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HEALTH AND SANITATION
IWSH leads hand-washing efforts for Navajo Nation Covid-19 relief
By
Mike Flenniken , IAPMO staff writer
Nationwide wash station challenge set for spring – while remote prototyping project heats up in Wisconsin , product pilot launches on reservation .
David Viola , IAPMO CEO
In the spirit of the sharing of unique experiences that shape the plumbing industries in our respective nations , the following article looks at hand-washing station prototype units that are being developed at a college in Milwaukee , Wisconsin , which then will be delivered to the Navajo Nation . The prototypes can potentially be incorporated into other remote areas of need around the world . Written by IAPMO Staff Writer Mike Flenniken , it is the next in a regular series of similar articles that will run in this magazine .
“ The designs will be revised to incorporate findings from the on-campus testing , and the technical drawings and bill of materials will be finalised .”
The Covid-19 pandemic has hit the Navajo Nation especially hard — more than 13 000 residents have now contracted the virus — and the ability to wash one ’ s hands has never been more important .
The International Water , Sanitation and Hygiene Foundation ( IWSH ) is leading a project to deliver mobile wash stations to the Navajo Nation reservation , where more than 30 % of residents — an estimated 52 000 people — live without access to running water .
Two prototype units were recently unveiled at the Milwaukee School of Engineering ( MSOE ), where students Kathryn Ashley and Sarah Ceurvorst — both members of the American Society of Plumbing Engineers — are leading a range of testing and troubleshooting activities involving the school community and general public through the winter months . People using the stations are encouraged to complete a survey that may be accessed by scanning an accompanying QR code .
IWSH and DigDeep — a grassroots nonprofit working to expand running water on the Navajo Nation through its indigenous-led Navajo Water Project — collaborated to design the prototypes . Volunteers at UA Local 400 in Kaukauna , Wisconsin , assembled the stations , one of which uses a 120-volt trough-type heater that sits inside a 210-gallon water tank . The components are inside a highly insulated enclosure .
The other unit is designed to be used where line voltage is not available , which means there is no electricity . It incorporates a solar panel , a 12-volt circulating pump and a timer . The pump is set on a timer in order to circulate the water to keep it from freezing , much as a flowing river doesn ’ t freeze during the winter when temperatures reach freezing .
The water in the units is intended for hand washing only and is not considered potable .
The designs will be revised to incorporate findings from the on-campus testing , and the technical drawings and bill of materials will be finalised . IWSH will then lead a Wash Station Challenge in the spring , during which volunteers at UA locals throughout the United States will be invited to assemble 10 to 12 wash stations ready for delivery to the Navajo Nation in summer 2021 .
“ UA 400 is excited to be a part of this critical project ,” UA Local 400 Business Manager Trevor Martin said . “ UA 400 ’ s members are proud to volunteer their skills and knowledge to such a worthy effort ! IWSH and DigDeep continue to do great work throughout the United States and the world , providing safe water and hygiene solutions to the most remote corners of the globe .”
Doug Nelson , an associate professor in the Civil and Architectural Engineering Department , and Natalie Villegas , a project coordinator in MSOE ’ s Communityfocused Real-world Engagement in Academics Through Experiential-learning ( CREATE ) Institute , are overseeing the testing at the school .
Established in 2019 , the CREATE Institute ensures MSOE students receive well-rounded , high-impact educational experiences that will enhance the relevancy of their learning . The institute works with faculty , staff and students as a campus resource for industry engagement and academic excellence .
“ MSOE has a long history of solving practical engineering problems using applied projects in communities ,” Nelson said . “ CREATE was founded on this tradition and we are especially pleased to have the Navajo Nation be one of those communities .”
Ceurvorst and Ashley , architectural engineering students in Nelson ’ s advanced plumbing course , are using the wash stations as the basis for their term projects . Ceurvorst said Nelson , who is her adviser and mentor , learned of the project and pitched it to her because she had been asking him about opportunities to use her skills and knowledge to help people .
“ I would have done it regardless , but it just worked out that I could get really in depth on a class basis with the project and give a lot of time to it because of that ,” she said . “ He talked to the class about it to see if anyone else wanted to do it as their term project as well , and Katie joined in and the rest is history . We ’ re fully , deeply involved now , and we love it .”
www . plumbingafrica . co . za @ plumbingonline @ plumbingonline @ PlumbingAfricaOnline June 2021 Volume 27 I Number 4