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

在美国-秘鲁的国际科学与工程办公室，林恩五，佛罗里达大学的桑德斯美洲计划支持的论文增强项目将继续研究计划，研究废水管理解决方案，特别是在Oxapampa，秘鲁，在安第斯亚马逊的一个农村城镇排水沟的处理潜力。 这些被称为zanjas的泥土和植被沟渠将大约5，000名居民的未经处理的废水通过该镇并进入三级河流Rio Chorobamba。 秘鲁的合作者是位于利马的秘鲁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简陋的沟渠来输送废水。 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关注的主题。 他们将研究的废水处理工艺适用于安第斯地区，而不是技术上更先进的方法。 该项目将提供一个机会，将课堂技能应用于“真实的世界”，使学生在K-12水平将获得更多的水，生态系统和人类健康之间的联系的认识。 这项研究将有助于当地和全球科学界提供进一步深入了解可持续的水资源管理战略，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.