YSI water quality sondes were recently used for a project called “Safe Water Sources through Sustainable Coffee Production in Rwanda”. Its a three-year project that is funded by the Scherman Foundation – Rosin Fund. Coffee processing in Rwanda (and most other places) tends to release a lot of wastewater that is rich in organic material directly into neighboring streams. Rainforest Alliance certification requires that processors treat wastewater before releasing it, but there isn’t a lot of research out there (especially not in Rwanda) to determine whether the treatment lagoons are effective in improving downstream water quality during the processing season. This project has three main elements: 1. Build effluent treatment lagoons at two coffee washing stations and monitor water quality before and after construction, upstream and downstream. 2. Train the coffee farmers who supply the washing stations about Rainforest Alliance sustainability standards and best management practices, with the hope that they will eventually pursue certification. 3. Compare the results of water quality monitoring using high-tech methods (i.e. the Sonde) with low-tech methods (e.g. water clarity tube and riparian zone assessments), to determine whether a streamlined methodology would be a way for Rainforest Alliance auditors to collect meaningful information on water quality systematically at a low cost. Thanks Deanne Newsome for the great work and the pictures!
Posted on: Sat, 19 Apr 2014 15:00:01 +0000