After testing all the principal sources of drinking water in Muisne, I found that none of them was free from contamination with coliforms and only two—the store water and water from one private well—were free from E. coli.

To find out more about what appeared to be a truly dismal situation, I then surveyed 200 homes in Muisne about their water use. I found that rain water and store water were the most popular types of drinking water on the island. Few people chlorinated their water to kill bacteria, and many homes used dirty, uncovered containers to store their water. These poor storage practices are often as important a cause of contamination as bacteria at the water’s source.

I began to consider what type of system could effectively bring safe drinking water to Muisne. Because so few people chlorinated their water domestically, I decided that, rather than relying upon individuals to chlorinate their water, I would design a system that would chlorinate the water at the source. Chlorination is a cheap but extremely effective means to kill bacteria in water, and is the way almost all American cities provide safe drinking water to their citizens.

Because of the small scale of my project, I designed a simpler water system than the model used in most American towns. From my survey, I knew that the wells on the grounds of Muisne’s Catholic church were the most popular wells on the island because they were somewhat more protected than the public wells placed in the middle of the streets. I spoke with the priest, Padre Jhonny Quintero, and he allowed me to construct my system on his grounds, using the water from two of his wells. At that time, I had no inkling of the trouble this seemingly innocuous conversation would later create.