The Bob-O-Link Projects
Just visible from the FAFCoffees washing station is the small community of Vila Vicente, home to 4 families of coffee producers with one home currently unoccupied. The homes are placed in the “V” where two mountain springs supply water to the village and to the farms further down the valley.
The homes currently have rudimentary sanitation consisting of simple septic pits for black water. Grey water runs directly into the ground outside the homes and there is also a pig-sty without any runoff treatment.
It is imperative that the springs and streams that flow from this community are pristine when they enter and leave the area. FAFCoffees with your generous support, are committed to install water treatment facilities for the families of Vila Vicente.
Planning Phase - November 2019
The proximity of the community to the water sources creates challenges for the project. FAFCoffees has enlisted the support of Aguapé, a water treatment engineering firm, and also CETESB, the state environmental agency, to ensure the project is planned and executed in accordance with local and federal regulations.
The photo above shows the layout of the houses in Vila Vicente. Water flows from right to left.
Given the topography and layout of the buildings, the best way to attack the problem is in the following manner:
- Use a decentralized treatment for Aldo and Teresinha, or each with its own system as they are quite far apart. For these residences a black and grey water treatment system is planned similar to that used at Sitio Seriema but will use simpler and cheaper materials taking advantage of a more favorable topography. To see just how the decentralized water system works, please follow the link: Sitio Seriema Water Treatment Project
- For Roque and Carlinhos' homes, we will separate the black and gray waters. This is a simpler system that allows for a high volume of waste from two residences as well as the pig-sty within a confined space.
How does the separated treatment system work?
Black Water Treatment
Our project engineer has proposed a simple Septic tank bio-digester system that requires minimal maintenance and is relatively cheap to install. A system of three tanks decant and breakdown to waste water into a useful bio-fertilizer.
Grey Water Treatment
For the grey water we will use a single biodigester tank that will feed into an area of banana trees encircling a filtration pit filled with dry twigs and straw. The pre-treated water will decant into the filtration pit where it will safely be cleaned. The water at this point will evaporate or safely seep into the ground.
| Engineering Services | Planning | US $1,500 |
|---|---|---|
| Execution | US $1,700 | |
| Monitoring | US $400 | |
| Total | US $3,600 | |
| Construction Costs | Total | US $8,000 |
| PROJECT'S TOTAL: | US $11,600 | |
Planning for the project was completed in December of 2019 and execution started in January 2020.
Project Execution Phase 1 - January 2020
The project began with the delivery of the materials needed to the site. Fiberglass tanks, concrete inspection and collection tanks along with many meters of pipes and connections were delivered.
Leonardo, our project engineer from Aguape, a local hydraulic engineering company, l aid out the design for the trenches and holes that needed to be cleared to receive the materias. The residents of Villa San Vicente, along with their neighbors worked by hand with picks and shovels to clear the earth and prepare the trenches.
Next Steps - Phase 2
Our plan now is to install a filtration garden to serve the one home that cannot be connected to this system due to distance. Our engineer is preparing the plans for March execution.