Current Plans

So, as it stands, we have preliminary approval to return for implementation of  the addition of a pair of 55 gallon drums to the current pair of 600 gallon tanks. This allows the 55 gallon drums to be dosed with pre-measured amounts of chlorine (in the form of liquid bleach) to achieve the correct concentration to disinfect yet not leave an unpleasant taste in the water. (This cannot be done in the 600 gallon tanks as they are continuously being either filled by incoming rainwater or drained for utilization and there is no steady-state volume to dose). The physical scope of this project is smaller than last years but will be coupled with a more intensive community outreach and education component.

The  lineup of the returning team is not yet finalized; Mike is in the process of making those decision but will consist of two mentor engineers and five student engineers. I am one of the mentors; unfortunately Scott has scheduling conflicts (we are hopefully working on a well drilling project in Haiti later in the winter or early spring) and cannot go. For a few days it did not look as though any of the other mentors involved in the project were available and I am too junior to suffice on my own. Fortunately my long time mentor and professor, Chip Kilduff, was able to sign on. I am really looking forward to this! On the student side, Mike is definitely there and there are four students to be chosen. Very exciting!

We have spoken with Ambrosio and placed our order for the lumber necessary for the stands - realize that there is no milled lumber on the island - it is all hand cut by chainsaw by Ambrosio and other men in the community. Imagine working with 2 x 4 s all hand cut, yet amazingly true. We also have our shopping lists ready for the necessary hardware from Maderas Richards on Isla Colon. One of the hard lessons we learned last time was that the nispero wood on the island is so hard and dense that regular nails bend and screws shear their heads off even when pre-drilled; we will bring our own supply of heavy gauge timberlock screws with us. I also want to schedule a little tutorial time with Kyle before the trip to make sure I am good on my use of PVC, in particular, the flanges of the spigots where they seal to the sides of the drums. The fact that we were there once before doing construction is a huge advantage and I hope to avoid many of the small problems that dogged us last year. Which brings me to the topic of footwear.

Last January during the installation it rained. I mean it really, seriously rained. Every day. Which turned the work site to a morass (yes, I used the word morass in a sentence) of mud. And, let me just say here, this was no ordinary mud. It was mud on 'roids. The base soil is a dense clay which, when wetted, produces an extremely thick and sticky paste that will easily suck a conventional sneaker or work shoe off of ones foot. At one point last year Kyle became so frustrated that he elected to work shoeless but paid for it with a laceration on the bottom of his foot.Two schools of thought emerged as to what would work best: 1) conventional big old rubber wellingtons, or 2) perforated slip-ons like Crocs. Both of these have their merits and their drawbacks and I am still inclined to try to find other choices. I will develop this topic further as travel time approaches and I will need to make my decision. It will also be a good place to discuss other good gadgets for such and expedition. Stay tuned.