Map

Team members:

Andrew Kelsch, Civil Engineer

Anthony Moraska, Environmental Engineer

Noah Mundt, Environmental Engineer

Gravity Fed Aqueduct System, International Senior Design, Dominican Republic

CE 4905 Senior Design Summer 2004
Slide Show Scenes of 2004 Projects

Introduction
The International Senior Design Class of 2004 was presented with the task of designing a gravity fed aqueduct system for the village of Los Conucos. Working with the current Master’s International Peace Corps student on location, two weeks were spent designing the system which will be constructed pending his final approval. Design objectives included the pipe layout, spring box design, tap stand location and design, and the necessary calculations to ensure the system will run under all the limiting factors. The major design constraints included maneuvering the pipe network through the rugged terrain of the area, and modeling the pipe diameters in order to supply the tap stands with sufficient flow, taking into consideration the variable changes in elevation.

Background

The city of El Cercado is located approximately 25 kilometers from the Haitian border. The village of Los Concucos, which is the site of this design project, is positioned approximately 16 kilometers to the northwest of El Cercado, at an elevation of 800 meters above sea level.

Ten families live in Los Conucos, with 30 to 40 people inhabiting the village on a consistent year round basis. This system is designed to adequately supply each of these families with the allotted amount of 10 gallons of water per person per day.

Survey and Route Selection

PVC pipes will be used for the distribution lines of the system, with exception to any gorge crossings, areas where pipes will be exposed, or buried above the minimum desired depth, for breakage protection purposes. Areas where these problems occurred were avoided during the survey due to increased cost of galvanized pipe. One gorge crossing was unavoidable, and designed to span the shortest possible route for cost effectiveness. Illustrated by survey, changes in the ground elevation required varying pipe diameters in order to maintain enough pressure for the hydraulic grade line to remain above ground elevations. This is crucial in gravity fed systems in order to maintain sufficient pressure.
Pipes should be placed at a depth equal to or greater than 3 ft. Problems encountered during the pipeline excavation may include:

Water Testing Results

Water Testing Results

Water testing was done on the spring in Los Conucos to determine the level of bacterial contamination of the spring. This was accomplished through the use of Total Coliform/E. Coli (TC/EC) 3-M Petrifilms containing Violet Red Bile (VBR) nutrients which indicate the presence, and an indicator that facilitates colony enumeration, to enable a count of total coliforms and Escherichia Coli bacteria present. The results (right) show the growth of one coliform colony (Los Conucos 2) of the two inoculated Petrilms prepared.

Recommendations
Certain disinfection techniques may be used as simple and inexpensive ways to treat the water. It should be noted that these methods are not recommended for general or regular use if at all possible.

Emergency Disinfection Measures:

Boiling – First clear the water by letting it settle and filter through a clean cloth. Boil the water vigorously for one full minute; boiling will kill all bacteria. Overboiling, however, can concentrate chemical impurities such as nitrates.

Chlorine Bleach – Add 10 drops of chlorine bleach to one quart of water, mix the treated water thoroughly and let it stand for 30 minutes. If the water does not have a slight chlorine odor, repeat the dosage and allow it to stand for another 15 minutes. If the water tastes too strongly of chlorine, expose it to the air for a few hours or pour it from one container to another several times (www.bea.uga.edu).

Tapstand Design

Summary and Conclusions

The finalized design for the water distribution to the village of Los Conucos is a gravity fed system. The water from the spring will be harnessed into the system by means of the designed spring box. Through the properties of gravity, the water will be distributed though the system of pipes having diameters of 1, 1.5, and 2 inches. The flow through the pipes will be sufficient to supply 10 tap stand locations with water simultaneously for a period of ____minutes with.

The time frame for installation of this system is contingent upon the approval of Lyle Stone, and the commitment of a local work force or an International Senior Design Team. The completion of the system will follow the outlined work schedule and cost approximately $4,480. Upon completion, this system will supply ten families, and improve the quality of life of the women and children who currently walk in upwards of 2 miles multiple times everyday in order to supply their families with water.

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