The People’s Consultants is cooperating with a study on arsenic in drinking water pioneered by Mr. Bill Olsen. Bill leads an informal group of retired hydrogeologists. Bill became aware of the problem of arsenic in the groundwater in the Lake Atitlan area. The arsenic is from the natural geologic source and related to the many nearby volcanoes. Bill uncovered a ‘point of use’ method of treating water for arsenic. ‘Point of use’ describes systems used in the home compared to treatment systems for an entire village. The system, dubbed “Zero Valence Iron (ZVI), has been successfully used in South East Asia. ZVI means combining rusty iron or steel with a clay water filter. This project aims to determine whether a similar modification to Ecofiltro pots in Guatemala might have similar effectiveness.
Ing. Mateo Racancoj, Agua del Pueblo’s Director, learned of arsenic contamination in the municipal system of Zunil, in the department (state) of Quetzaltenango. Zunil is a municipality of 16,000 known for its intricate and colorful weavings. Mateo is helping Bill test the Zero Vlaent Iron system in Zunil. Bill plans to visit Guatemala to work with Mateo in October. Stay tuned for our results.
Ing. Mateo Racancoj, Agua del Pueblo’s Director learned of arsenic contamination in the municipal system in Zunil. Zunil is a municipality of 16,000 known for its intricate and colorful weavings. Mateo is helping Bill test the Zero Vlaent Iron system in Zunil. Bill plans to visit Guatemala to work with Mateo in October. Stay tuned for our results.
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