Honduras Interns Progress Report
Date: 11/30/07
Location: Ojojona
Work Completed This Week
¿ Improvements to Plant
¿ Progress in Problem Solving with the Plant
o Applying 2 mg/L of chlorine at the entrance of the plant, we weren`t able to maintain any significant residual in the distribution tank or the houses. There was at least 1.5 mg/L of residual right after chlorine addition, so we know we were adding effective chlorine. The problem is likely that algae and organic matter on the plant walls and lamina were reacting with the chlorine. Tuesday, Nov. 27 we moved the chlorine application back to the exit of the plant.
¿ Ojojona
o Asambleas, Raise in Tariff
¿ We met with 4 barrios of Payaguagre Saturday, November 4. Out of 115 houses invited, only about 30 people showed up. Those that came, however, were supportive of an increase in the tariff.
¿ We still need to meet with the remaining barrios. That meeting was scheduled for Saturday, Dec 1, but was cancelled due to conflicts with the Ojojona Christmas Fair.
¿ We spoke with the Ojojona Alcalde Monday to invite him to the FODA. He said that he and 2 Regidores (officials from the municipality) would come. We also made an appointment to give a presentation to the Alcalde and the municipality on the sustainability of the plant on Monday, Dec 3.
o Capacitation of plant operators, Sustainability
¿ Juan was at the plant this week, but there was very little work to do. When they are not applying sulfate, the operator probably only needs to come once a day to check the chlorine. Since they will have some extra time we will try to get them to monitor chlorine and turbidity in Payaguagre and Agua Blanca daily.
¿ Tamara
o We met with the Tamara Junta Thursday evening, November 29. The purpose of the meeting was to show them the technical plant and budget for the distribution system improvement and the plant construction.
¿ The Tamara Junta was most interested in how much their contribution will have to be. Because materials that are traditionally local (sand, gravel and wood) are not locally available in Tamara, they are concerned that the community will not be able to afford to provide them. APP didn´t have the estimates for unqualified labor (provided by the community) available, but Ing. Serrano and Nahaman will send this information on Saturday, Dec 1.
¿ We presented the draft of the agreement for the plant. They will review it Sunday, Dec 2 and get back to us. The eventual plan is to combine the plant agreement and the agreement for the distribution system improvements into one 2-part document.
¿ We asked about lodging for students in January. They will ask around and get back to us with how many beds in houses they are able to provide.
¿ The weekend of Jan 12 and 13 is not the best for them for the formal agreement signing. Saturday, Jan 12 is better than the 13th, so we tentatively agreed on 4pm Jan 12th in the courtyard of the school.
o Tamara design
¿ We spoke with Ing. Serrano about whether the roof will provide enough shade for the tanks.
¿ We are reluctant to completely enclose the plant with brick walls, since it will make it dark inside, decrease ventilation and increase cost.
¿ We are unsure how much light is permissible before alga is a problem. Is direct sunlight the only problem or is indirect light also a concern?
¿ Our proposal is to build the roof with inclined overhangs that will provide extra shade. The engineer will design the roof and the columns so that aluminum panels can be attached to the sides of the plant later on if alga is still a problem with the roof and overhangs. We think the aluminum side panels will only be necessary on the higher half of the walls, since very little light enters near the bottom.
¿ Ideas for future plants
o Ing. Serrano brought 3 people, including the Alcalde, from his town in Lempira to visit the plant. They are building a new water system for 200 houses and are interested in a treatment plant.
¿ Plans for the Future
o We will present about the plant at the AJASA national convention in Siguatepeque, Thurs Dec 6.
o Try Monroe´s idea of using a long wooden beam to lift the floc tank lamina a few inches off the bottom of the tank for cleaning.
¿ Questions for Cornell
o How much light do algae need to grow. Do we need the tanks to be a completely dark environment, or is it enough if they are shaded from direct sunlight most of the day?