Culligan and the Convoy of Hope team, which helped deploy the equipment after the earthquakeThe units are capable of processing approximately 12,000 to 24,000 gallons of water a day and include a water storage tank that holds and dispenses 250 gallons of water. Water quality and system performance can be monitored via a cellular phone connection to eliminate the need for a skilled operator on-site.
Maintaining a measurable, healthy water supply
The UF-P2 systems helped to supply 600-800 gallons of water every three days, with medical staff at the orphanage using water to clean medical supplies, and at the Quisqueya Chapel, 250-300 people benefit from clean residential potable water per day.
"The water provided by each system is checked once per week for residual chlorine and microbiological contamination," says Paul Coroleuski, field director disaster response, Convoy of Hope. "But, overall, the operator maintenance required to ensure clean, safe water is being delivered is very minimal. In fact, even on the type of water we are treating, we expect that the filters will only need to be replaced every six to 12 months."
A detailed laboratory analysis of water produced three months after in initial installation showed the water quality was nearly identical to the water produced on day one – and the system flow rate is around 94% of the rate when the units were first installed.
Convoy of Hope planned to continue delivering clean, high quality water at all three of the UF-P2 installation sites through the first quarter of 2011. Specifically, the unit installed at the Quisqueya Chapel will continue to provide residential potable water, while the other two units will support daily operations at the Mission of Hope in Titayen and the volunteer site in Bon Repo. Lessons Learned Following the results in Haiti, Culligan says it is planning a few minor modifications to improve the suitability of the systems for emergency response efforts. Planned improvements include smaller, lighter, two-part design for easy transport, including jugs or containers to transport water, and the ability to run the system using solar power. Requests have also been received following Haiti from International Licensees in the Dominican Republic, El Salvador and Ecuador for similar smart well technology applications.
More Water & WasteWater International Current Issue Articles
More Water & WasteWater International Archives Issue Articles