“Water for Life” Project Summary

The overall goal of the project was to provide the community of Apatut with potable water as a means of combating diseases and improving overall quality of life. Four assessment trips and three implementation trips were completed over six years, with the intention of installing a water storage and distribution system. However, before the system could fully be implemented, the project had to be cancelled due issues internal to Apatut. Unfortunately, their water cooperative responsible for maintaining and operating the system dissolved, and the project could no longer be sustainably maintained long term. However, the EWB-Philly still saw success through building the community’s health and sanitation education, implementing a successful solar disinfection program, and identifying a viable groundwater source.

Community Background and Project Initiation

The Barangay of Apatut is located on the island of Luzon in the Northern Philippines. The community is home to 742 residents split across seven sectors, with most residents employed as unskilled laborers and farmers. Electricity, water, and sanitation infrastructure varies greatly across Apatut. Households share wells that are operated by hand pumps, in some cases residents must walk over 100 meters and share a well with a dozen other homes. Latrines are scattered throughout the community, but their poor construction typically leads to groundwater contamination.

The community is governed by a Barangay Council consisting of elected officials, including the sector Kagawads, and headed by the Barangay Captain. Separate from the Barangay Council is the Water Cooperative, which is focused on improving water access to all residents in the community. The cooperative is registered with the national government and operates separately from the Barangay Council, which leads to a system of checks and balances between the two bodies. The Water Cooperative was formed with assistance from the Rotary Club before EWB-Philly entered the community. This organization system led to strong communication and interest between Apatut and the project team.

The project team also partnered with Rotary Clubs local to Apatut for the length of the project. The Rotary Club is an international organization which provides services and support to communities in need, with a strong focus on water projects. The Rotary Club’s strong connections to Apatut make them an excellent partner to make the Water for Life project become a reality.

Facts:
164 houses
742 people
1 elementary school
Barangay
Kagawad
Formal approval in 2008

Project Location
Longitude: 120 deg 25’45.77″E
Latitude: 16 deg 47’31.5″N

First Assessment Trip – March 2010

EWB-Philly’s first trip to Apatut took place in March of 2010. The goal of this trip was to establish a relationship between the community and the Chapter, and survey the proposed locations of the water distribution points and storage tanks. The original plan was to purify a surface spring, however the spring did not offer a high enough flow rate to support the community. Upon further investigation, the team also discovered that the spring typically dries up during the dry season, approximately November – March.

To adapt to these findings, the team altered their plan to include a deep well to server as the primary water source. Two potential well locations were surveyed with a local well-driller, who estimated the wells would need to be between 40 and 60 meters deep. Chapter members also met with an Electrical Engineer from the local utility, La Union Electric Cooperative (LUELCO) to discuss options to power a pump for the well. While solar power was not a feasible solution for the 3 horsepower pump, a third well location was located that was close to nearby electrical lines that could supply enough power. EWB-Philly still set up a solar data collector to see if a solar panel could act as a secondary source of power for the submersible pump.

EWB-Philly met with the water cooperative and the local Rotary Club to discuss their findings and preliminary design. To ensure the project would be sustainable long term, the community would need to establish a system to pay for the electricity to operate the pump, and occasional system maintenance.

Another main goal of the trip was to meet with a portion of the 157 households in the community, to get a better understanding of the water usage challenges. Each household answered a 15 question survey which covered topics such as water concerns, daily water usage schedule, and amounts of water used. Water samples were also collected at various sources so water quality testing could be completed. EWB-Philly’s last task in the community was to identify specific regions of the community to be covered in a detailed topographic survey. The Chapter was fortunate to partner with a local college, St. Louis College out of San Fernando, Philippines, who offered to complete the topographic survey several weeks after the travel team returned to Philadelphia.

As a show of gratitude, the residents of Apatut decided to move their annual Barangay Fiesta to coincide with the last day of EWB’s trip. The team members were treated as guests of honor and given a heartfelt farewell.

Facts:
Target supply of 30 gallons per person per day

First Implementation Trip – January through March 2012

Following the assessment trip, EWB-Philly reviewed all of the data and surveys they collected and began planning for the implementation trip. With the detailed design completed and formally approved, the first of two travel teams landed in Apatut in January 2012. The first team met with a contractor and supervised the drilling operations. By the time the first team left the Philippines, the well was at a depth of 42 meters.

The second team arrived in Apatut in February. Drilling had continued between trip 1 and trip 2, but there was still no sign of water at 60 meters depth. In an attempt to find the underground aquifer, the contractor was instructed to drill another 40 meters to a total depth of 100 meters. Upon further testing, no signs of water were detected, and drilling operations were terminated.

Team 2 switched gears to evaluate the feasibility of constructing the water storage tank. The travel members visited several hardware stores and laborers with the assistance of Robert Osoteo, a local guide. This gave them a great understanding of material and labor availability, and pricing.

With time still remaining before the second team had to depart, GPS data was collected on the proposed pipeline layout, proposed tank location, and proposed tap stand locations. Additional data was collected on previously unidentified surface springs and shallow wells which could potentially replace the unsuccessfully drilled well.

While EWB-Philly initially intended to send three teams, the third team’s trip was postponed so the Chapter could start considering alternate water sources from data collected by the second team.

Second Phase of Assessments – October 2012, May 2013, and October 2013

Three more assessment trips took place between October 2012 and October 2013.

The first trip took place from October 27 – November 17, 2012. The team continued on tasks from previous trips such as mapping, surveying community members, and identifying local material suppliers. Team members were delighted to discover that the well drilled during implementation earlier in the year now was full of water! EWB-Philly also continued to foster their relationship with the water cooperative and local residents.

The second trip took place May 19 through 27, 2013. The purpose of this trip was to continue the evaluation of the well drilled in 2012. The team also performed a water quality analysis on attributes that were previously untested, such as volatile organics, pesticides, and herbicides. While fecal coliform bacteria was detected in the tests, the Chapter slowly started to introduce the idea of treating water with chlorine. A meeting was held with the local water utility authority (LWUA) to understand their future plans for the region and discuss the potential of tying into the municipal system.

The third trip took place October 29th through November 10th, 2013. The primary goal of this trip was sector by sector community workshops to present water source alternatives. These workshops resulted in the team deciding to pursue the completion of the well drilled in 2012. These workshops also allowed team members to discuss how water quality could be improved in the short term, through the use of options such as chlorine treatment, bio-sand filters, and solar disinfection. The majority of community members were interested in solar disinfection, which involved filling transparent plastic bottles and exposing them to full sunlight to kill bacteria, viruses, and parasites.

Second Phase of Implementation Trips – November 2014 and April 2015

With all the necessary data gathered and plans adjusted, EWB-Philly returned to Apatut in November 2014. Following this trip, the borehole drilled in 2012 was finally finished. The team also assessed potential access roads for the construction of the storage tank, and reviewed the proposed distribution system pipe routes. A solar disinfection (SODIS) program was also piloted with 34 families.

While preparing for the construction of the water storage system and distribution system, the team returned in April 2015 to complete final capacity testing on the drilled well to ensure that it could meet the demands of the community. Following discussions with local community members, EWB-Philly was disappointed to discover that the water cooperative was dissolved due to poor organization and lack of interest from many households. One of the trip goals was to build a hands free washing station at the local elementary school, called a tippy-tap. Team members met with around 60 students to showcase how the tippy-tap works and provide education on good sanitation practices.

Project Closeout – December 2016

After lengthy discussions within the Chapter, the ultimate decision was made to cancel the project in December of 2016. The leading factor leading to this decision was the lack of a source of income to maintain and operate the water system sustainably long term. The water cooperative was supposed to be the body responsible for gathering this income and maintaining the water system. However, it became clear to the project team that community members and the Barangay Council had limited interest in reestablishing this coop.

While the team was disappointed with the final outcome of the project, EWB-Philly’s positive impact in Apatut should not be understated. The Chapter was able to build the community’s health and sanitation education, implement a successful solar disinfection program, and identify a viable groundwater source.

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Project Lead: Robert M. DiFilippo, PG
Responsible Engineer in Charge: Walter Walker, P.E.
PMEL Lead: James Pollum
NGO/Community Contact: Edgardo Ayaquil