Location
Ewarton, St. Catherine, Jamaica
Community Description
Ewarton is a semi-rural community located at the foot of Mt. Rosser in Northwest St. Catherine, Jamaica. The town is approximately 23 miles south of Ocho Rios.
The community has an approximate population of 14,000 people who live in thirteen unique districts. Persons are predominantly involved in agriculture or employed at WINDALCO/Rusal, the local bauxite company. In the center of town is one of the oldest and largest community centres in Jamaica.
For years, the community centre has had piped water from the National Water Commission (NWC). However, due to the world’s harsh economic situation, neither the Ewarton Community Development Action Committee (ECODAC), the local community-based organization for Ewarton, nor the centre management committee is able to regularly pay the NWC bill. Currently, the service is cut.
A pump station located in the district of Charlton Meadows supplies Ewarton as a whole with NWC water. However, the NWC admitted formally that they do not have enough water to supply Ewarton as a whole.
Water will be used primarily for drinking water with tentative future expansion of the system to collect unfiltered rain water for hand-washing and flushing of toilets.
Project Description
This project is to set up a rainwater catchment and bio-sand filtration system for drinking water at the Ewarton Community Centre. The hope is to reduce or eliminate the dependence upon and financial burden of the NWC for water.
The project will be carried out by ECODAC and the Ewarton Watershed & Farmers Co-operative Society.
Metal stands for storage tanks and a bio-sand filter will be constructed to create a gravity-driven system.
The missing manifold and outlet PVC plumbing will be re-installed on the bio-sand filter created during PCJ’s Group 81, Health Initiative, Hub-Based Peace Corps Training in April 2010.
15 feet of 6” PVC gutter will be installed on the SW corner of the main building at the community centre. Then the entire system will be connected together using ½ inch PVC piping.
Funds will be used to purchase 16-gauge metal sheeting, flat iron for cross-bracing, welding rods, and primer for the stands, 15 feet of 6″ PVC guttering, joints, and accessories. Glue, PVC joints, PVC caps, PVC valves, and 3 lengths of PVC pipe will be purchased for the manifold re-installation and connecting plumbing.
Anticipated funding from Friends of Jamaica, a U.S. non-profit organization set up by Returned Peace Corps Jamaica Volunteers to support current PCV’s, will cover the 2″ galvanized piping and initial water quality testing of the filtered water.
In-kind contributions of two 650-gallon water tanks, one from ECODAC and one from the Ewarton Watershed & Farmers Co-operative Society, and a bio-sand filter from Peace Corps Jamaica, will be utilized for the project.
The work will be overseen by Brain Perry, Ewarton Watershed & Farmers Co-operative Society Chairman, working with the PCV. Organization members will help with the installation of guttering and provide general assistance.
Construction and welding of the metal stands will be performed by Auto Thomas, Assistant-Treasurer of the Farmers Co-operative and welding expert.
Plumbing assistance will be provided by a master plumber, Ken Caldwell, PCV in Falmouth, Trelawny, Jamaica.
After the system has been successfully created, water quality testing of the filtered water will be done by the Scientific Research Council to ensure that the water meets the standards of the Ministry of Health for safe drinking water.
ECODAC will ensure that the water is tested regularly to guarantee that the filter is working properly and effectively.
Project Impact
500 people will benefit from the project.
Peace Corps Volunteer Directing Project
Mark Bryson
Comments
This project marshal diverse resources to satisfy a crucial need to bring water to the center.
Dollar Amount of Project
$555.00
Donations Collected to Date
$555.00
Dollar Amount Needed
$0.00 – This project has been fully funded through the generosity of Kathryn Smith of Cheshire, CT, USA.
We encourage others to continue to donate using the Donate button below, and we will notify Peace Corps Volunteer Mark Bryson of your donation. Additional funds will be used to fund the next project by Mark and/or those of other PCVs in the country of service.