Our Project
Engineers Without Borders Princeton is working with the community of Chalana Vieja, Bolivia, and Fundación Ingenieros en Acción Bolivia to develop a reliable and sustainable community water system. Chalana Vieja currently receives water from a distant spring that serves several communities before reaching the town, leaving residents without a sufficient and dependable water supply.
Our team is working to identify the best available water source and design a system that responds directly to the community’s needs. The project will include the development of a reliable water supply, filtration, and distribution system. Following our initial assessment, we are now using the data collected in the field to compare potential water sources and begin designing the system, with plans to return to Bolivia for implementation.
2026 Assessment Trip
In summer 2026, our team traveled to Chalana Vieja for the project’s first assessment trip. Working alongside community members and Fundación Ingenieros en Acción Bolivia, we collected the technical and community data needed to begin designing the new water system.
During the trip, we tested three potential water sources for 21 water-quality indicators, including bacteria, turbidity, and arsenic, measured flow rates, and collected additional samples for laboratory analysis. We also used a Total Station to conduct a topographic survey of the area, which will help determine pipeline routing and inform the system design. Most importantly, we conducted oral surveys with households throughout Chalana Vieja to better understand residents’ experiences with the existing water supply and their priorities for the new system.
With the assessment complete, our team will spend the coming year analyzing these results and developing the system design, with the goal of returning to Chalana Vieja in summer 2027 to begin implementation.