Ocaña

Update: November 2007
Sabrina and Simón met with ADAMIUAIN to discuss the solution for their water treatment plant using Ultrafiltration. The solution was well received. Planning for this project starts now. However, due to its complexity it will not be implemented until 2009. Everyone is very excited and is looking forward to the challenge.

Background

Ocaña is located in the department of Norte de Santander in the Andes Mountains, with approximately 150,000 inhabitants. The local government does not provide water for each neighborhood. The communities affected by the water issue united and organized the non-profit organization Asociación de Amigos Usuarios del Acueducto Independiente de Ocaña (ADAMIUAIN) to solve their water problem. This impressive organization built a water treatment plant that obtains water from a dam about 5.4 km (3.3 miles) away.

ADAMIUAIN was founded in 1985. Through money from sources including the community, government and other organizations and companies the water treatment plant was completed in 1997.

The water treatment plant is a simple gravity fed filtration system, but there are challenges:

• The water is rationed and only available on alternate days
• ADAMIUAIN would like to expand their services to more communities through a 100m well or constructing an additional reservoir
• During the rainy season, there is too much mud in the water for the current filtration system to clean the water sufficiently
• ADAMIUAIN wants to improve its present post treatment methods. They prefer to stop using chemicals like chlorine and aluminum-sulfate

Aguayuda want to help ADAMIUAIN improve its water treatment system. The plan is to provide the technical support to upgrade and expand the water treatment system using membrane filtration technology and appropriate post treatment.