Expanding Agricultural Opportunities
Agua Caliente, Guatemala
Project Cost
$15,000
Chapter
University of Minnesota –
Twin Cities
Background
Agua Caliente is a small,
agricultural-based
community of over 200
families. The community
is
located
in
the
mountainous regions of
central Guatemala, which
provides
significant
challenges for cultivation
and
erosion
control
practices.
The area
experiences two distinct
seasons, rainy and dry
seasons, which restrict
productive growing season
for farmers in the
community and around the
region.
Community
members of Agua Caliente
in close proximity to the
local river have been able
to overcome that seasonal
barrier through utilization
of river water for irrigation
of their nearby crops.
Water is diverted from the
river though a series of
five river impoundments,
each with seven to fifteen
ram
pumps
to
accommodate the larger
increase in elevation to the
field. The families formed
a coop, APROMAC, to
work toward collective
benefits in the sales of
cash crops.
The
University
of
Minnesota – Twin Cites
EWB Chapter was first
contacted
by
the
community in 2009 after
the completion of a
rainwater
catchment
system in a neighboring
community.
Engineers Without BordersTM-USA
(EWB-USA) supports communitydriven development programs
worldwide through the design and
implementation of sustainable
engineering projects while fostering
responsible leadership.
For more information, contact
Rebecca Herron at hero@umn.edu or
Isaac Murphy at murph@umn.edu
The Need
A forty-year old irrigation system is fed by a series
of five dams on the spring-fed Rio Agua Caliente.
Excessive river flows and poor cultivation practices
nearby have made the dam vulnerable to erosion
and structural failure. The third of the five dams on
the river has the greatest risk of structural and
erosion failre. Improvements must be made to the
existing dam structure and further erosion
prevention must be installed near the abutments as
well as the base of the dam.
The EWB-USA Response
Surveying Existing Conditions
EWB-UMN coordinated with an NGO, “Long Way
Home” (LWH), based in Comalapa, Guatemala, as
well as Agua Caliente Community members to
complete system assessment and community
surveys in both March 2012 and August 2012.
External measurements and site characteristics
were recorded for each of the five impoundments.
Stream flow characteristics were also recorded
both upstream and downstream of each reservoir.
The chapter also surveyed community members to
establish a baseline representation of village
demographics and needs.
Improvements to Existing Structures
Leaders of APROMAC, the agricultural coop,
voiced concerns for the dam structural integrity,
discusses potential for an expansion of the system,
and were interested in improving the efficiency of
their irrigation system. EWB-UMN students and
professionals found, from information gathered on
the trips, that the third dam presented the greatest
need for improvement. EWB-UMN will design for
structural bracing and erosion prevention.
Following up
The chapter has continued to work with the
community through biweekly Skype conference calls
to “Long Way Home” Comalapa. The information
and planning is either shared with APROMAC
representatives at the meeting or through scheduled
visits to the community by LWH volunteers. Through
this correspondence, the chapter has been able to
guide the impoundment rehabilitation design process
to best fit the community’s needs and to adhere to
use of construction materials readily available in the
area.
Moving Forward
Upon return from the March 2012 assessment trip
the chapter chose to focus the third of the five
impoundments as it presents the most concern for
erosion failure and need for structural rehabilitation.
Students and professional engineers from the area
are working on the Design for risk reduction
measures.
The
chapter
has
continued
correspondence with the community via Skype
conference calls and is now planning and preparing
for an August 2013 technical implementation trip.
The trip will focus on construction of structural and
erosion improvements to the third dam on Rio Agua
Caliente. EWB-UMN students and professionals will
work alongside community members during the
construction to ensure knowledge and ownership are
passed onto the community. .
The project timeline will follow a series of
assessments and design implementations over a 5
year period for each of the five impoundment
systems.
During that time, students will be
coordinating with community members to secure
grants and other funding for improvements to the
irrigation lines and eventual expansion of the system.