In order to guide the ecological systems design for this Indigenous community project we created a profile of all the waters of significance in the village.

Maruatan waters are notable for their extremes of filth and pristine purity, sometimes side by side, and is thus an interesting topic of study in their own right.

Maruata has a monsoon climate,with no rain for the 6-8 months of "winter" and about a meter of rain in the summer.

My petition to the Aztec rain goddess for the first big storm of the monsoon to occur in the middle of the testing program was answered with an eight inch dump in one night, so this water survey spans both dry season and wet season conditions.

The diverse survey includes everything from bottled drinking water to fetid mud puddles, with four beaches, springs, and rivers in between. It is organized to help you sharpen your own water sense. Read the description, look at the photo, try to guess what the water is like and what it is good for, then read the test results and discussion.

Note: The test results for fecal coliforms are given here as organisms per 100ml, the conventional measurement and what the tests were measuring directly. I find it helpful to think of this instead as "parts per billion of feces." The numerical value is the same—that is, 100 fecal coliforms per 100ml = 100 ppb feces. If you are curious how this is calculated or what the point is of measuring it this way, see Fecal coliform counts.

Pit Wells

M14 Well, pit-communal laundry/ dish pit in river bed

Location, description, sampling technique: Bottomless wash basin in sandy dry riverbed. 30 cm deep, water at 10 cm. Turbidity: Crystal clear Color: Very clear Smell: none detectable Taste: didn't try it

Surrounding influences: Unrestricted access by grazing animals, including burros, cows, horses, dogs and pigs.

Use of water: Regular laundry and dish washing by several surrounding families.

What do you think of this water? Would you drink it? Eat off of dishes washed with it?

What I thought about this water: Washing dishes was as close as I'd ever want to get to drinking this water.

Test results:

33 fecal coliforms/100 ml

7,233 general coliforms/100 ml

M1 Well, pit-community drinking & cooking

Location, description, sampling technique: Fenced hand dug pit well 1.5 m deep in pure coarse sand of dry river bed, cone-shaped, with place to stand next to bottomless 2 gal galvanized bucket which rapidly refills with crystal clear water. Upriver from palapas. The funnel geometry channels debris dislodged by user’s feet into the water. The mound of sand from digging helps keep surface debris from outside the funnel from falling/blowing in. Sample pipetted directly from the well water.

Visible in water: Nothing floating, sand stirred from bottom rapidly resettles.

Surrounding influences: Grazing animals all around but fence appeared effective.

Use of water: This is the water preferred by villagers for cooking, hot drinks, and drinking, supposedly after boiling. I’m not sure why this well location is preferred, but everyone goes out of their way to get their cooking and drinking water here.

What do you think of this water? The villagers drink it after boiling, would you?

What I thought about this water: I'd drink it if I had to, and without much hesitation if it were boiled.

Test results:

60 fecal coliforms/100 ml

1,000 general coliforms/100 ml

Discussion: The presence of fecal coliforms casts doubt on the presumed superiority of this source for drinking. This may have been a short-term spike caused by sand falling in which was contaminated by feces adhering to the shoes of someone getting water.

M35 Well, pit-Freshly re-dug community drinking & cooking

Location, description, sampling technique: New well freshly (<48 hrs) dug next to M1 after it flooded, and used for same purpose. Sample taken from well-rinsed plastic water scoop.

Temperature: Turbidity: Color: Clear Smell: none detectable Taste: didn't try it

Surrounding influences: This well was about 4 m from chocolate river, 3 m from old well, which, when the groundwater level rose, filled with light brown foamy water. People collecting water waded through the river, then stood with dripping legs right by the 2 gal galvanized bottomless bucket which was the water container. This well did not have a fence.

Use of water: Was being collected for drinking (after boiling, they said) by several villagers as the sample was taken.

What do you think of this water? It was 4 m of coarse, highly permeable sand from a river chocolate brown first runoff water containing 20,000 buttwipes per swimming pool of fecal coliforms. Would you drink it? Make tea with it?

What I thought about this water: I felt very leery of this water due proximity to the river and the possibility of contamination from dripping legs and feet during collection.

Test results:

(fecal coliforms/100 ml) 0

Other bacteria: (general coliforms) 4,933

Discussion: I was astonished at how clean this water was; I've drank untreated spring water with higher levels, without problems. This result suggests that 1) this amount of sand filtration is extremely effective, and 2), the contamination in all the wells in Maruata comes more from above than with the water from below, and that it increases with the age of the well. This was one of the cleanest wells tested, with the only possible explanation being that it was by far the most freshly dug, this factor overriding the close proximity of a huge quantity of very contaminated water.

Wells, corrugated steel lined

M2 Well-water from Nati's well

Location, description, sampling technique: Collected at hose stream at laundry pila. Water in 70 cm deep in pila itself looked slightly milky; hose flow looked fine (of course).

Visible in water: Frog (dead?), leaves(?)

Surrounding influences:

Use of water: Used for laundry, bathing, toilet handwash, some dishwash.

What do you think of this water?

What I thought about this water: I didn't like the look of this for drinking.

Test results:

(fecal coliforms/100 ml) 20

Other bacteria: (general coliforms) 21,620

Discussion: It was ironic that we were rinsing off in this water after going in the ocean. The ocean water was totally pristine, and this stuff had twice the beach closure level of general coliforms (10,000).

M4 Well-water in Nati's kitchen pila

Location, description, sampling technique: This is water from the well above stored in the kitchen. Water was pipetted directly from the pila.

Use of water: Used daily for dishes, meat washing, etc.

What do you think of this water?

What I thought about this water: It felt better than the laundry pila, worse than the community well.

Test results:

(fecal coliforms/100 ml) 0

Other bacteria: (general coliforms) 21,600

Discussion: Perhaps the fecal coliforms in the well were fresh and were not present when this tank was filled.

M20 Well-from pila of Don Anarato's

Location, description, sampling technique: Pila full, clear.

Temperature: Turbidity: Color: Clear Odor: Taste:

Visible in water: Bucket w/ rope lost in bottom. Electric pump, crud in well.

Surrounding influences:

Use of water: Used continually for dishwashing, laundry, bathing.

What do you think of this water?

What I thought about this water: Didn't look that great to me; I'd definitely prefer my dishes to be dry first, though sometimes they weren't.

Test results:

(fecal coliforms/100 ml) 0

Other bacteria: (general coliforms) 11,520

Discussion:

M16 Well-Emilio's house

Location, description, sampling technique: From bucket on rope & roller; they said it was dirty, but it didn't look too bad. This is one of the better made and sealed wells. They have been using it only when water is not coming down from the spring.

Temperature: Turbidity: Color: Odor: Taste:

Visible in water:

Surrounding influences:

Use of water:

What do you think of this water?

What I thought about this water: The water did feel less clean than from the pipe; I definitely wouldn't like to drink it.

Test results:

(fecal coliforms/100 ml) 220

Other bacteria: (general coliforms) 11,740

Discussion:

Well, tube

New well for potable water

Location, description, sampling technique: From barbed adapter on pump.

Temperature: Turbidity: Very low but some rapidly settling sand. Color: Odor: Taste: Good, soft taste.

Surrounding influences: No septic tanks within 30 m. There is a brick lined well about 30 feet away.

Use of water: This is a new sealed, sanitary well we helped construct for drinking water. I drank from this daily myself.

What do you think of this water?

What I thought about this water: I think this water should be safe to drink under all weather conditions, including flooding.

Test results:

(fecal coliforms/100 ml) 0

Other bacteria: (general coliforms) 0 to 1

Discussion:

Rain, Runoff

M19 Rain-First roof wash

Location, description, sampling technique: Storage area roof, corrugated felt, 4:12 pitch, no branches above, first 10 min of first rain in several days.

Temperature: Turbidity: Color: Odor: Taste: Looked clear.

Visible in water: Bits of roof debris.

Surrounding influences: In the middle of a fenced palapa. Roof is surely covered with feces dust in the dry season.

Use of water: None.

What do you think of this water? Would you drink it? Bath in it?

What I thought about this water: This water felt like it was getting clean, though not the roof not yet rinsed enough.

(Fecal coliforms/100 ml) 20

Other bacteria: (general coliforms) 43,220

Discussion: Seems like a good idea to let the rain wash the roof VERY well before the first harvest of monsoon water in this environment, which is blanketed with dust including dried feces during the dry season; 20 cm rain or more. This fits local practice; they let it rain a lot before harvesting rain.

M28 Rain-Emilio's Gutter

Location, description, sampling technique: After 20 cm rain on cement tiles. Was being collected in small bucket for dishwashing. Looked sort of clean, not completely. Rinsed by a 25 cm of rain and has good pitch, low traffic. Considerable sediment visible on filter; cement roof particles?

What do you think of this water?

What I thought about this water: I'd would have drank a bit if pressed, due to the volume of rinsing.

Test results:

(Fecal coliforms/100 ml) 15

Other bacteria: (general coliforms) 429

Discussion:

M29 Rain-Phone caseta roof

Same time as M28.

No particles.

Location, description, sampling technique: On phone house in middle of downtown Maruata. Cement slab roof. Some junk stored on top. Ladder on side; probably occasional traffic for phone antenna.

Temperature: Turbidity: Color: Odor: Taste:

Visible in water: No particles in water.

Surrounding influences: Plenty feces dust in dry season from soccer field and roads nearby.

Use of water: None.

What do you think of this water? Would you drink it? expect it to be cleaner or dirtier than M28?

What I thought about this water:

Test results:

(Fecal coliforms/100 ml) 3

Other bacteria: (general coliforms) 435

Discussion: It is interesting that this is cleaner than Emilios' roof. Apparently the advantage of smooth surface (painted concrete) outweighs the traffic.

M27 Rain-Natural surface runoff

Location, description, sampling technique: After downpour collected 10 cm from Neighbor's spring. Fenced 10 m up hill, then lots of animal traffic just outside fence. This runoff was flowing right into the spring. Collected in used cooking oil bottle after ten rinses.

Temperature: Turbidity: Low SSColor: Light yellow-straw color (1/2 urine color) Odor: Taste:

Visible in water:

Surrounding influences:

Use of water: None.

What do you think of this water?

What I thought about this water:

Test results:

(Fecal coliforms/100 ml) 24,000

Other bacteria: (general coliforms) 232,800

Discussion:

M24 Rain-urban runoff-Puddle on side of soccer field

Location, description, sampling technique: After first 3 cm rain in two weeks; the second flush of 7 months of accumulated pig shit, greywater…Big brown puddle--felt truly evil. Many nearly naked kids running barefoot over broken glass, rolling tires which were spinning this stuff in all directions. They looked fully alive, healthy, happy. Collected by Emilio. 0.25 ml=7 drops, 2 drops used.

Location, description, sampling technique: Freshly built 1 x 1 x 7 m horizontal well in swampy area, in newly disturbed soil in newly fenced area. Lid still had not been placed in rear. Has been through 1 heavy rain this season. Collected sample from pool inside, immediately before outlet.

Temperature: Turbidity: Color: Odor: Taste:

Visible in water:

Surrounding influences: Area formerly frequented by grazing animals.

Use of water:

What do you think of this water?

What I thought about this water: I'd drink the water with confidence in the dry season, take it off line in the wet season.

Test results:

(Fecal coliforms/100 ml) 3

Other bacteria: (general coliforms) 399

Discussion:

M18 Springs-Storage tank at crossing

Location, description, sampling technique: Tank had just drained, and this sample was from incoming water which crossed the floor and pooled. False + at the outlet. (0, 492, 8). Collected in found bottle, well-rinsed with H202. Also put H2O2 on pad in MF unit.

Temperature: Turbidity: Color: Odor: Taste:

Visible in water:

Surrounding influences:

Use of water:

What do you think of this water?

What I thought about this water: Looked and felt clean, though I don't know if I'd drink it with enthusiasm.

Test results:

(Fecal coliforms/100 ml) 11

Other bacteria: (general coliforms) 23

Discussion:

M17 Spring-Pipe from El Chorrito at Emilio's Pila

Location, description, sampling technique: Collected from last dribbles from hose; they'd just shut valve at the big pila, and had just filled the pila, so this is probably about as well-cleaned as the pipe gets. (60/ 6,540/#VALUE!)

Temperature: Turbidity: Color: Odor: Taste:

Visible in water:

Surrounding influences:

Use of water:

What do you think of this water?

What I thought about this water: This water felt clean, though not for drinking.

Test results: All bacteria in middle 1/2 of radius of plate-why?

(Fecal coliforms/100 ml) 20

Other bacteria: (general coliforms) 180

Discussion:

M6 Spring fed creek outside fence

Location, description, sampling technique: Sample taken from flow just before papaya farm diversion pool. No rain 36 hours, light rain just starting but no runoff yet.

M10 Beach-Far West Beach

Sample taken in 1 m deep water in a state of extreme wave agitation (3 m closed out shore breaks). Depth ranged from minus 0.5 m to 1 m in this spot every minute. (20/4,180/7,160) No trash, little organic debris on this beach.

Location, description, sampling technique:

Temperature: Turbidity: high ? Color: Odor: Taste:

Visible in water:

Surrounding influences:

Use of water:

What do you think of this water?

What I thought about this water: The whole beach felt very clean to me and seemed to be up-current of the contamination from Maruata. I didn't worry about drinking little bits or carrying it around in my ears.

M11 Beach-Middle beach

Location, description, sampling technique: Sample taken in 1 m deep water. This beach is normally calm enough for distance swimming but had 2 m waves this day. Felt and looked clean but not as clean as nude beach. (60/3,420/5,160).

Temperature: Turbidity: Color: Odor: Taste:

Visible in water:

Surrounding influences:

Use of water:

What do you think of this water?

What I thought about this water:

Test results:

(Fecal coliforms/100 ml) 20

Other bacteria: (general coliforms) 140

Discussion:

M12 Beach-Long beach

Location, description, sampling technique: Sample taken 50 paces from estuary inlet. This beach had 1.5 m waves, looked and felt much dirtier than others.

Temperature: Turbidity: high? Color: Odor: Taste:

Visible in water: Organic debris and fine black sand

Surrounding influences: Numerous palapas directly on the beach, fishing boats, dead fish, vultures all around.

Use of water:

What do you think of this water?

What I thought about this water: I didn't particularly want to get into the water, but when my daughter did I got into it and enjoyed it.

Test results:

(Fecal coliforms/100 ml) 100

Other bacteria: (general coliforms) 20,100

Discussion:

M13 Beach-Estuary

Sample taken cross from last palapa, in 50 cm water. Looked dirty. (100/2,100/123,800)

Location, description, sampling technique:

Temperature: Turbidity: Visibility 30 cm Color: Odor: Taste:

Visible in water:

Surrounding influences: Town's drains empty into it. The bushed in town are (likely) used as toilets.

Use of water:

What do you think of this water?

What I thought about this water: Felt dirty.

Test results:

(Fecal coliforms/100 ml) 400

Other bacteria: (general coliforms) 8,400

Discussion:

M34 Beach-Far West Beach after day of heavy runoff

Location, description, sampling technique: Light brown colored band of runoff-mixed salt water clearly visible along entire coast. This beach felt less clean, but still way cleaner than the long beach, which seemed to be down-current from the river. (0/0/6,400) Not so much land debris on beach. We frolicked in this water for at least 3 hours in the rain.

Temperature: Turbidity: Color: Odor: Taste:

Visible in water:

Surrounding influences:

Use of water:

What do you think of this water?

What I thought about this water:

Test results:

(Fecal coliforms/100 ml) 300

Other bacteria: (general coliforms) 14,700

Discussion:

Bottled Water

M30 Bottled water-brand new

Location, description, sampling technique: Used careful sterile technique, except the same white pad reused from beginning. (0/3/711)

Temperature: Turbidity: Color: Odor: Taste:

Visible in water:

Surrounding influences:

Use of water: This is what we and half the villagers were drinking (the other half drink spring water).

What do you think of this water?

What I thought about this water:

Test results:

(Fecal coliforms/100 ml) 0

Other bacteria: (general coliforms) 3

Discussion:

M3 Bottled water

Location, description, sampling technique: Opened 20 hrs w/ 1 cm2 slit in plastic cap. From bottling plant in Tecoman which supplies whole village. With continual refilling w/o cleaning, small bottles would develop a "live" taste.

Temperature: Turbidity: Color: Odor: Taste:

Visible in water:

Surrounding influences:

Use of water:

What do you think of this water?

What I thought about this water: Felt fine for drinking.

Test results:

(Fecal coliforms/100 ml) 0

Other bacteria: (general coliforms) 20

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