Turn On The Water 

The good people of El Porvenir don't have access to clean water. So we've set out to turn on the water. And not just a little water that may serve as a quick fix. We're talking about an entire system, piping water to all 110 families in town . With your help, fecal matter and other bacteria won't plague the community's water. With your help, children won't be at risk of getting sick every time they get thirsty. With your help, we can Turn On the Water!

Phase 1 

Here it is. Phase 1. This is the first step in finding clean drinking water. You have to go down. Way down! In the Northwest corner of Nicaragua, a rig will have to drill 80 to 120 feet down before it hits enough ground water to satisfy a community of 110 families. The current situation in El Porvenir sends most of the community to a shallow well of 25 feet or less to fetch their drinking water. In the dry season, most of these wells are reduced to nothing more than a slow trickle.

Our testing of El Porvenir's existing wells showed a measurement of 300 colony forming units (CUs) of fecal contamination per 100 ml of water. That's the scientific way of saying there are traces of human poop in their water. For a reference, many recreational lakes or swimming areas in the US will shut down for anything over 200 CUs per 100ml. The people of El Porvenir are drinking water we wouldn't even be allowed to swim in!

This is why we need your help to Turn On the Water.

Total Project Cost

     Phase I:    $15,500 (now funding)
     Phase II:   $8,200
     Phase III:  $10,500
     Phase IV:  $17,500

The Existing Condition 

There are 15 or so shallow water wells existing in El Porvenir.  Most of them dry up or come to a slow trickle in the dry season. Even when flowing, they're still contaminated and lead to a host of health problems for the community including the dreaded Chronic Kidney Disease, which affects many of the men who work for a local sugar cane plantation.

Sometimes, El Porvenir's shallow wells can be dirty in quite an obvious way (below). This woman was planning to use this water for washing clothes only. 

Saying Thanks

We know that our backers don't need a reward to do good in the world, but we still want to hook you guys up.  Check out below to see what great swag is in store!

• Rewards of $250 and less to be delivered no later than December 15th, 2014
• Travel rewards are pending construction schedule TBD (tentative for February 2015)

Share

We would be over the moon if you would share a picture like these. The only rule is that you should not actually Turn On the Water for the photo, and by no means should you dump cold water on your head.  Can't be wasting water, folks!


                    

Phase 1 Breakdown

• Project Design, Engineering, and Topographical Mapping
• Water Testing: Biological & Chemical  
• Drilling Operation 
  
• The pipe to encase and secure the borehole once drilled
• A concrete cap to secure top of borehole and prevent surface contamination
• 25% of Admin Expenses associated with this project