JUNE 2023

WATER
PURIFYING
SYSTEM
PROJECT
Sofia Martinez
Parga
THE IMPORTANCE OF
HOUSEHOLDS' WATER SUPPLY,
CLEAN WATER, AND
CONSEQUENCES OF ITS ABSENCE
T h e U S G e o l o g i c a l S u r v e y ( U S G S ) d e f i n e s c l e a n , s a f e w at e r as "w a t e r
t h a t w i l l n o t h a r m y o u i f y o u c o m e i n c o n t a c t w i t h i t ". C l e a n w a t e r i s
o f t e n r e f e r r i n g t o d r i n k i n g w a t e r , b u t i t i s a l s o e s s e n t i al t h at w at e r
for all domestic use is clean such as food preparation, bathing,
b r u s h i n g t e e t h , w a s h i n g d i s h e s , w a s h i n g c l o t h e s , c l e an i n g, w at e r i n g
crops, and swimming. Clean water prevents not only deaths but also
severe illnesses that cause painful cramping, diarrhea, vomiting,
f e v e r s , a n d o t h e r s y m p t o m s . I n a d e q u a t e m a n a g e m e n t o f u r ban ,
i n d u s t r i a l , a n d a g r i c u l t u r a l w a s t e w a t e r m e a n s t h e d r i n ki n g- w at e r o f
h u n d r e d s o f m i l l i o n s o f p e o p l e i s d a n g e r o u s l y c o n t am i n at e d o r
chemically polluted.

Water stressed and underresourced communities oftenly have to

e n d u r e w a t e r - b o r n e d i s e a s e s . P e o p l e d i e e v e r y d a y fr o m n o t h av i n g
clean water, and diseases and parasites that are spread by un-safe
w a t e r a r e a b i g p r o b l e m . C h i l d r e n u n d e r t h e a g e o f 5 ar e t h e m o s t at
r i s k . D i a r r h e a l d i s e a s e s a r e o n e o f t h e m a i n r e a s o n s w h y ki ds u n de r 5
die, but these issues are easy to avoid, just with clean water, and
g o o d s a n i t a t i o n. H a v i n g a n e a s y w a y t o g e t w a t e r c a n a l s o m a k e a
b i g d i f f e r e n c e i n t h e l i v e s o f m a n y c o m m u n i t i e s . P e o pl e n e e d c l e an
water, but so do communities as a whole. The water in a community
needs to be clean and safe to use for drinking, cooking, bathing, and
c l e a n i n g . D i s e a s e s l i k e c h o l e r a , d i a r r h e a , d y s e n t e r y, h e pat i t i s A ,
t y p h o i d , a n d p o l i o c a n b e s p r e a d b y j u s t d r i n k i n g w a t e r t h at i s di r t y
o r h a s n 't b e e n c l e a n e d w e l l . P e o p l e ' s h e a l t h i s p u t a t r i s k w h e n w a t e r
a n d s a n i t a t i o n s e r v i c e s a r e n 't a v a i l a b l e , o r a r e n 't m an age d w e l l . S o
a c c e s s t o b e t t e r w a t e r s o u r c e s c a n l e a d t o b e t t e r h e a l t h an d, i n t u r n ,
better lives.

C o m m u n i t i e s n e e d c l e a n w a t e r t o s t a y p h y s i c a l l y h e al t h y an d
prevent diseases caused by a lack of water, sanitation, and hygiene
( W A S H ). A c c e s s t o s a f e d r i n k i n g w a t e r , g o o d s a n i t a t i o n , a n d go o d
h y g i e n e c o u l d c u t t h e n u m b e r o f d i s e a s e s i n t h e w o r l d b y 10 %. I t i s
important for each home to have a clean water supply to keep
p e o p l e h e a l t h y a n d p r e v e n t d i s e a s e s t h a t a r e s p r e a d by w at e r .
WHAT IS HAPPENING AT
CHOCÓ, COLOMBIA?
RAINWATER, THE SOLUTION
The Chocó community in Colombia has a complicated and
difficult water situation. In rural areas, only 35% of the
population has access to aqueduct service, and the amount of
water that is sent out is not enough to meet the basic needs of
the communities. Because there isn't the proper infrastructure
to collect, treat, store, and distribute the water, the aqueducts
only operate for six hours per day. This problem is made worse
by the fact that the places where people live along the main
rivers in the area are hard to get to and don't have clean
water. A big part of the community depends on the river for all
of their needs, even for things like doing housework. People's
health is at great risk in the area because they can't get clean
water.

Chocó typically receives about 660.03 millimeters of

precipitation and has 358.82 rainy days (98.31% of the time)
annually. In Chocó, the community only recieves about 6-7
days in a year without rain, meaning that rain could be a
perfect source of water for many families here. For this reason,
I decided to create a water purifying system, the 2pure, which
uses rain water as the water source for any home at the Chocó
community. With this system, families do not have to pay
millions of pesos just for a basic need, clean and safe water.
2PURE: CLEAN WATER
SOLUTION FOR CHOCÓ'S
COMMUNITIES
2pure is an affordable water filtration system for any home at the
Chocó, that purifies water not only one but two times to ensure the
best water quality for the Chocoan families. The system can be
modified to any scale depending on the availability of materials,
the structure of any home, and the needs of each family, all for a
few Colombian pesos. With 2pure, Chocoanos can reuse materials,
borrow or buy a few, making it possible for any family to stay
healthy and fulfill all domestic routine with clean water.

Figure 1: 2pure system organization implemented in a home.

2PURE
MATERIALS:
2 - 32 gallon trashcans with their lids.
1 - hose that fits the half an inch diameter tube.
1 - a meter of half an inch diameter (small)
tube.
1 - 50 cm of 3 inches diameter (big) tube.
2 - small L shape tube connectors that fit the
half an inch diameter (small) tube.
1 - big L shape tube connector that fits the 3
inches diameter (big) tube.
1 - stair or level of 30-40 cm (depends on the
deepness of your pond, it should be higher)
2 - sacks of gravel 8 mm approximately.
2 - sacks of gravel 20 - 30 mm approximately.
1 - sack of sand.
3 - meters^2 of mosquito net.
1 - 3 inches (big) uniseal
2 - 1 inch (small) uniseal
1 - 4 inches (big) hole saw
1 - 1 ¾ inches (small) hole saw
1 - Electric drill (you can borrow one)
1 - Saw (any type, preferably electric)
1 - Scissors
1 - stable roof or high platform
1 - pond or large kid pool.
2PURE
STEP BY STEP BUILDING:
1. Before beginning any construction, carefully read through ALL of
t h e i n s t r u c t i o n s. U s e t h e i l l u s t r a t i o n s / f i g u r e s a s a r e f e r e n c e .

2. Gather all the materials. You can change the specifications

d e p e n d i n g o n w h a t y o u c a n f i n d , b u t t h e y s h o u l d b e t o s c al e .
The bigger tube should fit into the bigger uniseals, which should
f i t i n t o t h e b i g g e r h o l e s a w . T h e b i g t u b e s h o u l d a l s o fi t i n t o t h e
big L-shaped connector.
T h e s m a l l e r t u b e s h o u l d f i t i n t o t h e s m a l l e r u n i s e a l s , w h i c h fi t i n t o
t h e s m a l l e r h o l e s a w . T h e s m a l l e r t u b e s h o u l d a l s o fi t w i t h t h e
small L-shaped tube connectors.

3 . M a k e s u r e t h a t y o u h a v e t h e r i g h t p l a c e t o b u i l d y o u r 2 pu r e. T h e
r o o f s h o u l d b e s t a b l e ( m a d e o f c o n c r e t e ) , a n d i f t h e re i s n o w i n do w ,
y o u w i l l h a v e t o m a k e a s m a l l h o l e i n t h e r o o f t o c o n n e c t t r as h c an s 1
a n d 2 . I f y o u r r o o f i s s l o p e d , y o u s h o u l d b u i l d a s t abl e , 2 .5 - m e t e r -
h i g h c o n c r e t e p l a t f o r m r i g h t n e x t t o y o u r h o u s e , n e ar t h e po n d
inside.

Figure 2: 2pure filtration system organization for each trashcan.

2PURE
STEP BY STEP BUILDING:
4. Get the system ready: (use figure 1 as guide)
Trashcan No. 1:
Use the small hole saw to cut a hole in the trash can's bottom,
not its base. The hole should be about 10 cm away from the
base.
Insert a small uniseal into the hole.
Cut a small tube about 40 cm long with your saw and put it
inside the uni-seal. Make sure it' s well attached and leave at
least 10 cm of the tube inside the trash can.
Attach one small L-shaped tube connector to the small tube on
the outside of the trash can.
Trashcan No. 2:
With the small hole saw and the electric drill, make a hole at
the top (not the top base) of the trashcan. The hole should be
about 10 cm away from the very top of the trashcan.
Place a small uniseal in the hole.
Cut a small tube about 30 cm long with your saw and put it
inside the uni-seal. Make sure it is well attached and leave at
least 10 cm of the tube inside the trash can.
Attach one L-shaped tube connector (looking down) to the end
of the small tube inside the trash can.
With the big hole saw and your electric drill, make a hole in the
top of the trash can (across from the smaller hole). The hole
should be about 20 cm from the top of the garbage can.
Place one big uniseal in the big hole.
Cut about 40 cm of the big tube with a saw and put it inside
the uniseal. Leave at least 15 cm of the tube inside the trash
can.
Attach the big tube connector to the outside end of the big
tube. It should be pointing down.

5. Trashcan No. 1 lid: Use your electric drill to make a hole in the
middle of the lid. The edge of the lid should be about 5 cm wide.
The opening doesn' t have to be perfect, but it should be big
enough to let rain water through so you can collect it, filter it, and
use it in your home every day.
2PURE
STEP BY STEP BUILDING:
6. Filtration system: (use figure 2 as guide)
Both kinds of gravel and sand should be washed well. This
process is shown in step 5 of the maintenance method.
Place trashcan 1 on the roof of your house, just above your
pond.
Put trashcan 2 on top of the step or level by your pond.
Cut 4 mosquito net pieces (two for each trashcan) the same
size as the diameter of the trashcans.
Cut one more piece, but this one should be larger for 5 cm at
least that the diameter of trashcan 1.
(the steps below are for each trash can, so you should repeat this
process twice)
Take one bag of 20-30 mm gravel and put half of it in the
trash.
Take one bag of 8 mm gravel and put half of it on top of the
20-30 mm gravel in the trash can.
Put one piece of mosquito net on top of the 8 mm gravel. It
should just sit there.
Pour half the bag of sand on top of the mosquito net.
Just above the sand, put another mosquito net.
Pour the other half of the 8 mm gravel bag into the trash.
Last, pour the other half of the 20-30 mm gravel into the
trashcan.
(following step only for trash can 1)
Get the larger piece of mosquito net, open the cut lid, put the
mosquito net on top, and close the lid, making sure it is secure.

7. Bringing the system together:

Get your hose and connect it to the other end of the tube
connector at trashcan 1.
Get the other end of the hose and connect it to the small tube
at trashcan 2.

Congratulations! You just finished setting up the 2pure water

purification system for your home at the best price. Drink your
fresh water without any concern and enjoy!
2PURE
STEP BY STEP
MAINTENANCE:
Every two months, you should clean your water filter.

1. At least two hours before cleaning, cover trashcan 1 with a

trash bag, just as the top mosquito net is placed
(between the trashcan and lid) to prevent any more water
from being collected.
2. Make sure trashcans 1 and 2 are mostly water free, and all
the collected water is already purified at the pond. Then,
dismantle the hose connecting trashcans 1 and 2.
3. Carefully scoop the sand and gravel out of the trash cans.
Use the same sacks you used to build the 2pure, making
sure that each kind of gravel and sand is kept separate.
4. When you clean mosquito nets, you should be very
careful, and if any parts are torn, or degraded you should
replace them. Just use water and soap to wash.
5. Rinse the gravel: Take the removed gravel and sand to a
suitable location, like a clean bucket or an outdoor area,
and rinse it thoroughly with clean water. This step
removes any accumulated impurities from the gravel. Stir
the gravel while rinsing. (To clean the sand, you can
strain the dirty water through a piece of mosquito netting
and collect the sand.)
6. Before returning the gravel to the trashcans, inspect it for
any signs of degradation. If any type of gravel appears
worn out, or discolored, replace it with fresh gravel.
7. Reassemble the 2pure: Once the gravel is cleaned and
inspected, return it to the trashcans just as in steps 6 and
7 of the step by step building.