The town of Miramar is a mountainous village of about 200 residents in the municipality of San Francisco Menéndez, El Salvador, which suffers from a severe potable water storage problem.
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| The Village of Miramar, El Salvador |
The townspeople currently gather water from ground wells contaminated with bacteria, causing health problems among the villagers. Because these water sources dry up during the summer months, the town also struggles with the ability to safely store collected and purified water for long periods of time.
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| Miramar Well with Noticeable Moss Growth |
For this aim, the Drexel University chapter of Engineers without Borders (EWB) has been investigating methods of providing sustainable sources of clean water, including the implementation of community-maintained biosand water filters and rainwater-catchment systems.
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| Drexel Bio-Sand Filter constructed during an Engineers without Borders Implementation Trip |
This drive to collect all sources of clean water extends especially to rainwater, due to its relative purity and immediate suitability for drinking. However, due to dirt and other microorganisms that grow on roofs, the first gallons of rain that fall during a storm are contaminated and should not be collected. After a certain capacity, however, the roofs are essentially clean and subsequent rainfall can be collected for drinking purposes. A rainwater first-flush system can help divert a certain amount of contaminated water for use in non-drinking purposes while separating the clean water for use by the residents of the village.
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| Corrugated Metal Roofs in Miramar with Noticeable Dirt and Rust |
This project seeks to construct a working prototype of a first-flush system using sustainable materials available to the people of Miramar in the hope of improving their clean water supply and reducing the risk of waterborne illnesses.
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| Basic Rainwater Collection System in Miramar without First-Flush Diverter |
