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Implementation Trip for Los Planes Water Distribution Project Implementation Trip for Los Planes Water
Distribution Project
Phase 1



Project Location:
Los Planes, Honduras


June 13, 2007


Prepared by:
Engineers Without Borders
Northeastern University

360 Huntington Avenue
400 Snell Engineering Center
Boston, MA 02115

www.ewb.neu.edu
Los Planes Phase 1 Implementation Trip Report

June 2007
Executive Summary

Los Planes is a village located in the Yoro District of Honduras. Many of the 116 people living in this
village are descendants of the indigenous Toulupans Indians. The village is located 35 minutes by truck
outside of El Rosario, a larger village with population of approximately 900 people. The families in Los
Planes currently get the majority of their water from streams located below the village. They also have a
source in the hills above the village, which is connected to a distribution system that serves some of the
houses. However, this source is insufficient and provides only a trickle of water for a few hours each
morning. Both of these sources have also been found to be contaminated.

The people of Los Planes are facing many problems stemming from a lack of clean water. Without
enough water to irrigate their crops many of the villagers cannot provide enough food for their family. As
a result many villagers report going without food two to three days a week. Malnourishment is the source
of many other health problems in the village. Agriculture is normally the main source of income in this
area, so without healthy crops the villagers also cannot afford medicines.

Many years ago, the Honduran government hired engineers to build a water supply line that connected
Los Planes to the neighboring village of La Reinada. According to many of the villagers in Los Planes
this system did not supply a sufficient amount of water. Since then, the supply line has been severed by
one of the communities over Los Planes refusal to pay a tax to the non-indigenous people of La Reinada
for the upkeep of the water system, although the details of this incident are not clear.

Agreements between the two communities about sharing a water system have since been reached with the
help of the local non-profit organization Americans Caring Teaching and Sharing (ACTS), which has
been working in this area for over 20 years. With this agreement, the Northeastern University chapter of
Engineers Without Borders-USA (EWB-NEU) began collecting data for the design of the new system.

EWB-NEU has been working in this area since 2005 when they first met the people of Los Planes. On
their next trip to the area EWB-NEU acquired data necessary to design a water distribution system for
Los Planes.

After acquiring the necessary data and interviewing the villagers, the team concluded that the source used
by La Reinada to be the only viable option. This source is about two miles from Los Planes with a
maximum vertical distance of 1090ft. The terrain in this area is very steep and rocky at times.

With the data collected during the assessment trip the EWB-NEU design committee worked throughout
the academic year. Based on hydraulic calculations the committee decided that the system installed by the
Honduran government could not be salvaged. The major reason for this was due to the amount of head
loss caused by the small diameter of the pipe. EWB-NEU calculated the diameter of the pipe needed to be
1-½, whereas the old system used ¾ pipe.

Due to the size of this project, the construction was separated into two major phases. The first phase was
to install the pipeline from the source to the village. In the village a single community tap will be used
until the next phase is implemented. In the second phase, a distribution system will be built in the village
to supply each house with an individual water tap. In each phase the majority of construction will be done
by the people of Los Planes, although EWB-NEU will hire a mason to lead construction of the tanks.

Due to the drastic difference in elevation along the route multiple pressure break tanks (rompacargas)
must be installed to keep a safe working pressure in the pipe. At two points along the route the pipeline
Northeastern University Engineers Without Borders

Page 1 of 37 Los Planes Phase 1 Implementation Trip Report

June 2007
crosses a ravine, each about 30ft deep and 100ft across. At these points a suspension bridge is used to
elevate the pipeline. In the village the community tap will be used for drinking water as well as doing
laundry.

During the second phase of this project the team plans to build a reservoir tank in the village. A
distribution system will be installed from this point to supply the houses with their own tap.

A team of 5 students with their professional mentor recently spent two weeks working with the villagers
to begin the implement of the first phase of this project. During this time the team acquired all the
necessary materials for this phase. A number of small tanks, and a community tap were built by a local
mason, and the villagers began digging the trench to lay the pipeline. EWB-NEU also finished
constructing one of the suspension bridges and poured the columns for the second bridge. EWB-NEU
hopes to send a small team back to Los Planes in the coming months to complete the first phase of the
design and acquire more data for the design of the second phase.
Northeastern University Engineers Without Borders

Page 2 of 37 Los Planes Phase 1 Implementation Trip Report

June 2007
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Page
Executive Summary .........................................................................................................................1
1.0 Introduction................................................................................................................................4
1.1
Project Description .........................................................................................................5
1.2
Background of Project....................................................................................................5
1.3
Community and EWB-NEU Contacts............................................................................6
1.4
Student Chapters Involved..............................................................................................6
1.5
Overview of Previous Trip Dates ...................................................................................6
2.0
Site Assessment Trip...........................................................................................................6
2.1
Overview of Trip ............................................................................................................6
2.2
Travel, Lodging and Project Contacts ............................................................................7
2.3
Problem Statement..........................................................................................................8
2.4
Potential Projects ............................................................................................................8
2.5
Engineering Components Considered ............................................................................8
3.0
Health Assessment ..............................................................................................................8
3.1
Overview of Community ................................................................................................8
3.2
Breakdown of Health Assessment Information..............................................................8
3.3
Potential Impact of Project on Communitys Health....................................................10
4.0
Acquiring Materials and Prepping the Workforce............................................................11
4.1
Component Description................................................................................................11
4.2
Materials and Logistics.................................................................................................11
4.3
Plan for Village Participation and Sustainability..........................................................12
5.0
Bridge Construction..........................................................................................................13
5.1 Component Description................................................................................................13
5.2
Materials and Logistics.................................................................................................14
5.3
Plan for Village Participation and Sustainability.........................................