Day Eight, A Long Journey to San Antonio de Xavier

The robust Rotary Club Alamo has done many projects and have been effective partners for years.  This year they took us about an hour and one half into the country to see a small community they feel merits help. The problem is clean water.  The problem for San Antonio de Xavier, a town of more than 3500 people is that their drinking water source, a dam, is contaminated with Salmonella, E. Coli and agricultrual chemicals.  People are forced to boil their water or buy it (at great expense).  The proposal is to provide a municipal water treatment system - total cost $10,500, form a water district, then become self sustaining. People would still purchase water in bottles, but at a rate they could afford. Some money would be reserved from proceeds so as to cover costs, make repairs and improvements over time.

We met the two mayors of the area, the sitting mayor and the one who comes to office in January. A mayor in Mexico covers an area of cities similar to a county. Lupita, from the Alamo Club worked with the two mayors to secure their committment to funding, support and the grant of a place to secure the water treatment station.

After a good deal of discussion the incoming mayor declaired support and monies and land for the project.

So we stood for a photograph in the courtyard to celebrate the time of our visit and agreement.

We went to the dam to look at the water storage and water conditions.It contains a great amount of water.

As the water leaves the dam to head for the town, it is carried in an open culvert across country.

Some miles away the water arrives at San Antonio, it is turbid - with a high concentration of suspended solids.  The water is channeled through a settling process, an attempt to remove the solids for consumption and make it better for houshold use. The water at the end is improved significantly by this process, however, e coli, salmonella  and are not diminished by that.  The resulting water, in addition to being still contaminated still looks cloudy and does not taste good .

This is the site of the current water storage for the town.  The lot includes sufficient room for the equipment. The government agreed to provide protection for the equipment and the space.

This is the view from the water area down the street towards downtown. Although the houses look modest from the outside, most have lovely gardens and are carefully clean and maintained in the interiors.  A problem for this particular town is that mostly women and children live here. Many of their men have gone to the U.S to seek work. The women also work in the two factories located in town.