Program Background

The existing system includes a well pump, holding tank, piping to three storage tanks and a gravity piping distribution system to approximately 500 homes. It has been found that the system generally operates as designed but has some basic deficiencies making it expensive to operate and making the distribution inequitable. The cleanliness is also questionable due in part to the method residents use to store water and possibly due to contaminants in the distribution system. Since water is only pumped into the system for approximately four hours per day; the residents store the water in all variety of containers for later use.

It has been found that the well supply riser pipe experiences a failure approximately every four months which costs the residents quite a bit of money to fix. This ongoing maintenance cost uses a large portion of the available funds that could be used to provide a better and more reliable water source to the community. We have identified this as one of the goals of this project: to design and install a better riser pipe supply system for the well that will not require frequent replacement. This will free up operating revenue to upgrade the system and address some of the other deficiencies.

Description of Community

Las Delicias is a community of about 600 homes and 3000 people situated on the western slopes of Volcan San Salvador about 15 miles northwest of San Salvador, the capital of El Salvador. The community is fairly sparse and anticipates growth to over 1000 families over the next 20 years. The communities residents suffer from lack of employment, but over recent years several NGOs have begun making improvements within the community that are improving living conditions, health, and education.

The residences of Las Delicias are Latin American and mostly agricultural. Some are Indigenous. The Village of Las Delicias was disrupted during the civil war, as were many villages, there is no real governmental involvement. There is some military and police presence. Most community event planning is done through the parish council. Unemployment is very high. Those who are employed work in garment factories or agricultural labor. The average income is around $10 a week. Most people are Catholic.

Las Delicias has a water supply system that was installed about 20 years ago. This system includes buried piping to individual households, three storage tanks at upper elevations in the community, over 150 valves to control distribution, a well at a lower elevation in the community and a pumping station with two pumps: (1) submersible pump in the well and (2) transfer pump for delivering water to two of the storage tanks. The three storage tanks all receive water by gravity from a spring located several kilometers away on the mountain and two of the storage tanks receive water from the well. The well pump and transfer pump operate about 4-6 hours per day. Water flows by gravity from the tanks to individual households. The valves throughout the community are operated manually by a single operator who walks throughout the community controlling which zones have running water at various times during the day. However due to topology and limitations of the piping system design, the water supply to individual households varies considerably. Some homes receive water almost every day whereas other homes reportedly receive water less than once per week. A culture of scarcity exists in the community so that when the water is running, residents collect water into many available containers so that they will continue to have water until the next time the water is running.

Project Location
Longitude: 13° 45’ 13” N
Latitude: 89° 20’ 53” W

Project Impact
Persons directly affected: Local Community (~3,000 people)
Persons indirectly affected: Neighboring Communities