and Leonard W. Lion
Environmental Engineering Science, Volume: 30 Issue 6: June 24, 2013.

A novel fluidic control system for stacked rapid sand filters
Michael J. Adelman, Monroe L. Weber-Shirk, Jeffrey C. Will, Anderson N. Cordero, William J. Maher, and Leonard W. Lion
Journal of Environmental Engineering, Published: 31 January (2013).

From stock to floc: an investigation into the physical/chemical processes controlling aluminum sulfate and polyaluminum chloride behavior in a gravity powered drinking water treatment plant
Karen A. Swetland.
Dissertation. Cornell University. August 2012

Predictive performance model for hydraulic flocculator design with polyaluminum chloride and aluminum sulfate coagulants
Karen A. Swetland, Monroe l. Weber-Shirk, and Leonard W. Lion.
Journal of Environmental Engineering, submitted (2012).

Gravity-Powered Chemical Dose Controller for Sustainable, Municipal-Scale Drinking Water Treatment
Karen A. Swetland, Monroe l. Weber-Shirk, and Leonard W. Lion.
Journal of Environmental Engineering, submitted (2012).

Influence of polyaluminum chloride self-aggregation on flocculation performance
Karen A. Swetland, Monroe l. Weber-Shirk, and Leonard W. Lion.
Journal of Environmental Engineering Science, submitted (2012).

Governance Models for Community Water Systems: The Case of AguaClara
Karim Beers, A Professional Report, May 2012.

Stacked Filters: a Novel Approach to Rapid Sand Filtration
Michael J. Adelman, Monroe L. Weber-Shirk, Anderson N. Cordero, Sara L. Coffey, William J. Maher, Dylan Guelig, Jeffrey C. Will, Sarah C. Stodter, Matthew W. Hurst, and Leonard W. Lion.
Journal of Environmental Engineering, Published: 27 February (2012).

Enhanced Filter Performance by Fluidized-Bed Pretreatment with Al(OH)3(am): Observations and Model Simulation
Po-Hsun Lin, Leonard W. Lion, and Monroe L. Weber-Shirk.
Journal of Environmental Engineering 1, 389 (2011).

Enhanced Particle Capture through Aluminum Hydroxide Addition to Pores in Sand Media
Po-Hsun Lin, Leonard W. Lion, and Monroe L. Weber-Shirk.
Journal of Environmental Engineering 1, 284 (2011).

Comparison of the Ability of Three Coagulants to Enhance Filter Performance
Po-Hsun Lin, Leonard W. Lion, and Monroe L. Weber-Shirk.
Journal of Environmental Engineering 137, 371 (2011).

Method for quantitative analysis of flocculation performance
Ian C. Tse, Karen Swetland, Monroe L. Weber-Shirk, Leonard W. Lion.
Water Research, Volume 45, Issue 10, Pages 3075-3084. (2011).
Keywords: Tube flocculator; Sedimentation velocity; Residual turbidity

Fluid shear influences on the performance of hydraulic flocculation systems
Ian C. Tse, Karen Swetland, Monroe L. Weber-Shirk, Leonard W. Lion.
Water Research, Volume 45, Issue 17, 1, Pages 5412-5418 (2011).
Keywords: Hydraulic flocculation; Fluid shear; Sedimentation velocity; Velocity gradient

Flocculation model and collision potential for reactors with flows characterized by high Peclet numbers
Monroe L. Weber-Shirk, Leonard W. Lion.
Water Research, Volume 44, Issue 18, Pages 5180-5187. (2010)
Keywords: Hydraulic flocculator; Mechanistic model; Fractal dimension; Floc density; Sedimentation; Floc volume fraction; Collision potential

Parameters affecting steady-state floc blanket performance
Matt Hurst, Monroe Weber-Shirk and Leonard W. Lion.
Journal of Water Supply: Research and Technology AQUA Vol 59 No 5 pp 312-323. (2010)

Gravity Powered Flow Controllers for Chlorine and Alum Dosing
Monroe Weber-Shirk.
Journal of Water Supply: Research and Technology AQUA Vol 58 No 2 pp 147-152. (2009)

Conference Papers and Presentations

AMEC Webinar June 5, 2014

Conference Poster
AguaClara Concept Paper
Concepto de AguaClara

XXXIII Congreso Interamericano de Ingeniería Sanitaria y Ambiental - Salvador, Brazil, June 2012
"Field evaluation of the performance of a stacked rapid sand filter in Támara, Francisco Morazán, Honduras."
Jeffrey C. Will, Michael J. Adelman, Monroe L. Weber-Shirk, José Jacobo Núñez Vásquez, Leonard W. Lion, Gilberto Arturo Diaz Ordóñez, Santiago Alberto Garcia Ochoa, Daniel W. Smith
Paper (English) - SRSF Evaluation Paper AIDIS
Presentation (English) - SRSF Evaluation Presentation AIDIS\
Ponencia (Español) - El Rendimiento de FRAMCa Presentación AIDIS
Presentación (Español) - El Rendimiento de FRAMCa Presentación AIDIS

XXXIII Congreso Interamericano de Ingeniería Sanitaria y Ambiental - Salvador, Brazil, June 2012
"An Automated Design Tool for Sustainable, Gravity-Powered Water Treatment Plants."
Monroe L. Weber-Shirk, Leonard W. Lion, Maysoon A. Sharif, Jeffrey C. Will
Paper (English) - ADT Paper AIDIS
Presentation (English) - ADT Presentation AIDIS
Presentación (Español) - La HDA Presentación AIDIS

XXVII Congreso Centroamericano de Ingenieria Sanitaria y Ambiental - San Salvador, El Salvador, March 2012
"Implementation of the AguaClara stacked rapid-sand filtration process at the municipal water treatment plant in Támara, Francisco Morazán, Honduras"
Jeffrey C. Will, Michael J. Adelman, Monroe L. Weber-Shirk, Leonard W. Lion
Paper (English) - SRSF Implementation Paper AIDIS
Ponencia (Español) - Estudio de Implementación del Filtación Rápida de Arena en Múltiples Capas (FRAMCa)
Presentación (Español) - Estudio de Implementación del Filtación Rápida de Arena en Múltiples Capas (FRAMCa)

XXVII Congreso Centroamericano de Ingenieria Sanitaria y Ambiental - San Salvador, El Salvador, March 2012
"Comparison of Two Coagulants to Improve Performance of Community Water Treatment Plants in Honduras."
Daniel W. Smith, Mirna Noemy Argueta, Santos Antonio Elvir
Ponencia (Español) - Comparación de Dos Coagulantes
Presentación (Español) - Comparación de Dos Coagulantes

21st World Water Week - Stockholm, Sweden, August 2011
"Quality drinking water from economically-sustainable municipal infrastructure: examples from AguaClara in Honduras."
Michael J. Adelman, Monroe L. Weber-Shirk, Rosa Mato Amboage, Daniel W. Smith
Abstract - World Water Week Abstract
Poster - World Water Week Poster

NSF CMMI Technology and Innovation Conference - Atlanta, GA, January 2011
"Stacked Rapid Sand Filters: an Economical Technology for Sustainable Development."
Michael J. Adelman, Dylan Guelig, Anderson Cordero, Sara Coffey, Jeffrey Will, Sarah Stodter, Monroe L. Weber-Shirk
Abstact - CMMI Abstract
Poster - CMMI Poster

XXVI Congreso Centroamericano y V Congreso Nacional de Ingenieria Sanitaria y Ambiental - Guatemala City, Guatemala, November 8-11, 2009
Paper - Presentacion de AguaClara a AIDIS Guatemala, noviembre 2009
Presentation Presentacion de AguaClara a AIDIS Guatemala, 11 de noviembre 2009

Central America Fulbright Enhancement Seminar; Antigua, Guatemala, April 2, 2009
Presentation - Central America Fulbright Enhancement Seminar, Antigua Guatemala, April 2, 2009

XXXI Congreso Interamericano de Ingeniería Sanitaria y Ambiental - Santiago, Chile, October 19-23, 2008
Paper - AguaClara: Plantas Municipales de Tratamiento de Aguas Superficiales Que Son Sostenibles Y Sin Necesidad de Electricidad
Presentation - presentation
Paper - Controladores de Caudal Energizados por Gravedad para Dosificación de Cloro y Sulfato de Aluminio
Presentation - presentation

Sustainable and Safe Drinking Water in Developing and Developed Countries: Where Science Meets Policy, November 5-6, 2008
Paper - Sustainable, Gravity Powered, Municipal Scale Drinking Water Treatment for Surface Waters
Presentation - Sustainable, Gravity Powered, Municipal Scale Drinking Water Treatment for Surface Waters

Presentations

Presentation to RASHon Honduras January 12, 2013 Tegucigalpa
AguaClara Advisory Council - Perspective from Honduras March 5, 2010
Cornell Center for a Sustainable Future Faculty Luncheon February 17, 2010 Cornell University
Presentation to RASGUA Guatemala January 11, 2010 Guatemala city
Presentation to ERIS Guatemala January 11, 2010 Guatemala city
Presentation to Gabinete de Agua Guatemala January 11, 2010 Guatemala city
Presentation to the Red Regional de Agua y Saneamiento de Centroamerica (RRAS-CA), San Salvador, El Salvador, December 4, 2009
AguaClara - CCSF Synergy, Cornell University, November 20, 2009
Take Back the Tap, Cornell University, November 18, 2009
Presentation to the Swanson Lab Advisory Council, Cornell University, October 26, 2009
Presentation to The Resource Foundation, New York City, August 24, 2009
Presentation at Institute on Global Service-Learning, Cornell University, February 13, 2009
Cuatro Comunidades Health Fair
Presentation to Malcolm Pirnie, December 12, 2008

Proposals and Other Documents

Proposal to NSF on NanoScale Aggregation Mechanisms Word or PDF
Phase I Proposal to EPA P3 in 2009 Word
Phase II Proposal to EPA P3 in 2007 Word
Proposal to NSF on Sustainable Surface Water Treatment Word or pdf

News Archive

New Blog

AguaClara at Cornell has started a blog. We hope that features like RSS and email subscriptions will make it easier to keep track of AguaClara's progress, and at the same time make it easier for us to provide you with updates.

Plant AutoCAD Flythrough

A new 3-D rendering and flythrough of the Atima AguaClara facility has been posted on our YouTube Channel.

Design Tool Source Posted

The Design Tool source code has been posted online here. This is in keeping with AguaClara's open design philosophy and a step forward in opening up AguaClara's design algorithms to peer review and dissemination.

Update from the Director

July 14, 2011
Good afternoon!

I hope that you are all having a great summer!

I've been meaning to write an update on AguaClara for some time and the accelerating pace of the AguaClara team has kept me fully occupied. Here are some highlights.

Gail Richardson has joined the AguaClara Advisory Council. She brings passion for Honduras, professional experience in public relations, and lives in NYC.

The AguaClara summer internship program at Cornell continues to grow. This summer the program doesn't offer credit or pay and has over 30 students and graduates participating. I am paying the incoming and outgoing design team leaders and an M.Eng. graduate who is designing an improved chemical doser. The program has Cornell institutional support and so it should be possible to continue offering this in future years. I am particularly pleased with the progress that we are making on our designs. Summer internships for a few student leaders have an incredible return on investment.

An M.S. student and an M.Eng. graduate are in Honduras supervising the design and construction of the first Stacked Rapid Sand Filter at the Tamara, Honduras AguaClara facility. The foundation for the 12 L/s Stacked Rapid Sand Filter is being poured right now and in the coming weeks the filter will be completed. Stacked Rapid Sand Filters have the potential to overcome the limitations of previous filtration technologies and to allow widespread adoption of the AguaClara technologies in countries where filtration is required by law for surface water supplies.

Jeff Will graduated with an M.Eng. in May and has a Fulbright Fellowship to work with APP in Honduras starting next week. This once again makes it possible for us to keep the APP-Cornell connection going without requiring a lot of funding. Sarah Long will be ending her AguaClara Engineer position with APP in December and Dan Smith will be ending his term in February of 2012.

Len Lion and I will be traveling to Honduras from August 1 - 8 to visit project sites, create a vision for the coming year, and meet with government officials and the Pan-american Agricultural University at Zamorano where they hope to build an AguaClara plant.

A Cornell MBA graduate from Colombia is pursuing the possibility of creating a new business that would become the AguaClara implementation partner in Colombia.
The Guatemalan government ministry that provides technical support to municipalities is planning to send a delegation to visit AguaClara facilities in Honduras next month./

We will be receiving $15,000 for one of the three proposals (Stacked Rapid Sand Filtration, Automated Design Tool, Foam Filtration) that we submitted to the EPA People/Planet/Prosperity competition last December. The proposal that EPA reviewers liked best was our proposal for point of use filtration using porous foam.

The AguaClara team in Honduras has a new (used) pickup truck enabling them to retire the Tayo to short trips (with gratitude to Ken Brown!). The additional vehicle has been greatly appreciated especially given the multiple AguaClara projects underway in Honduras this summer.

The Marcala plant upgrade to 55 L/s was completed a few months ago. That plant is serving 15,000 people and brings the total population served by AguaClara facilities to 25,000!
The Alauca plant construction is proceeding very rapidly. You can see photos of the construction on our Picassa site (https://picasaweb.google.com/CUAguaClara/AlaucaProject).
The Atima project is proceeding through the pre-construction phases. It has Rotary approval and it is expected to move into construction soon.

The Millennium Water Alliance, MWA, has submitted a proposal to Nestle for a shared value award that is based on scaling up AguaClara in Honduras. The MWA connection has a lot of potential. We just need one of the joint proposals to be funded! Dan Smith has been submitting multiple proposals with APP in an effort to increasing funding for the Honduras side of the AguaClara program.

Cornell and College of Engineering Development offices seem to have a new openness to looking for funding for the AguaClara program. Although nothing has materialized yet, the door is open for working together. There are conversations about meetings with previous donors and I am hopeful that it will be possible to increase the level of support for AguaClara at Cornell so that we can continue to focus on Research, Invent, Design, Empower!

Warmest regards,

Monroe Weber-Shirk

AguaClara Engineering Trip to Honduras

Twenty-one Cornell students in the AguaClara program spent two weeks of their winter break traveling in Honduras and learning about the sustainability of various drinking water treatment technologies. The AguaClara team has developed a series of water treatment technologies that do not require any electricity and that are able to transform highly turbid surface waters into safe drinking water. The team at Cornell partners with Agua Para el Pueblo in Honduras to implement the Cornell technologies. While in Honduras they traveled over 1400 miles with many of those miles on dirt roads. The team visited five communities with AguaClara water treatment plants and two communities where AguaClara plants are on schedule to be constructed this year.

Sedimentation Tank Hydraulics Team Develops Floc Blanket in New Design

The Sedimentation Tank Hydraulics team is working on designing a new tank that has optimal geometry for floc blanket formation. In past years, the team was successful in forming floc blanket in labs but failed to form them in full-size plants. Doing so would allow a shallower, more materials-efficient geometry than the current sedimentation tank design, which translates into a better plant for a lower cost. Team leader Anna Lee says, "We are still working on designing the sedimentation tank. Our schematic drawing and the AutoCAD drawings of the model will be part of our first reflection report." To view the Sedimentation Tank Hydraulics reports visit the team page.

AguaClara's Spring Benefit Concert

The biannual benefit concert was a great success, thanks to the participation of local artists Alan Rose & the Restless Elements, Julianna Richer Daily, Larry Lin, and Pouria Pezeshkian! Special thanks to the Nines for hosting this event once again. For those that missed it, photos are available on AguaClara's Picasa page here, and of course we encourage everyone to come out for the concert next semester.

Volunteer Opportunities

AguaClara is currently taking local volunteers! As of this semester, the team is open to individuals willing to help out with any aspect of the project. Teams are involved in a variety of tasks and range from Foam Filtration Research to the Design Team. Those without significant engineering experience are welcome to participate and learn more about AguaClara and the water filtration system. Additionally, they are welcome to participate on the Outreach Team which works to spread the word about AguaClara both locally and globally. Projects include updating the website, planning fundraising events, creating promotional materials, and contacting potential funding sources. Volunteer opportunities vary in length of time commitment and every participant will receive a certificate at the end of their commitment as verification of their contribution to AguaClara. Anyone interested should send an email to CUAguaclara@gmail.com.