October 2021 Project Status Update: Community Approval & Logistical Paperwork
Vera Aqua Vera Vita has been hard at work throughout the end of September and October. Though we’re a ways off from starting construction, logistics are well underway for both project solutions for Cerro de Leones and Las Mercedes KM11. Learn more about Our Work in these communities right here.
The end of September marked an important milestone for our projects. One of the most integral aspects of Vera Aqua Vera Vita’s work is the community’s involvement and ownership of the projects - only with full engagement of the community will the projects be truly sustainable. That’s why VAVV was so pleased that on Sept. 22, both communities approved the layout of the water treatment infrastructure!
Early last month, the Geophysical studies done in Cerro de Leones ruled out groundwater as an option, narrowing our potential scope of source water for this community’s solution. Las Mercedes KM11 was ahead of the game, as groundwater had already been ruled out, so they already had the chance to get a Topographic survey completed. Now, engineer Luis Solis has completed Topographic surveys in all parts of the Cerro de Leones community area as well! Cerro de Leones’ results are expected to come in from this survey in just a matter of days. This survey, along with other information VAVV has and will be gathering, will directly influence decisions on the infrastructural location.
The Luis Solis Survey team performs topographic survey in Cerro de Leones | Oct. 25, 2021
At this point, both communities’ projects have a lot of logistical legwork to complete. For both communities, documentation and plans were sent to ENOSA (Power Supply Company) in order to confirm energy availability necessary for our infrastructural solution. For both communities, the application has been sent to obtain the Certificate of Non-Existence of Archeological Remains. For both communities, the process of obtaining an environmental certification of the project with a favorable opinion from the Autoridad Nacional del Agua (ANA), Peru’s National Water Authority, was initiated. For both communities, VAVV’s planning and engineering team has started the preparation of Annex 7, a descriptive memory for the accreditation of surface water availability for small projects, which will be presented to ANA to obtain a water rights and authorization to execute our water works project as designed. And finally, for both communities, the process of obtaining a permit to perforrm consturction under the Pan-American Highway has been initiated.
VAVV hopes that November will see the fruition of each application and submission of paperwork listed above, as well as the completion of the Geotechnical Evaluation in order to establish the structural integrity of the soils for infrastructure design and construction consideration. As the planning and engineering team continues to meet weekly, the beginning of hard engineering of the infrastructural solutions will begin in short order for both communities.
