Ecuador

The Ecuador project is located in San Martín, a community near Cotacachi, Imbabura Province. With the support of Yachay Tech University students and local partners, we have developed a collaboration focused on stabilizing and protecting the community’s water treatment infrastructure. The existing retaining wall at the treatment plant site is failing and is unable to provide long-term protection for the water tank and surrounding facilities. Without intervention, erosion and slope instability could compromise the community’s access to clean water. Our goal is to design and construct a new gabion retaining wall system that provides stability, improves resilience to seasonal rains, and protects vital water infrastructure. Involvement includes weekly meetings, research and design in Structural, Hydrology, and Geotechnical subteams, communication with experts and local partners, and design presentations.