[fsf60k] Re: Brace yourselves
- From: billcpf@xxxxxxx
- To: pedro831@xxxxxxxxxxxxx, dwiltam@xxxxxxxxx, pardo123@xxxxxxxxx, lisapflanagan@xxxxxxxxxxxxx, fsf60k@xxxxxxxxxxxxx, skornblatt@xxxxxxxxx, kelleystanford@xxxxxxxxx, abbyfl57@xxxxxxxxx, tlog0201@xxxxxxxxx, ikecip@xxxxxxx, clubgomes@xxxxxxx, jzima28@xxxxxxx, nycus@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
- Date: Thu, 16 Jul 2009 17:09:28 -0400
This is indeed disconcerting news.? Hope to get more details in days to come.?
We might want to get it tested again ourselves and verify MINSA's methods.?
Mike had a test done by the University in
Leon a few months ago but I don't know the results.? We should follow up on
that.?
If MINSA would not allow well to be used with individual house filters as we
investigated (perhaps because they can't verify that they are used properly)
there is the alternative of total filtration but it is probably very expensive
- in the tens of thousands of dollars - for a big tank and filtering medium. ?
I don't know what the possibility of another well being any better but we
should definitely test a sample from the current hand pump (a bomba de mecate
is the simple hand pump that uses a revolving cord with knots or pistons to
push water up a pipe from a shallow well) and also from la Union itself.?
However, I would think Minsa would have to test La Union as well being a larger
community.? But it would be good to know.?? Maybe a well could be located near
that good well.?
As far as Peter's theory that breaking through the rock caused the high levels
of arsenic - I? don't think this could still be affecting the water because the
well has an outer casing, a 6 inch plastic pipe, which should seal off the
water down below where the pump is from the rock 50 feet above.? And the well
should be thorougly flushed by now.? But I am far from an expert on something
like this.? Need to consult with the hydrologists.
And I guess the broken generator can be defered until we have more info.
--? Bill O.
-----Original Message-----
From: Peter White <pedro831@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
To: dwiltam@xxxxxxxxx; pardo123@xxxxxxxxx; billcpf@xxxxxxx;
lisapflanagan@xxxxxxxxxxxxx; fsf60k@xxxxxxxxxxxxx; skornblatt@xxxxxxxxx;
kelleystanford@xxxxxxxxx; abbyfl57@xxxxxxxxx; tlog0201@xxxxxxxxx;
ikecip@xxxxxxx; clubgomes@xxxxxxx; jzima28@xxxxxxx; nycus@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Sent: Thu, Jul 16, 2009 2:59 pm
Subject: Brace yourselves
Hola. Brace yourselves for sure. Mike arrived in Nica late yesterday to the
news that the Nica govt. org., Minsa?, tested the water in NA and found it
to be 40 ppb arsenic, too high considering the nat'l standard is now 10 ppb.
They suggested closing the well. We have spent a lot of time on this
project, including two years ago educating ourselves about arenic from Dr.
Meng from the STevens Instit. of Tech. in Hoboken, NJ, who believes and has
proven that arsenic can be removed cheaply, safely, etc. However this may be
of no value if the Nica govt orders the well closed. The other bad news is
that the two year old diesel motor is unable to be repaired. So the people
are without water and walking for water I suppose. Mike is going to be
asking a multitude of questions of the MINSA people and others, and putting
his head together with Conchita, Martin, and others about what the next
step/s are. Please think about this and get your questions to Mike or me
asap. I am going down to Nica for a quick five day visit July 23-27. This
was supposed to be a joyous visit in part, as we were going to see the
contract for the installation of the solar water project in NA and put up
half the money in order to get the project going. Now we are really set
back. The real problem is the continued suffering of the people.
The good news I suppose is that we aren't going to be throwing more money
into the old generator if it is kaput. Also we are not going to spend $25000
on a solar project for a well that may be of no use anymore. Mike says that
there is a clean water source about 2K from NA, which we know about (I
think). I beleive it is where the bomba de mescate is located. That's where
the people walk to when there is no water. It is a hand/rope pump that is
cumbersome, tiresome, slow, etc. but it has clean water. Or, maybe it isn't
clean and no one ever tested there??? Frankly, a good portion of Nica is
with bad water, so what are we to do? I dont' see how La UNion, only 1K
away, has good water (or maybe it isn't either) and NA is bad. We need
everyone to think, suggest, provide ideas, etc. so we can move forward
somehow.
I remember Dr. Meng saying that the arsenic isn't really in the deep water
naturally but that arsenic is released from the crushing of the rock when
deep wells, where water lies below a level of rock, are perforated. In NA,
the first 40 feet or so was dirt. Then they hit rock which was 60 - 65 feet.
The rate of descent was slow, the big drill bit broke a few times, but
finally the driller struck the water they've been using since Aug. 07.
Problem probably is that the arsenic gets into the water from the crushing
of the rock I guess. I'm not the expert here, but I just hope they can
locate a place where we can begin anew, cheaply, with good water and then
solarize it from the outset. Be well. Pray. PW
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