LOS ANGELES, CA, Aug. 12, 2010 -- Through the Inland Empire professional chapter of Engineers Without Borders (IE-EWB), RMT's Los Angeles and San Mateo offices are making the citizens' of San Lorenzo El Tejar, Guatemala dream for a sustainable water supply system a reality.
A reliable water supply is currently not available in San Lorenzo El Tejar due to the village's decaying infrastructure. Many villagers have only two hours/day of running water, and that water is contaminated by e-coli bacteria and other harmful contaminants.
IE-EWB, led by RMT Senior Consultant Galen Kenoyer, is partnering with the community to improve the quality of water -- and, subsequently, the quality of life -- through a water purification system that will allow for water use from a well and water storage tanks that will increase water storage capacity.
"This is a really good group of scientists and engineers," said Kenoyer. "Our expertise is making a serious impact on the future sustainability of this community."
Local residents will supply the construction labor, with professional engineers volunteering their time and expertise. Education on water conservation and personal hygiene is being conducted to ensure positive and lasting impacts. The University of California-Riverside and California Polytechnic Institute Pomona student chapters are also working directly with IE-EWB in designing and implementing the project process.
"This collaboration is very advantageous, as both universities offer unique strengths," said Kenoyer. "This provides the students an opportunity to benefit from the guidance of professionals, while learning from one another."
About RMT
RMT creates energy and environmental solutions that balance our clients' business and sustainability goals. Headquartered in Madison, Wisconsin, the company has 600+ employees throughout the U.S. RMT has provided construction, engineering, design, and development services for 3,800+ MW of renewable energy across the U.S. RMT is a unit of Alliant Energy Corporation (NYSE: LNT), an energy holding company. Visit www.rmtinc.com.
About Engineers Without Borders (EWB-USA)
Through its 350+ projects in more than 45 developing countries, EWB-USA helps create a more stable and prosperous world by addressing people's basic human needs and providing necessities such as clean water, power, sanitation, and education. Because of its strong university presence, EWB-USA also serves as a catalyst to educate the next generation of socially conscious engineers. Visit www.ewb-usa.org.
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