Engineers Without Borders

Project Meeting 10/27/08

October 29, 2008 at 6:47 pm | In Meeting Minutes | Comments Off

Announcements/General:

1. Aaron is back in the community in El Salvador.
2. Cerro Segovio needs $200 to obtain legal rights to the water source they use now. The current owner wants to make sure they get it.  We will ask for the money at the board meeting
3. Somebody has been cutting the pipe line from summer project.  The community is asking for more galvanized (less $100 worth) to replace the section that is being vandalized.

• Aparna: to be sustainable, it might be better to try to figure out if the water board can solve this problem on their own.
• Kelly and Aaron thought we should supply this section of galvanized then let them deal with other future problems.
• Carl: Crime should not be our problem.
• We don’t want to set the precedent that we will come right in and fix problems any problems they have.  That would defeat the purpose of sustainable projects.
• Vote: We will pay for pipe, but also ask that this to be brought to the attention of the water board. This is what it was really made for.   We also won’t give them an ultimatum or risk patronizing the water board, we want them to come up with their own solution, whatever that is.  Aaron could also talk to water board.
• The community probably wont get the pipe until December anyway.
• This will be good issue for water board anyway, this will come up in the future anyway.

4.  Should we try to submit funding request to board this Wednesday (before TAC conference call)?

• It would make things easier on us not to have to wait two more weeks, even if it is only approximate.

5.  TAC advisor conference call is on Wednesday at 12.

6.  The real conference call is the week of the 3^rd. We need a presentation and all of our information together by then.

Health and education news:

• They found some instructional hygeniene pictures online with Spanish explanations to bring.
• They also considered oral health, and could bring it up if we have time. (toothbrushes, soap)
• Kelly: Aaron has actually already been giving out toothbrushes.

Design news:

• Scott emailed some professors, but hasn’t heard back. He was also forwarded a little information about ferrocement tanks, but would still need to talk to professors before we decide to do one.
• Also, we are still very actively looking for professional mentor for Dec., we need one to travel.

Design:

1. We went through the previous TAC report and found what needed updating.

• Will need to add a slide with the number of people served, how we figured the rainfall and size of tanks, etc.

• We have to assume TAC engineers know nothing about the project.

2. It would be good to get the design approved by professional mentor like last time.

3. Design parameters will need to be updated. Probably need to address geotech

4. We need to find possible geotech solutions without soil samples. We could try to compact the whole area, or just do sample area.

• Aaron Paresky had a way to help with this in La Cumbre (after the trip). Aparna will ask him about this.

5. The TAC presentation will be broken up and worked on by several of us.

• We will also add a couple of slides on the design for individual treatment of homes and how it fits into larger project.
• We might build them or just supply the materials.
• Aparna: EWB-USA doesn’t like working on individual homes because it can cause jealousy/tension amongst people.
• Carl (and others): The individual systems need to be done so the tank can fill in the rainy season.  That will be our argument for TAC to let us do them.  We will also have one on every house in the project.
• Maybe we should make sure they are learning how to do individual catchments themselves. We could use the community tank as a model for them to work off of
• Money spent on individual systems would not be able significantly increase the roof area of the main tank. Each system would be relatively cheap.
• We could postpone building individual systems until spring so we have time to do them all, if we do do the actual construction.
• We will have to add a slide specifically to argue for the individual systems (Brad and Jennifer).
• Roof safety will also come up.  Wind and people on top of it are both concerns.  We could add a cinderblock staircase inside the tank.