Impact/Purpose:

This project proposes a design of sustainable water supply and distribution system for Pignon, Haiti by the students of Illinois Institute of Technology with guidance from faculty and practicing professionals.

Description:

In conducting a survey of the population we found that Pignon is in need of a sustainable water supply and distribution system. We had no prior available data on the town, so we collected elevation data, figured water demand and modeled it against the supply, mapped the entire town, took a census of the population, and analyzed the flaws of the existing system. In examining the spring caps and stand pipe we found that it was necessary to repair them. It was also necessary to burry the pipe line connecting them in order to protect the pipe. We decided to use ramp pumps following the stand pipes. The ramp pump uses the energy from the drop of the water from the top of the stand pipe. This will not nearly be enough water to supply the town, so we designed a 15000gal buffer tank to collect the overflow from the ramp pump. A 125 gpm vertical pump will pump the water from buffer tank to the cistern. This requires lot of energy as it has to pump the water 140ft of head. A solar power system will power the pumps as Pignon does not have any other sources of reliable energy. In order to prevent water borne disease a disinfection system was designed which will inject the required chlorine dose of 2mg/l into the pipes. The 45000gal cistern standing above the town will gravity feed a PVC distribution network. This network will connect the cistern to 10 public water kiosks and private connections to 10% of the population. We have also laid out management strategies to make the system self sustainable. The people will pay for the water and this will cover the expenses of operating and maintaining the system.

URLs/Downloads:

Final Progress Report

Record Details:

Record Type:PROJECT( ABSTRACT )

Start Date:10/01/2007

Completion Date:05/29/2008

Record ID: 186608

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Related Organizations:

Role :OWNER

Organization Name :ILLINOIS INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY

Mailing Address :3300 S Federal St

Citation :Chicago

State :IL

Zip Code :60616

Project Information:

Approach :

The main components of the project are: 1) By an adequate amount of safe water to the village of Pignon in the Central Plateau Region of Haiti, we will be able to improve the living and working conditions for its 30,000 citizens. The current practice of going to the water source for collection is time consuming and exposes populations in lower altitudes to contract water borne diseases. 2) Students from engineering, architecture and environmental science backgrounds will collaborate with the water committee of Pignon to collect data to determine the capacity and service area of the proposed water distribution network. 3) The design of the system will utilize sustainable methods of pumping, maximize existing infrastructure and incorporate methods of monitoring that will reduce waste from the network. Strengthening existing links between stakeholders and interested partners will further enhance the long-term sustainability of the proposed project. 4) The multi-disciplinary hands-on learning experience this project requires will promote the value of collaboration. It will also challenge students to devise new methods of information and data collection in the context of a developing community.

Cost :$10,000.00

Research Component :Pollution Prevention/Sustainable Development

Approach :

The main components of the project are: 1) By an adequate amount of safe water to the village of Pignon in the Central Plateau Region of Haiti, we will be able to improve the living and working conditions for its 30,000 citizens. The current practice of going to the water source for collection is time consuming and exposes populations in lower altitudes to contract water borne diseases. 2) Students from engineering, architecture and environmental science backgrounds will collaborate with the water committee of Pignon to collect data to determine the capacity and service area of the proposed water distribution network. 3) The design of the system will utilize sustainable methods of pumping, maximize existing infrastructure and incorporate methods of monitoring that will reduce waste from the network. Strengthening existing links between stakeholders and interested partners will further enhance the long-term sustainability of the proposed project. 4) The multi-disciplinary hands-on learning experience this project requires will promote the value of collaboration. It will also challenge students to devise new methods of information and data collection in the context of a developing community.

Cost :$10,000.00

Research Component :P3 Challenge Area - Water

Project IDs:

ID Code :SU833549

Project type :EPA Grant