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Peru Water Distribution System Implementation Trip(1) -Joshua McMillan



Figure 1 : Evan stands on weights to test soil integrity

The first week that we have been in Peru has been rather eventful. The build site was changed by the community last minute because the owner of the original land decided he did not want to go through with the deal. This created a challenge because we were not yet able to make any soil tests on the new location to verify if it was sound enough to support the structure. We did not have a penetrometer to test the soil, so after consultation with our mentors back at home, we decided to use a makeshift penetrometer to test the soil using free weights from the gym where we stayed at. We were able to verify the integrity of the soil this way. This is an example of why it is important to be able to think on your feet while implementing these projects because whatever can go wrong, will go wrong.
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