Greg Chick discusses rainwater harvesting projects in Africa

Provided.

To thank Greg Chick for his presentation, President Jennifer Palakiko presented him with a certificate, and a donation was made to the Rotary Foundation in his honor.

At the weekly meeting of the Rotary Club of Tehachapi on Aug. 8, the club welcomed Greg Chick, to talk about his work with Global Water Works.

Greg provided a very interesting and relevant presentation, as Rotary International promotes clean water projects around the world. Greg began his interest in water and water systems a long time ago in 1974, while working on 50 acres of citrus irrigation in Ojai, California. He eventually earned his state contractor license, first in California, then in Arizona. One of his major projects was a water system build at the Red Rock State Park in Sedona, Arizona. He then worked on a solar hot water project for Navajo-Hopi Native American reservations before returning to California.

Greg is a published author, as he assisted in the writing of plumbing codes and plumbing standards for the state, wrote a chapter in the Rainwater Harvesting Standards Manual and published a book on plumbing. He has also been a part time consultant with the State of California Contractors Licensing Board. Greg is a lifetime member of the Rotary Club of Ramona, and has now retired to live in the Tehachapi area with his wife, retired psychiatrist Dr. Jane Tanaka.

Greg was very excited to talk about his Global Water Works project to assist villages with harvesting rainwater, which has been taking place in Uganda and Kenya for the past few years. Global Water Works is a nonprofit organization in Africa, and Greg decided he could design a water collection system for them, which has been quite successful. The challenge is that people in the villages would need to carry collected rainwater for up to three miles, which isn't always practical or efficient. This time-consuming method has a tremendous impact on the women and children in a family. The children spend so much time retrieving water for their family that it is often impossible to attend school. In addition, women are unable to focus on other household tasks.

He said that collecting rainwater is an old strategy, but it isn't always well done, so establishing criteria for quality is important. The quality of rainwater is actually pretty good, and there are easy solutions to adjust the taste and filter out impurities, like bird droppings.

The design is quite simple, as the rain is harvested off gutters attached to the edges of the roof, where it hits an angled screen, allowing all the leaves to wash off. The water then flows down a pipe, and into a large storage tank. The water that gets into the tank is actually cleaned by the process. The system is simple to install and the plumbing materials are all readily accessible at the local hardware stores. They also make chlorine accessible as well in the event it is needed. Once the system is installed, he supports the village with ongoing education in how to maintain the system. They have successfully installed systems in seven villages, and there are plans for eight more in the works.

In these areas of Africa where Global Water Works is focusing, there are no government systems or agencies, so the local pastor is over the village and the orphanage. In the area where Global Water Works is working, Bishop Jacob and Pastor Festus with Christian Outreach Ministries have been instrumental in these rainwater collection efforts. Previously, villagers would go to a nearby lake or watering hole to bathe and get their water, but those water sources have been drying up. In addition, the women and children easily get injured carrying the water, the water can get contaminated, children have increased risk of skin diseases and people are often inadequately hydrated due to water scarcity.

Greg works with the local pastor as to what he needs to construct a rainwater collection system, then the pastor draws up the sketch which determines the capacity needed by the village. He supports them with the funds to build their system, and they organize the people in the village to provide the labor, so they can usually get it done in as little as three days. They use plastic materials, so there is no issue with theft and it keeps the costs down.

Their latest innovation is to build a shelter over and around the tanks, which provides additional roof space for water collection. The installation of the rainwater collection systems and water storage tanks in the villages has now allowed kids to attend school more regularly and mothers to focus on other essential tasks at home, improving the quality of life overall for the families.

The next steps for Global Water Works include developing solar powered water collection systems, as none of these villages have electricity. This will allow the families to have more access to clean water for bathing. Greg said that it rains so frequently, there is adequate opportunity to collect enough water to help families with improving their hygiene infrastructure.

The Tehachapi Rotary Club meets at noon every Thursday at Kelcy's. Rotary is committed to "Service Above Self," and devotes time and resources to projects in the local community, scholarships for college-bound high school seniors, and supporting global efforts for polio eradication. For more information about the Rotary Club, you can visit their Facebook page at http://www.facebook.com/RotaryClubofTehachapi/.