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Kiliwas |
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System |
Kiliwas
is a Kiliwa Indian community with 20 families (service connections) and
a population of approximately 70. The
community is located at the base of the Sierra San Pedro Martyr, east of
the Trinidad Valley in the municipality of Ensenada, Baja California,
Mexico. The community obtains its drinking water from a
spring, via 3 inch PVC piping several miles from the mountains to one
concrete storage reservoir 9818 gallons, (15’x12.5’x7’); from
there it is piped to the community.
There is no fencing around the spring catch basin and it is
commonly used by cattle, coyotes and other wildlife.
The water produced by the stream is not treated or filtered.
This community is extremely remote and does not have electricity. The following table is a brief summary of water
quality monitoring of the water system.
* NOTE: Microbiological data generated by the JA JAN Coalition with the assistance of CUNA, Aqualink, and trained community members The water system spring source is contaminated
with Total Coliform and E. coli bacteria. The spring collection basin is
exposed to the environment, including dirt, bird feces, and fecal matter
from livestock. The spring
collection basin should be completely fenced off to prevent livestock
and wildlife from entering. Analytical
testing and a sanitary survey have determined that the cause of the
contamination appears to stem from the water source.
The community water supply is unreliable and is subject to water
outages that may allow additional contaminants to enter the water
supply. The water produced
by the spring is not treated or filtered.
Drinking water with total coliform and E. coli bacteria is a
health risk and could cause serious illness.
Water System Improvement Recommendations The spring catch basin needs to be protected from livestock and wildlife and should be fenced. Because the E. coli bacteria results are so high from the spring, filtration is necessary. It is recommended that each house construct a slow sand filtration system for treatment of the spring water. This would greatly reduce the bacteria and provide a safer drinking water.
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