Our team was in La Huaylla, Peru for a total of 10 weeks. Each student stayed for 3 - 7 weeks, so we had a total of 4 - 7 students in the community at one time. Once construction of the 80 cubic meter reservoir started, we were on the construction site most days. Usually, half the team would go to the construction site and work on construction management while the other half of the team worked on other parts of the project, such as making lesson plans and filling out paperwork.
Before we started construction, the community changed the location of where the reservoir was going to be built. During our trip the year before, we had surveyed the land where we thought the reservoir would be built, however, we did not survey the land that the reservoir was actually going to be built on. We had to measure the soil properties and composition to make sure it could withstand the weight of the reservoir. With the change of location, we did not know we were going to have to measure the soil quality again. We did not bring the penetrometer, an instrument for determining the consistency or hardness of soil by measuring the depth of penetration of a rod driven into it by a known force. We had to improvise by making our own penetrometer. We used weights from a gym and placed them over the soil. Then some of our team members stepped on the weights for a few seconds. We measured how much the soil sank compared to the weight on top of it. It was a really cool way for me to learn the theory behind how a penetrometer works and for us to successfully test the soil without a penetrometer.
EWB members standing and supporting weights to make a penetrometer.
When we started construction, we ran into hurdles along the way. Some of the hurdles came from miscommunication between our team and the contractor team. Other hurdles came from the contractors wanting to build the reservoir a certain way while we wanted to build it another way. We were planning on building a domed roof for the reservoir, but the contractors were setting up for a coned roof. We talked to the contractors and explained why a domed roof is more stable. We came to an agreement to build a domed roof and they took down their cone roof forms and set up for a domed roof. Although this set us back half a day, it was worth it for the structural capacity of the reservoir. When we ran into problems, we made sure to talk with the people involved and come up with a solution. We met with the contractors every morning before the laborers arrived and planned out what we were going to accomplish that day. We had a great experience working with the Peruvian contractors. They were very friendly and loved to joke with us. We saw them the most out of any other community members so they taught us a lot about life and culture in La Huaylla, Peru.
Before we started construction, the community changed the location of where the reservoir was going to be built. During our trip the year before, we had surveyed the land where we thought the reservoir would be built, however, we did not survey the land that the reservoir was actually going to be built on. We had to measure the soil properties and composition to make sure it could withstand the weight of the reservoir. With the change of location, we did not know we were going to have to measure the soil quality again. We did not bring the penetrometer, an instrument for determining the consistency or hardness of soil by measuring the depth of penetration of a rod driven into it by a known force. We had to improvise by making our own penetrometer. We used weights from a gym and placed them over the soil. Then some of our team members stepped on the weights for a few seconds. We measured how much the soil sank compared to the weight on top of it. It was a really cool way for me to learn the theory behind how a penetrometer works and for us to successfully test the soil without a penetrometer.
EWB members standing and supporting weights to make a penetrometer.
When we started construction, we ran into hurdles along the way. Some of the hurdles came from miscommunication between our team and the contractor team. Other hurdles came from the contractors wanting to build the reservoir a certain way while we wanted to build it another way. We were planning on building a domed roof for the reservoir, but the contractors were setting up for a coned roof. We talked to the contractors and explained why a domed roof is more stable. We came to an agreement to build a domed roof and they took down their cone roof forms and set up for a domed roof. Although this set us back half a day, it was worth it for the structural capacity of the reservoir. When we ran into problems, we made sure to talk with the people involved and come up with a solution. We met with the contractors every morning before the laborers arrived and planned out what we were going to accomplish that day. We had a great experience working with the Peruvian contractors. They were very friendly and loved to joke with us. We saw them the most out of any other community members so they taught us a lot about life and culture in La Huaylla, Peru.
The completed reservoir.
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