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CUE 2004

CIVIL, ENVIRONMENTAL, AND ARCHITECTURAL ENGINEERING
Students Investigate Sustainable Wastewater Treatment for Jemez Pueblo

Associate Professor Angela Bielefeldt led students in a service learnig project examining wastewater treatment options for the Pueblo of Jemez.

The Pueblo of Jemez, a sovereign Indian nation whose history in central New Mexico dates back to the 13th century, is a place where ancestral traditions are cherished, where tribal members speak traditional Towa, which is prohibited to be translated into other languages.

Yet the pueblo also has need for modern technology and engineering solutions. In recent years, the village of Walatowa, which includes about 500 homes, has been growing, putting pressure on its wastewater system of evaporative lagoons. During the past two winters, the lagoons reached overflow levels, and sewage had to be pumped into nearby irrigation ditches to prevent overflow into the Jemez River.

Thanks to the efforts of CU-Boulder students in civil and environmental engineering, who joined with Indian Health Services and the International Center for Appropriate and Sustainable Technology (ICAST) to develop possible solutions, the pueblo is looking at installing solar-powered pond circulators to enhance the breakdown of solid wastes and speed evaporation to avoid overflow. CU students recommended the technology, which has the added benefit of allowing the treated water to be used to irrigate fields suffering from drought.

The project began in fall 2003, when eight students from the capstone Environmental Engineering Design course started looking at ways the Jemez community could improve its wastewater facility. Associate Professor Angela Bielefeldt and three students visited the pueblo in September, and ICAST arranged for a member of the tribe to host the team for a traditional dinner and overnight stay. ICAST helps poor communities resolve their infrastructure needs in water, wastewater, energy, and housing by putting together project funding and a team of university and industry experts that can solve the community's problem.

The students measured the water quality and sludge quantity in the existing evaporative wastewater lagoons, and analyzed the samples using portable equipment or by taking it back to the lab. The students then investigated possible solutions, such as adding an additional evaporative lagoon or converting the lagoons to a discharging system that included treatment. The treatment options they considered included disinfection (with either chlorine or UV light), slow sand filtration, constructed wetlands, and the addition of aerators or circulators into the existing lagoons.

In February, Bielefeldt and undergraduate Brian Stephens-Hotopp returned to Jemez to present the results of the student work to the governor and tribal council. They also collected additional data to refine the design calculations and cost estimates, and met with a class of high school students to discuss water issues in the Jemez community.

 "Incorporating service learning projects into this capstone design course has been a wonderful experience," says Bielefeldt, who has led students in a number of such projects over the last three years. "The students always put in a lot of effort, and seeing real benefits from their efforts is very satisfying. Working directly with communities also gives the students a much better understanding of the social, political, and economic realities that impact engineering projects."

The State of New Mexico has provided a grant of $60,000 to incorporate sustainable energy in the wastewater treatment process. Additional funding from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and U.S. Department of Agriculture is expected to provide the $300,000 needed to complete the project.

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Student Profile: Brian Stephens-Hotopp
Brian Stephens-Hotopp grew up in the Midwest, loving the outdoors. Through scouting, YMCA, and family outings, he developed a passion for the environment. >> More