Monteverde Institute: Culture, Community, and Health
Alternative Title
El manejo de las aguas grises en la zona de Monteverde: Percepciones, retos, y soluciones
Files
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Publication Date
August 2014
Abstract
Greywater is the wastewater produced by kitchen sinks, bathroom sinks, showers and laundries. In Monteverde, Costa Rica, it is a popular practice to discharge untreated greywater into the local surroundings. However, there has been a growing awareness about the negative environmental impacts, an increasing concern in regards to public health risks, and a push for better greywater management strategies in the region. Over a six-week period, a research team, with collaboration and support from the University of South Florida, the Monteverde Institute, and the National Science Foundation implemented various anthropological and engineering methods to assess the perceptions and characteristics of greywater in the area. A greywater treatment system was also partially reconstructed at the Monteverde Institute, including two biogardens. The research team completed one biogarden and further construction and maintenance information was provided to the institute in order to aid in its completion and future care. Both the Monteverde Institute and research team hope the biogarden will serve as an educational resource for the greater Monteverde community. Lastly, the research team worked with a local and recently formed water commission in identifying zones of risk for greywater discharge in the Monteverde Zone, as well as established relationships with residents of a neighborhood to potentially serve as a pilot site for implementation of a community greywater treatment system. In addition to this report, a technical report regarding the design of the biogarden at the Monteverde Institute and a executive summary for the water commission with three suggestions for the future have been created. In response to the need to address pressing greywater issues, the research team hopes this study and its results serve as a platform for future investigations regarding greywater management in the Monteverde Zone.
Resumen
No Spanish language abstract available.
Keywords
Water quality, Wastewater management, Community Heal, 2014
Palabras claves
Calidad del agua, Gestión de aguas residuales, Salud Comunitaria 2014
Extent
25 pages
Geographic Location
Monteverde (Puntarenas, Costa Rica)
Holding Location
Monteverde Institute
Language
English
Format
Digital Only
Identifier
M38-00104
Creative Commons
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 License.
Recommended Citation
"Greywater management in the Monteverde Zone: Perceptions, challenges, and solutions, August 2014" (2014). Monteverde Institute: Culture, Community, and Health. 104.
https://digitalcommons.usf.edu/community_health/104
