Tackling Water Quality Issues in Bolivia and Guatemala (Mark Taylor)

Date/Time: Monday, April 28 (12 - 1:30 p.m.)

This presentation will focus on water quality-related issues in developing countries, in particular Bolivia and Guatemala. The most alarming water quality issues in developing countries are related to acute contaminants, more specifically microbial contamination of their source waters. The irony is that these hazardous microbial contaminants, also called as pathogens, are induced by humans and animals, primarily due to the lack of proper sanitation facilities and practices. Biological pathogens that were analyzed consisted of bacteria, viruses, and multiple types of protozoa. The goal of this project is to determine control measures and develop low-cost detection methodology for these pathogens. Through various pictures and stories, Mark Taylor will be presenting his experiences on the water quality-related issues in these two developing countries.

Mark Taylor has more than 30 years of experience in water resources and wastewater engineering, including water master planning, water infrastructure design and permitting, sewer system planning and analysis, sewer design, and lift station and force main design.  As a volunteer, he has been working with Water for People and has served as a World Water Corp and visited developing countries to address water-related issues.