March082010

=Visit to Las Delicias March 8, 2010= There is a lot to report - I am going to try to list the information that I received today in Las Delicias and the sources of the information. There are significant changes from what we have understood in the past - due to changes in leadership, asking the questions again or in different ways, misunderstandings from before. You will likely note inconsistencies and I'm sure that some information will continue to evolve.

Morning meeting with Fredi (new president), Morena (traveling nurse), Santiago (Morena's boss), Sister Gloria, and later Chilo (the valvulero - the person who controls the valves throughout Miramar) I am happy to report that Fredi is very open with information and is willing to be transparent about finances - here are some statistics: Brief conversation with FIMRC (Meredith, Alex, Caitlin, and the doctor) > > Visit to Pumping station (bombero, two valvuleros, Morena, and others) > Visit to Laguna Chanmico > Overall this is a lot of information. I will meet with the ADESCO (Las Delicias governing committee) on Sunday at 3 PM. Please let me know of any comments/questions before then. >
 * the caeseria of las Delicias contains 676 homes but only 410 are connnected to the Las Delicias water system - the others receive water from other sources
 * not all households pay for water ($5 per month fee) 300-400 pay. In the past when you didn't pay, you did not get water. Fredi does not believe in shutting off water.
 * Monthly electric bill is about $1200
 * Monthly revenue from fees were $2003.40 in January and $1666.10 in February
 * Monthly expenses were $2362 in January and $2054 in February
 * The current account balance is $642 (they appear to have a big problem of shrinking account balance - which will be difficult for sustainability of any projects)
 * There are several types of regular maintenance on the water system:
 * weekly the pipes from the mountain water source (by gravity) are checked
 * monthly the cistern at the well/pumping station is cleaned
 * yearly the well riser pipes and pumps are cleaned (at a cost of $1500)
 * The well was drilled about 10 years ago - they will look for records (but Meredith from FIMRC doubts they will find them)
 * 97% of kids have parasites (ameobas, giardia, coliforms), but the chlorine system seems to be working better now then before, and 350 homes have filtrons (potters for peace) - so the situation is better. (need to confirm with data from FIMRC)
 * Water testing is occuring within the community (via FIMRC) and they are testing for chlorine every 15 days at households and not seeing any
 * Population of las delicias increasing has caused stress on water system. They need about double the supply of water
 * Many houses only receive water every 12-15 days (I requested a map of houses marked by frequency of receiving water - Morena travels the community and talks to people so has access to this information)
 * Pump runs for 7 hours (11 AM - 6 PM) three days a week (Monday, Tuesday, Friday) and only 2 days per week in rainy season
 * they are very happy with new president
 * arranged for regular water quality testing with ministry of health
 * of kids with parasites, most have three types
 * chlorine measurments in households show no residual chlorine - centralized system is not effective
 * they want to collaborate with EWB and will handle education and support
 * Has database of water quality and health records
 * there are two wells on this property that service different communities (las Delicias and Arenera).
 * Each well pumps at different times (morning to Arenera and afternoon to Las Delicias). The reason for different times was to avoid bursting pipes, but I'm not convinced this is the whole reason - I wonder about limits of electric supply.
 * The iron pipes in the wells corrode but they do not have to replace them frequently. One old well is non-functioning because of corrosion.
 * When they are not pumping (or when they are cleaning the cistern) water drains from pipes and brings dirt into the cistern
 * Confirmed maintenance schedule for cleaning wells, cistern.
 * Morena took us to Laguna Chanmico (we didn't really want to go, but she insisted - it is sometimes tough to set the agenda here) because she wanted us to see this surface lake that she thinks feeds the aquifer from which Las Delicias gets water.
 * 13 degress 47' N and 89 degrees 21' W GPS coordinates - it is a good drive from Las Delicias
 * The lake is round and appears to have no outlet - so all water apparently drains into the aquifer (it is not saline)
 * High iron and sulfur content in the lake. Fish kill during cold season - claimed to be due to sulfur.
 * Receives run-off from mountain villages and farms. Apparently is polluted.
 * Beautiful lake and may be a source of water for aquifer, but I'm not sure how relevant it is. If the well water is contaminated then we will have to treat it.\
 * During the 2001 earthquake the water apparently rushed out of lake and then sloshed back and forth across the lake. Several people drowned.