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

在这个由国际科学与工程办公室美洲项目支持的美国-秘鲁论文增强项目中，佛罗里达大学的Lynn V.Saunders将继续开展一个研究项目，研究废水管理解决方案，特别是秘鲁Oxapampa的排水沟渠的处理潜力。Oxapampa是亚马逊安第斯山脉的一个农村城镇。这些泥土和植被覆盖的沟渠被称为zanjas，将大约5000名居民未经处理的废水输送到该镇，进入三级河流--里约班巴河。秘鲁的合作者是秘鲁卡托利卡大学环境研究所的胡安·萨内斯。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，因为普遍使用简陋的沟渠来处理废水。这项研究还将提供有助于了解农业和路边沟渠固有衰减能力的科学信息，从而解决当前文献中仍然缺乏足够重视的一个主题。他们将研究的废水处理工艺比更先进的技术方法更适合安第斯地区的情况。该项目将提供一个将课堂技能应用于“真实世界”的机会，以便K-12年级的学生能够更好地认识到水、生态系统和人类健康之间的联系。这项研究将为当地和全球科学界提供对可持续水管理战略的进一步洞察，从而改善人类和生态系统的健康。

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.