Dissertation Research: Capitalizing on Existing Landscape Features for Sustainable Wastewater Management in the Andean Amazon of Peru

在这项由美国国际科学与工程办公室美洲项目支持的美国-秘鲁论文强化项目中，佛罗里达大学的林恩·v·桑德斯（Lynn V. Saunders）将进行一项研究项目，研究废水管理解决方案，特别是秘鲁奥克斯帕帕（位于安第斯亚马逊山脉的一个乡村小镇）排水沟的处理潜力。这些泥土和植被的沟渠被称为zanjas，将大约5000名居民的未经处理的废水从镇上输送到第三级河流里约热内卢Chorobamba。秘鲁合作者是秘鲁利马天主教大学环境研究所的Juan Sanez。这项研究的结果将对整个发展中国家的废水管理产生直接影响，因为这些国家普遍使用初级沟渠来输送废水。该研究还将为理解农业和路边沟渠的内在衰减能力提供有用的科学信息，从而解决当前文献中仍然缺乏足够关注的话题。他们将研究的废水处理工艺比技术上更先进的方法更适合安第斯地区。该项目将提供一个将课堂技能应用于“现实世界”的机会，这样K-12年级的学生就能提高对水、生态系统和人类健康之间联系的认识。这项研究将通过进一步深入了解改善人类和生态系统健康的可持续水管理战略，为当地和全球科学界做出贡献。

In this U.S.-Peru dissertation enhancement project supported by the Americas Program of the Office of International Science and Engineering, Lynn V. Saunders of the University of Florida will pursue a program of research to study wastewater management solutions, particularly the treatment potential of drainage ditches in Oxapampa, Peru, a rural town in the Andean Amazon. These earthen and vegetated ditches, called zanjas, route untreated wastewater from approximately 5,000 residents through the town and into a third-order river, the Rio Chorobamba. The Peruvian collaborator is Juan Sanez at the Institute of Environmental Studies, Pontificia Universidad Catolica del Peru in Lima.The findings from this study will have direct implications for wastewater management throughout the developing world due to the ubiquitous use of rudimentary ditches for routing wastewater. This study will also contribute scientific information useful for understanding intrinsic attenuation capabilities of agricultural and roadside ditches, thus addressing a topic still lacking adequate attention in the current literature. The wastewater treatment processes that they will study are appropriate for the Andean region where they are to be applied than more technically advanced methods. This project will provide an opportunity to apply classroom skills to the "real world," so that students at the K-12 level will gain increased awareness of the connections between water, ecosystems and human health. This study will contribute to the local and global scientific community by providing further insight into sustainable water management strategies that improve both human and ecosystem health.