#Cuatro Comunidades
#Talanga
#Mamuca
#Rotary Proposal

Cuatro Communidades

We met

Honduras Interns Progress Report
Date: 7/21/08

Tamara Follow-up and Operator Training
• PLANT OPERATION
o For the last several weeks there have been serious problems with La Chorera source and conduction line.
 The plant has been without water from the chorrera several times, due to sediment clogging the intake at the source. The water returns when the Junta or people from the National Penitentiary (who also take their water from the Chorrera) go up there to clean the source.
 When the Chorrera comes back after going out, it comes really dirty (150+ NTU) for about an hour.
 We also think that air is dissolved in the water coming from the Chorrera because there are pockets of air in the pipeline.
o We are having a lot of problems with floating flocs in the sedimentation tank.
 First, we thought the flocs were floating due to high alum doses. Lowering the dose seemed to get rid of the problem for a week or so.
 Now, even with minimal alum dose, we still have floating flocs. You can see in the sed tank that flocs are rising very rapidly, on the order of 50 cm per minute. We think this is due to dissolved air flotation because of air that comes from the conduction line.
 In just a couple hours the surface of the sed tanks can fill with floating flocs and foam.
o The 2" foam removal tubes work well. A large collector on top is not really necessary. Just the 2" opening is enough if the operator pushes the foam toward the exit with a long flat stick that resembles a yardstick.
o There are some flocs blowing up in the near end of the first sed tank, similar to the problems Fred is having and to problems we have had in Ojojona. Alexis thinks this is a signal that the tank needs to be emptied completely.
o Quite a thick layer of floc accumulates on the sed lamella. When they are only 2cm apart in the shallow plant will this floc layer block a significant part of the water's path?
o Carlos now has a pretty good grasp of the first Cuadro de Monitoreo. We will now have him start filling out a second sheet every day with daily observations, sludge removal records and chemical levels.
• WORK COMPLETED LAST SEVERAL WEEKS
o Had a 2-day training workshop Thursday and Friday, July 10 and 11 for potential new operators.
 4 new people came to be trained Thursday and 3 or them returned for Friday. One of those people will be replacing Karin, the current fontanero, at the end of July and the Junta is thinking of hiring another one of them to help the fontanero and Carlos.
 The workshop included a brief explanation of the theory behind the plant, but was mainly practical.
 Alexis came from Ojojona to participate in the workshop and spent Thursday night at the plant with Carlos.
 We suggested that the newly trained operators come for a couple hours each sometime in the next month to work alongside Carlos.
o Visited the Chorrera source with Ing. Serrano and Naaman to see what can be done to prevent the intake from clogging.
 They recommend eliminating the current prefiltration system and catching the water in a trough cut into the top of the dam. This modification will not be that expensive.
 Naaman put together a budget that will be presented to the Junta.
 Will try to use some of $4000 in extra Rotary grant to do this.
• FUTURE PLANS, ONGOING TASKS
o Train Carlos to use the second data sheet every day.
o Promote communication between Carlos and the fontanero who is measuring chlorine in the household connections.
o Train someone from the Junta to enter the plant data into the computer.

Plans for future plants
• Presentation to mayors in Mercedes, Ocotepeque
o About 4 mayors, one vice mayor and quite a few town council members) showed up to the presentation.
o The alcalde from Scencenti, who is also Jacobo's brother-in-law, is interested in building 2 plants, one for 500 houses in the actual municipality and another for a community of 200 houses. He said that he wouldn't have any problem finding $50,000 to invest in a plant.
o Jacobo said that other alcaldes also expressed strong interest.
• Cuatro Communidades
o Met with entire Junta, Jacobo, Arnaldo Canales and AguaClara team Thursday, July 17.
• Presented The budget was presented to the community and said that they would be responsible for 50% of direct costs (all materials and unskilled labor). That comes to about 350,000 L or about 1200 L per house.
• The Junta didn't seem to be shocked by these figures and is very committed to putting in the plant.
o The Junta will organize a general community assembly to promote the plant. This is planned for 2pm, August 2.
• Area around

Talanga

o The subdirector of Dimas, the Talanga water authority, is going to accompany Antonio and Carol to other communities in the area that might want treatment plants Tuesday July, 22.
o July 28 or 29 we would like to plan a meeting in Talanga for representatives from Juntas and Alcaldes in the area. We are hoping to bring alcaldes mayors from Vallecillo, Talanga, Guimaca, and Cedros.

Mamuca, Atlantida

o Antonio worked in this region, between Tela and Ceiba, and says there are serious problems with turbidity there.
o Jacobo knows the alcalde mayor there and called him to set up a meeting. The alcalde mayor said he knows of at least 7 communities that could use plants.
o We hope to meet with alcaldes mayor there July 30, 31 or August 1.

Rotary Proposal

• Construction Budgets
o We are working on finalizing contruction budgets for Agalteca, Zambrano, and Talanga. The shallow 4-communities budget is pretty much final.
• Rotary proposal
o Jacobo suggests that we not put more than 2 or 3 plants in the proposal, depending on their size.
o Will need to start making contacts with communities and mayors again to select 2 or 3 communities to put in the proposal.
o Plan to finalize proposal by Friday, July 25.

Ojojona
• Tariff was raised in an asamblea a week ago. Went up to 53.50 L for Payaguagre and 40 L for Agua Blanca.
• The Junta recently purchased alum, and we will be going this week to pick up 150 kg of alum we had loaned them from Tamara.

La 34 (not till later in the year, closer to rainy season)
o Still would like to set up a long-term visit and training session, but are not sure when.

Marcala
o Fred says IRWA currently doesn't have enough money to think about starting a circuit rider program. He is thus putting that idea on the back burner.