Bechtel Team: Tinli Yarrington, Jocelyn Yax, Sarah Price, Mikayla Jefferson
2017-2018: In collaboration with Bechtel and Caritas Kenya, this student team contributed to a multi-year project to improve access to clean water in urban settlements in Nairobi, Kenya. The project is part of Bechtel’s Building Resilient Communities initiative, emphasizing resilience to drought.
To start, the team identified Kibera as the focus settlement, conducted research on Kibera’s current water access issues, and generated a set of design requirements for the project. The team identified four main components for a successful water access project in Kibera: source, treatment, conveyance, and storage. The team reviewed multiple options for each based on an extensive review of literature and case studies. Informed by water quality data from multiple Kiberan water samples, plus in-person conversations and observations during a trip to Kenya, the team selected and refined options for a complete design package.
Project deliverables include the design package with the team’s recommendations, technical drawings and cost estimates for two specific treatment systems, and a three-phase implementation plan to ensure project success.