This project was aquired by EWB-Rutgers in January 2009. Teams of students from EWB-Rutgers have traveled for first and second assessment trips. The team assessed the existing water supply system by evaluating the infrastructure, the quantity of flow, and the water quality. Additionally, the Water Committee of NSCI and the NSCI Municipality held meetings to collaborate with the team about plans for the future. For more information, please contact the Student Lead and attend meetings that are held weekly or biweekly.

Student Lead: Namrata Kulkarni, This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
Lead Mentor: Sandra Kutzing, P.E.
Sandy Kutzing, P.E. is a civil engineer with 6.5 years of experience. She currently works for CDM as a water and waste water engineer in the Edison, NJ office. Her project experience includes designing water treatment plants, pipelines, pump stations and solid waste transfer stations.  She holds an M.S. in Civil Engineering from the University of Washington in Seattle, WA (2002) and a B.S. in Civil Engineering from the University of Illinois in Urbana-Champaign, IL (2000).  She is a registered Professional Engineer in New York and New Jersey.

Background: 

Nueva Santa Catarina Ixtahuacán (NSCI) is a town in the western highlands of Guatemala. The town’s population is about 4,000 and the 35,000 people of the wider Ixtahuacán area are K’iche-speaking people of Mayan decent. The town was originally located about 20 kilometers away.  Hurricane Mitch in 1998 caused mudslides that destroyed 60 – 75% of what is now known as Antigua Santa Catarina Ixtahuacan. In the first week of January 2000 the town moved en-masse to their new location. Carrying their possessions on their backs, the people began the 20-kilometer trek up the mountain to what is now called Nueva Santa Catarina Ixtahuacan. The village of NSCI is comprised of about 500 identical block houses, originally allocated one for each family. More recent infill structures are made of mud, unfinished wood and corrugated steel.  On the surface the village looks prosperous, but the rough structures are evidence of difficult living and economic conditions brought on by a lack of water.

Project Goal: 

To redesign and repair the existing water supply in Nueva Santa Catarina Ixtahuacan.

Water Supply:

The existing faulty water supply is fed by three springs located a few kilometers from the village.  The springs have adequate flow year round.  The existing infrastructure consists of holding tanks, 230 volt power, pipes and pumps, but the system has never worked more than sporadically. For over six years the local government has failed to fix the water supply.  The NSCI Development Committee has undertaken repairs to the existing system (replacing motors, replacing pumps) without success.  The existing system needs to be evaluated and a new system needs to be designed – retaining as much of the existing infrastructure as possible.

All general meetings will be held at 8pm on Wednesdays in the Busch Campus Center. If you would like to be added to the mailing list, please contact the secretary, James Jacod, at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

All committee meeting times and locations are decided by the head of the committee. Please email This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it for details on a specific committee. Our most updated information can be gathered by contacting the lead and attending meetings. 

Hope everyone had an amazing summer!

The first general meeting of the Fall 2009 semester will be on Sept. 9, 7:00PM in the Busch Campus Center Room 120. 

Cheers

Welcome to the new EWB-RU Website! A rapidgrowth in our university student chapter has lead us to expand over the internet in order to accomodate everyone who is interested in EWB.

The new website features an easy-to-update database that will ensure quality resources and recent news updates on the website. This will allow for anyone who is interested in EWB to learn everything they need to start getting involved. The website will also house our seasonal newsletter, which is currently in development. This is aimed to keep all interested parties up to date with our recent successes, recognition, and upcoming events. Lastly, there will be an integrated community function that will allow for members to share files and interact with one another. This is a great way for new members to become involved and will also provide veteran members with a tool to manage their projects.

Please be patient as we continue to develop this website. We hope that it will become a primary resource for the Rutgers chapter and also for all Northeast EWB chapters. Enjoy!