Erik Gomez, intern, Voiland College of Engineering and Architecture Knowing how much you have of something that can’t be seen is an critical issue in the drought-prone state of Ceará in Northeast Brazil.
Washington State University researcher Sasha Richey leads a project that will provide better measurement, monitoring and management of the groundwater in this region of Brazil.
120 tools for under $20 Traditional tools to assess the status of groundwater are cost-prohibitive for rural communities such as those in Ceará.
Richey, an assistant professor in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, has teamed up with fellow Cougs to develop a cost-effective alternative.
Together with Arda Gozen, assistant professor in the School of Mechanical and Materials Engineering, Kirk Reinkens, director of the Frank Innovation Zone, and a group of engineering students, Richey’s team has created 120 inexpensive groundwater measuring tools for the communities of Ceará.
The cost of each is under $20, built solely from components that can be purchased at any hardware store globally.
Each study community will participate in a training workshop starting later this month to learn how to use the devices and also to learn basics of groundwater sustainability and local water management policies.
As emergency measures, the state water agencies installed over 3,000 groundwater wells in urban and rural areas, increasing the communities’ reliance of groundwater.
They didn’t have a way to measure the water level of their wells and didn’t have information about best water management practices.
The researchers hope that their inexpensive measuring tool will help people in the region improve conservation and water sustainability starting at the household level.