Just Add Water July 2022

just ust add The Newsletter of Engineers in Action

Water

Volume 1, Issue 4

EIA Board Welcomes New Directors As a first step in expanding the scope and size of the board, we are proud to announce three new Directors have been appointed to serve a three-year term. Each brings significant experience and expertise to bear on reaching our strategic goals and fulfilling the mission.

Mallory Mead is a strategic communications professional with over a decade of

experience working in marketing, communications and community outreach, much of it in the construction industry. She is currently the senior communications specialist for PCL Construction – California Buildings.

Ken Gendron is from the Boston area where he’s worked in the environmental

engineering consulting industry for the last 25+ years and currently serves as a Senior Project Manager and Environmental Team Leader in Langan Engineering Environmental Services Boston office. He is a graduate of the University of Rhode Island with a BSc in Geology and holds several licenses pertinent to the environmental consulting industry.

David Frommell After earning his Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering from the University of Illinois, David spent two years volunteering with the United States Peace Corps in Kenya. David subsequently returned to the University of Illinois to complete a Master of Science in Environmental Engineering. He then worked for a major global engineering company designing water treatment plants and pipelines. In 2010, David earned his Juris Doctorate from the University of Denver Sturm College of Law. He is currently a partner at Beltzer Bangert & Gunnell LLP.

Water is at the heart of Engineers In Action’s mission.

With our community partners, we build systems and infrastructure that provide water that is clean and accessible for drinking and cooking, for sanitation and good hygiene, and for growing food.

When it is a barrier to school, healthcare or employment, we construct safe passage over it.

To change lives and transform communities - “Just Add Water.”

July 2022

From the Executive Director I love postcards. There is something so charming about these smallish cards and the economical messages we craft opposite an image of a place or time that we want to capture and hold.

Several years ago I purchased an old postcard display rack and now my collection proudly swings around that tall circular tower. All my favorites are there: my accidental discovery of the Spam Museum in Minnesota, an unforgettable night aboard the Queen Mary, my presidential library collection…

With construction in full swing, “postcards” from the field are flooding into my inbox; telling the story of the EIA mission, the indomitable spirit of our staff and volunteers, and the community resilience our efforts support.

Here is a small part of my Summer 2022 Collection. Enjoy!

Stateside, students from Duke and Georgia Tech Universities work on the Rosolina project continuing recovery from the devastating 2016 flooding in West Virginia, USA.

Working with communities

to promote renewable energy and other environmentallyfriendly technology in

solutions to improve their food, energy and water needs in Apohoco, Bolivia.

A little survey work, a little mentoring with Program Manager Brittany Margritz in Eswatini.

A new water system for Yacupungo in Cotopaxi Province, Ecuador has begun. First step the team completes the topographic survey.

Team Work In Action

as students from the Universities of Toronto and Alberta Bridge Chapters work

hand-in-hand with

the community while pulling cable for the Quinamara, Bolivia bridge.

The community pitches in to move six, 10,000 liter tanks up the mountain for what will soon be their new water system in Atahuallani, Bolivia.

Welcome to The Book Drop where we’ll be sharing great books that offer perspective on the work we do and the way we do it.

The Ghost Map Stephen Johnson Today, the link between WASH (Water, Sanitation and Hygiene) and the spread of disease is an accepted standard in public health. But in 19th century London when outbreaks of Cholera and other diseases regularly appeared, the best explanation was “toxic air.” The Ghost Map is the story of the two unlikely heroes who defeated the disease and their brilliant investigation that proved the city’s contaminated water was the source.

Water Can Be Laura Purdie Salas Illustrated by Violeta Dabija This picture book about water, written in verse, lets young readers experience the transformation effects of water on people and the environment.

Water to the Angels William Mulholland, His Monumental Aqueduct, and the Rise of Los Angeles Les Sandiford The story of the largest public water project ever created – William Mulholland’s Los Angeles aqueduct, one of the great engineering feats in history. Author Les Sandiford brings to life the greed, ambition, and hubris behind the six-year $23 million aqueduct that carried water 223 miles from the Sierra Nevada mountains to the desert city of Los Angeles and the larger-than-life engineer whose vision would transform a region, a state and a nation.

Four Openings For Corporate Bridge Build Everything is ready. All we need is You! Opportunities are still available to be a part of the Río Choquechampi, Bolivia project and bring safe access to education, health services, public transportation and local businesses for 5,500 Chinata residents - including 200 students who attend school nearby. Although there is already a vehicular bridge crossing the Rio Choquechampi nearby, community members still have a dangerous trek across, dashing in between heavy traffic.

In the last year alone, seven people have died trying to cross!

Travelers will be joining forces with a team of talented and passionate professionals representing The Structural Group and InLine Group, Inc. and will be on site from October 15-30.

An transformative and highly unique volunteer experience awaits, as well as a powerful way to showcase your company, its people and commitment to building a better world; and we’ll help document it all with photos throughout the build, showcasing your logo on the bridge and more.

Ready to learn more? Contact Steve Mezzacappa steven.mezzacappa@engineersinaction.org.