Billions of people have access to water that lacks adequate quality for drinking. One possible solution is point-of-use (POU) water treatment devices, and this presentation contrasts technical and social considerations in two economically disadvantaged regions.<br/>Through charity-based partnerships, teams from El Paso, Texas have collaborated with community leaders in El Recreo, Ecuador (5 km east of Guayaquil). Many urban residents receive intermittent supply (several days per week) of piped water, while most of the suburban residents rely on truck-hauled water stored in used 200 L drums. Most residents either purchase purified water from local stores or boil municipally-provided water (undesirable taste). Analyses of water samples with WaterSafe test kits did not reveal any chemical contamination, but all samples tested positive for the presence of bacteria. Thus, Sawyer PointOne filters were provided house-by-house to hundreds of residents in both the urban and suburban areas, and the residents have responded very positively to the taste of the filtered water and are agreeable to the responsibility of regularly backwashing the filter. In follow-up visits after one or two years of use, the residents reported noticeable decreases in gastrointestinal illnesses.  Based on work in El Recreo, research was performed to help residents of colonias in the region of El Paso, Texas. Focus group discussions revealed that most of the participating colonia residents who live west of El Paso rely on private wells, while most who live east of El Paso rely on hauled water. Water samples were collected from residences in colonias across the El Paso region, and analyses revealed that most samples (from both wells and hauled water) had total dissolved solids (TDS) concentrations greater than 500 mg/L, the EPA secondary limit for drinking water. Based on focus group surveys and discussions with colonia residents, a five-category ranking method was developed to identify suitable POU systems for colonias. The top ranking units were under-the-sink POU reverse osmosis (RO) systems, based on their removal of TDS and pathogens, certification by NSF International, simplicity, and cost. The intervention phase of the project is ongoing, and more than thirty POU RO systems have been installed in colonias in the El Paso region. Comparison of post-surveys to pre-surveys reveals that colonia residents approve of the POU RO systems and have decreased their bottled water purchases.

Point-of-use drinking water treatment with membrane filtration and desalination: A tale of two cities

255th National Meeting (2018)

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