Pentair - Project Safewater

Colón, Honduras is considered the poorest area in the world. Colón resident are forced to get their water from nearby rivers, streams and shallow wells where 100 percent of the water is contaminated. In February 2007, Project Safewater, funded by the Pentair Foundation, began as a humanitarian gift to the people of Colón to help meet their great need for access to safe water and adequate sanitation facilities.

In 2006, the Honduran government found that approximately 34 precent of Colón residents lacked access to safe water for cooking and drinking. Further studies, conducted by Project Safewater, concluded that in actuality, all of the water was unsafe.

Baseline testing identified and evaluated water sources in 613 communities in the district of Colón. Project Safewater measured the water quality in 100 percent of these water sources and found that high counts of coliform bacteria, indicative of fecal contamination, were present in every water source.

The Pentair Foundation partnered with the non-profit Water Missions International (WMI) to bring water treatment and sanitation to those in need in Colón, Honduras. As a comprehensive program, Project Safewater funded the installation of more than 200 water treatment systems and over 10,000 individual sanitation facilities in Colón, which serves approximately 75 percent of the region. Project Safewater also encompassed widespread community education programs to heighten awareness of the importance of safe, clean drinking water and the connection between good hygiene practices and health.

Additionally, to ensure that safe, treated water continues to be available beyond Pentair’s initial funding period, Project Safewater established a microenterprise business model, where the local community owns the water treatment systems and users pay their communities a nominal fee for potable water. The individual user fee is established by the local community to cover the ongoing operation and maintenance of their system. Once installed, the system costs pennies per person per day to operate.

Project Safewater used The Living Water Treatment System, a system that relies on filtration and chemical disinfection to produce safe drinking water. The system has been designed for use in tough environments, is ruggedly built, simple to operate, easily maintained, and when operated properly, will provide safe drinking water for many years.

Back-washable filters that eliminate the need for costly filter replacements
Chemicals used to filter and disinfect are common and reasonably priced in countries where the system is operated

Project Safewater's goals in Colón, Honduras are:

To demonstrate that people in developing countries can be provided access to sustainable sources of safe drinking water and adequate sanitation quickly and cost effectively
To deliver scientifically defensible data supporting cost-effective solutions to deliver clean water in varied environments
To demonstrate the direct correlation between waterborne diseases and poverty and access to safe water and adequate sanitation

The results of Project Safewater show that for less than $0.05 per person per day, people can have access to safe drinking water in regions where they don’t have it now.

Final data compiled in 2010 showed that only 4.5 percent of the residents studied tested positive for parasites, compared to 25 percent of those tested without treated water, an 80 percent improvement.

Water Missions International is a nonprofit, engineering oraganization serving the water and sanitation needs of people in developing countries and disaster areas.

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