ECUADOR
Project Background
Caltech EWB has partnered with the people of Tandacato, Ecuador to improve and rebuild their water supply infrastructure to provide reliable and constant access to clean water to the community. Tandacato is situated near the base of the Cotopaxi volcano and consists of around 2100 people. For around 30 years, the people of Tandacato relied on a gravity-based water supply system that was sourced in a dense forest and distributed throughout the town.
In 2021, major landslides destroyed and buried Tandacatos main water groundwater source and key pipes in the system. They started to rely on temporary fixes that broke often and people would often receive muddy and dirty water in their taps. Some days they wouldn't receive water at all. Tandacato was also worried that their water was being contaminated by ash from Cotopaxi and a lack of a standardized treatment system meant that many people often received "milky" water from over chlorination. Our goal is to ensure that the residents of Tandacato always receive water, and that the water is clean and potable.
Water Source 3
Assessment Trip
The Caltech EWB team visited Tandacato, Ecuador in May 2023 to collect vital field data and speak to the community firsthand about what they wanted out of the project. After an intensive 5 day trip touring the entire water system - from supply to distribution - and collecting social survey data on the community, our team was able to identify 9 key elements that needed to be addressed to achieve reliable potable water for the community. See the Gallery page for more pictures from our trip!
We found that Tandacato's water supply system consists of 3 water sources (and 3 corresponding catchments), 3 storage tanks, and a large distribution system that reaches around 500 families. During the trip we collected data including but not limited to:
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Geospatial and elevation data
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Dimensions of all structures
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Water flow rates at points of interest
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Circumferences and lengths of all pipes
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LIDAR data of ravine for slope analysis
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Drone data for building custom map of Tandacato
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Water quality tests run on site at points of interest
Our team worked closely with the community to get as much data about the situation as possible. We held and participated in townhall meetings, created an accurate map of the town and water system, and even were lucky enough to share homecooked meals with the community!
Current Status
After the assessment, we identified the following high priority items to be improved.
Fortify main water supply to mitigate landlslides and add collection pipes
Add second source-town distribution pipe for redundancy
Expand storage capacity
Standardize chlorination and treatment
Fortify above ground pipe from second water source
Our team is currently creating all the necessary engineering drawings and analyses to complete the design for these elements. Our stretch goals include improving the distribution system and implementing an effective data monitoring system with sensors. Our current goal is to start construction in the 2024-2025 academic year. If solving a unique problem of this scale interests you, contact us using the form on our home page. A system of this size is expensive so every donation counts! Check out our donation page to see how your contributions can make a true difference!