Day 2 - Digging and Placing Tubos
The team began the day with a hearty breakfast of lomo saltado and streusel (yes, the German bakery item in Peruvian form) at Pepe Grillo restaurant. After a miscommunication, we rode into Chuchurras in Camilo's truck which, as always, is scenic; passing through lush forest and verdant grazing land along the river.
Once the team arrived on site, we met the community leaders. Also in attendance was our electrician and his son who was driving a backhoe from Chuchurras. The chalk lines for the trenches had been laid down so the backhoe could begin work as soon as it arrived.
The team broke into two and with Brian, Brian and Derek heading up to the tanks to check on their status and monitor the levels as the ginormous vessels filled. The other team headed to the well to get the pump started. Around 9:50, the tanks began receiving water and we waited about a half an hour to estimate a flow rate and wait out any variation, ultimately deciding we'd have a couple of hours until they started reaching their maximum.
In the meantime, the backhoe arrived but before it started, the volunteers from the community had to find and mark the end point of the existing conveyance line (where construction paused in the previous trip) so that the backhoe wouldn't accidentally destroy it.
Finally, with the end valve located, the operator began digging out the trenches for the conveyance lines, a little less than 1 meter or 3 ft deep. Then members of the Haas began cleaning the trench of large rock and debris so the new pipe would have an ideal padding or insulation surrounding it.
Additionally, a group of workers began modifying, or sawing off the threaded ends of the the pipes purchased in Lima, as to avoid an additional leak point. Simultaneously, Rena and Brian collected a bacteriological water sample from at the school (the first service connection after the well). We broke for lunch and rested from the oppressive heat and humidity.
After lunch, we decided to again split into a couple of teams. Paige and Rena gave the community members a refresher on proper connection of the conveyance tubes; cleaning and priming before finally gluing and holding them together. Chris and Derek headed to the well to calibrate the pressure switch while the Brians (Roth and Rivers) went back to the tanks to ensure whether the float valves were working as designed to automatically shut off the inflow when the water reaches the inflow tube (much like the float valve found in the common toilet).
After the work had finished, the group reconvened in Santa Rosa near the trenches for a community meeting. At the end of the day the community was able to get about 100 to 150 yd worth of trenches dug and pipe connected. The only issue being just having enough soft material to insulate the pipe before the trenches are backfilled. The community members resolved to meet up again tomorrow and hopefully bring some more help.
After the community meeting, the EWB team headed home on another scenic drive and when we arrived in Iscozacín, we found that the power was out which is common inconvenience in rural Peru. However, our gracious hotel owners waited for us to return to kick on their generator so that we could clean up and get showered without fumbling through the dark. So that was a very nice gesture and we walked to dinner under the starlight seeing the Milky Way. We were about to sit down to dinner when the lights flickered on, so we were able to enjoy the rest of the evening with some electricity, something we take for granted frequently but miss dearly when it's gone. Dinner of tacachos and cecina, a traditional jungle staple.
Thanks for reading!
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