Dallas Section Meeting

TOPIC: Uniting Entire Communities Around “One Water”: WASH Solutions & Sustainability in Rural Peru

Vera Aqua Vera Vita (VAVV) is a Dallas-based organization that works towards implementing WASH solutions in rural Peru for communities that don’t have access to clean water by utilizing a holistic approach that empowers communities to take ownership of their clean water solutions. This presentation will spotlight projects VAVV has implemented in Monte Castillo, a town in the Piura region of Peru. In Monte Castillo, VAVV worked with partner organizations to implement a filtration and disinfection system using source water from a nearby irrigation canal. Water is then distributed via an on-site tap and trucked delivery system at a water rate affordable to community members. From day one, the community was engaged in decision making regarding the treatment solution, and VAVV helped the community form a “Safe Water Committee” to operate and maintain the treatment system. This involved training, educating, and holding the community members accountable so they could take ownership of the solution. Having a “One Water” approach, VAVV then conducted a project, in partnership with a capstone team at Texas A&M, to help Monte Castillo map their wastewater piping system to identify capital improvement projects in the future and prevent contamination of their drinking water source. Lastly (but not least!) VAVV has developed a scorecard tool to be able to track the success and sustainability of project implementation and continually improve the community engagement and project implementation process. At the end of the day, we have learned this simple, but profound lesson: engineering is the easy part – people are the real key to sustainable success.

SPEAKER: Jacob Niemeier, P.E.

Jacob has his B.S. in Agriculture & Biological Engineering from Purdue which he completed in 2012. Also, in 2014 he got an Entrepreneurship Certificate from SMU. He has 10+ years of professional detailed domestic design experience in both water and wastewater systems. He has extensive international design experience and exposure to the Global Water Crisis which he credits as the reason he started Vera Aqua Vera Vita in 2017.

In his free time, as a family man likes to spend time with his wife, Fernanda Niemeier & their growing family, keep up with superhero TV shows and movies, fish, hunt, hike, camp, play basketball, play board games, and basically play any type of sport or compete in just about anything. He also loves his Catholic faith and regularly participates in various ministries at his church. Additionally, he is very passionate about craft beer and in his own words: "Beer = 95% Water | Water = Life | Beer = 95% Life!?!"