Current Project: Orono Land Trust
UMaine ESW is working with the UMaine Surveying Department as well as local Orono residents in order to design a bridge. We will be doing trail maintenance and invasive species removal at the Hirundo Wildlife Refuge in Old Town.
Uganda Project
In the past several years, our chapter has focused on providing clean drinking water and proper water sanitation systems to impoverished communities in Central America and East Africa. Our latest project, in Walugoma, Uganda, aims to give a community of 2,320 people access to clean water. The population currently shares a 1 kilometer-away water supply with foxes and cattle. Our intention is to design and implement a water system that will primarily consist of a new borehole well. This will be at a central location and protected from animal contamination.
Our chapter is planning an assessment trip to the community in May of 2023. The purpose of this trip is to determine the viability of a borehole, develop strong relationships with community members, and oversee the hydrogeological study for the feasibility of a well.
Revisiting Honduras
Unfortunately, the septic system that EWB UMaine installed in Dulce Vivir, Honduras, has not held up over time. The septic tanks have been crushed due to erosion and increasing upward soil pressure, which has lead to a loss of capacity. Since 2016, design team member Cody Stevens has been working remotely with the community in Dulce Vivir to brainstorm solutions.
In January 2019, he received an offer for stronger pre-cast concrete septic tanks that could replace the failing ones. The chapter jumped at the opportunity to provide Dulce Vivir with a functioning septic system.
Since then, different tank options have been explored, and the design is still in progress. Due to a travel ban on Honduras, EWB UMaine cannot go to install the new tanks. However, we are working to finalize a design, and in the mean time, we are raising funds to implement the new system.
Our current fundraising goal is $20,000 to purchase the pre-cast concrete tanks, transport them to Honduras, get the proper installation equipment, and install the tanks.
