The Mercury Contaminated Water of La Rinconada Peru

Submitted By: Tundra Alpina

Salt Lake Community College

Executive Summary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2

Project Description . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4

Methods. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6

Conclusion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24

References. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25

Appendices
Appendix I: Team Contract . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
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Appendix II: Team Member Participation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29

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Executive Summary

Tundra Alpina was created with the purpose of identifying and solving a problem in La

Rinconada Peru. Our problem was, “What can we do to improve the infrastructure situation in La

Rinconada, Peru?”

Our process began with research into the context of La Rinconada’s situation. During this time,

we realized that La Rinconada has a huge issue with lack of infrastructure, so we identified our

problem as focusing on improving the infrastructure in La Rinconada. From there, we went into

deeper analysis on La Rinconada’s infrastructure issues and solutions to those issues. The big

thing with the lack of infrastructure is that it negatively impacts the health of the people of La

Rinconada in addition to the surrounding environment. Their water is contaminated with

mercury due to the mining process. There is no sewage system. There is no method of getting rid

of waste other than by throwing it on the street. La Rinconada’s high altitude also gives it the

unique problems of having low oxygen levels and cold temperatures year round. Many of these

infrastructure problems have developed because historically, La Rinconada was never meant to

be a city of 50,000+ people. It was originally a tiny mining operation, but it attracted an immense

number of people looking to get rich when there was a boom in the price of gold. The Peruvian

government doesn’t like the illegality of the mining operation in La Rinconada, but they are

unwilling to do anything to change it. The people of La Rinconada are also afraid that if the

government interferes and the mining operation turns legal, they won’t be able to make enough

money to survive. Once we had all of this analytical research, we realized that we’d need to find

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one specific infrastructure problem to solve. After analyzing our criteria, we decided we would

focus on getting clean water for the people of La Rinconada.

The goal of our criteria is to find an acceptable and effective solution to the infrastructure

problems in La Rinconada. We started off by brainstorming a list of criteria as a group. Our

Criteria ended up including: cost-effective, time frame, acceptable to the Peruvian government,

serves the people’s best interest, no further harm to the people of La Rinconada, improve health,

and improve cleanliness. The health impacts of our solution had the largest influence over our

decision. Once we ranked our solutions based on the criteria, it was clear that we should focus on

getting the people of La Rinconada mercury-free water. We actually ended up combining it with

another of our solutions. The solution we combined it with was creating a website to facilitate

the donation of food and clothing that can be sent to La Rinconada. Once we put them together,

our solution became creating a website as a means of receiving charity donations in order to fund

the project of getting the people of La Rinconada water that is safe to drink.

For our final solution, we will provide mercury-free water for the people of La Rinconada. The

process we plan to use for cleaning the mercury from the water is known as lime softening. This

process works by mixing limewater (a solution of water and calcium hydroxide, Ca(OH)​2,​ with

the drinking water. Once the lime water is mixed in, a process begins by which mercury and

other harmful materials are precipitated out of the water. We will need a way to get funds for

buying calcium hydroxide, as well as transporting it to La Rinconada. In order to do this, we will

create a website to reach people around the world and let them see the issues faced by the people

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of La Rinconada. To raise awareness of both the website and the issue, we will also contact

media outlets in hopes of getting the story spread and increasing traffic to the website. The

website will contain a homepage dedicated to giving an account of the challenges faced by the

people of La Rinconada with the focus being on the mercury contaminating the water. There will

also be a donations page where people can provide funding for us to obtain the calcium

hydroxide and transport it to La Rinconada. The last page will be a volunteer sign-up page so

that people who want to contribute even more can be trained then go to La Rinconada to actually

help put in place our solution to cleaning the water. Getting the calcium hydroxide to La

Rinconada will be a challenge, as there are no great roads. We plan to use an air-drop method,

trucks that can manage the gravel roads, or a combination of the two. Donations will help to fund

transportation.

Project Description:

We, Tundra Alpina, are a group of five students who have set out to identify and solve a

problem in La Rinconada, Peru. The problem we have identified is that the town lacks most

forms of infrastructure we would all take for granted and consider necessary to our survival. Our

main concern turned towards the health impacts this lack of infrastructure has, particularly the

threat that the mercury in the water poses. It is important that we find a solution to this issue

because when mercury gets into the human body, it is incredibly harmful and can lead to a

number of health effects and even death.

The solution we have come up with is to cleanse the mercury from the water using a

process known as lime softening. Lime softening involves mixing calcium hydroxide, Ca(OH)​2​,

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into water, thereby creating lime water. The limewater is then mixed into the mercury

contaminated water. After a short time, mercury and other impurities precipitate out of the water,

becoming a solid that collects at the bottom. The water is now cleared of mercury, but needs to

be separated from this slag that collects in the bottom. This can be done by skimming it from the

top, or even filtering it through sand. Lime softening does leave the water fairly basic, with a pH

level between 9 and 11, so it still is not the safest to drink and will most definitely be bitter in

flavor. To ensure that the water won’t be harmful, an acid will be added to neutralize it. This

outcome is effective because it will improve the health of the people of La Rinconada by limiting

the major source of mercury exposure.

The Problem:​ La Rinconada is a small town of 50,000 in the Ananea District of Peru. This

location is characterized by its gold mines and altitude, which makes it the highest permanent

human settlement. Because of its height, the temperatures are very cold, often hovering around

or below freezing, and it is difficult to access. The lack of infrastructure and the illegality of the

town and mining operation make it an unsafe place. Due to the aforementioned extremes, it is

difficult for the government and for the municipality to reach the town and give them the

necessary supplies to survive in the cold and unsafe conditions. Although this explanation, the

government nor the company that owns this zone want to make changes in infrastructure to make

transportation or in public services buildings as clinics, police stations, etc. The reason for this

analysis on La Rinconada is to help the people by improving the infrastructure in the town, to

reach this we’ll need to get deep in the problem and it is the lack of purified water to use in

constructions and for the consumption of the population. With this solution, the people will have

the necessary structures for basic public services and enough water for public use.

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 Methods

In order to identify a problem and subsequently arrive at a solution, our team utilized Dewey’s

Reflective Thinking Sequence. Dewey’s Reflective Thinking Sequence consists of a sequence of

steps designed to encourage group members to think reflectively about the task at hand. It can be

summed up with an acronym: PACBOY. Our group, Tundra Alpina, utilized this sequence

throughout our meetings both in and outside of class. What our group did for each of our

meetings, and by extension each step of the sequence, will be summarized under this Methods

heading. Our first objective in our group was to create a list of duties for each member. Each one

of us researched its own aspect of the problem and made an analysis to develop a solution for the

problem of lack of infrastructure in La Rinconada. We listed all of our information and created a

list of our criteria to select the best solution for the lack of infrastructure in La Rinconada. Using

this list we got a base solution for the lack of infrastructure.

Meeting #1:

This meeting was defined by the creation of our Team Contract and the accomplishment of step

1 of the reflective thinking process. Through the Team Contract, each group member was

assigned roles in order to aid in the smooth completion of this project. We also defined team

norms and consequences for breaking said norms.

Part 1: Problem question

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After our initial research, we realized that lack of infrastructure was a major issue in La

Rinconada. This leads to our problem question of, “What is the best way to improve

infrastructure in La Rinconada, Peru?”

Meeting #2:

This meeting was defined by the accomplishment of steps 2 and 3 of the reflective thinking

sequence. Step 2 was the analysis of the problem, and step 3 was definition of the characteristics

for our solution.

Part 2 : Analysis of the problem

For our analysis of the problem, each team member was assigned one area to research. The

research areas included characteristics, stakeholders, history, policies and practices, resources,

and other.

A. Characteristics

Stable infrastructure is vital to the development and survival of a community.

Without efficient and safe methods of providing transportation, waste elimination, water, shelter,

and other essentials, a community is unlikely to go anywhere, and at the very least the people

will be unable to stay healthy for long. La Rinconada, Peru faces problems with just about all of

the important areas of infrastructure. The town itself is highly isolated, thus failing the

transportation requirement. Garbage piles up on the streets, and the water they drink is

contaminated with mercury. Infrastructure is entirely necessary to the well-being of the people

here, yet the fact remains that it is expensive to produce.

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 Infrastructure is both necessary and expensive to produce. Infrastructure is important to

growing a community and reducing poverty according to the ​Journal of Southeast Asian

Economies​. Wilmar and Dharma (2018) claim the following: Infrastructure investment has been

identified as one of the key catalysts for unlocking a country’s overall economic potential,

promoting growth, creating jobs and reducing poverty. Efficient infrastructure is also needed to

lower distribution costs, make prices of goods and services more affordable, and improve living

standards. Good infrastructure brings better social and economic mobility, leading to better

living conditions. (p. 387) In other words, good infrastructure could help to solve a number of

problems in the community of La Rinconada; particularly the issue of the impoverished living

style of the people there would be impacted very positively. Despite the necessity of

infrastructure, it is expensive to create. According to information from ​Infrastructures role in

lowering Asias trade costs: building for trade​, the cost of creating just gravel roads in the

mountainous region would be hefty. Brooks and Hummels (2009) claim: The cost per kilometre

of converting earth to gravel roads in mountainous regions is estimated at about $250,000. On

the other hand, the cost per kilometre of upgrading earth/gravel roads to paved roads in flat

terrain is estimated at about $110,000. (p. 136) That is just the potential cost of creating roads

alone. An effective solution to the lack of infrastructure will require that we are mindful of the

fact that infrastructure takes significant capital to produce and maintain.

La Rinconada is heavily populated for such an isolated place and boasts a number of

problems. In the Washington Post article, “In La Rinconada, Peru, searching for beauty in

ugliness,” the plight of the inhabitants is accurately described. Marie Arana states: For the

50,000 souls who brave the subzero cold to pick rock on those hoary heights, there is no sewage

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system, no water, no paved roads, no sanitation whatsoever. It is a wilderness of ice, rock and

gold, perched more than 18,000 feet up in the Peruvian Andes. (2013) These people are living

without things that most people living in the U.S. would take for granted. It would seem absurd

to most of us to live in conditions with no water, paved roads, sewage systems, or sanitation.

And to top it all off, it is in the highest place in the world. Marie Arana details her journey up to

the settlement, further adding to the imagery of the lack of paved roads. “Within a half-hour of

leaving Putina, however, the road had become dirt, rock, soon frozen mud, and my crew was

being pitched about, as it would be for two more hours of a difficult journey” (Arana, 2013). For

reference, she describes Putina as circling the northernmost bend of lake Titicaca, as

breathtaking, and at only 13,000 feet.

In addition to the lack of roads, their water supply is egregiously bad. The only methods

they have of getting water leave them drinking mercury due to the way the mines operate. In the

Washington Post article “Mining for gold in the world's highest permanent human settlement”

Delano states: gold’s purified in residential districts by evaporating mercury into gas by

blowtorch, purifying the gold, sending the toxic vapors up from unregulated workshops, where

the perpetually cold air immediately condenses it and deposits mercury onto neighborhood roofs

and onto the glacier nearby. Drinking water’s collected from two sources: melt water from that

same glacier and rainwater collected from rooftops — delivering mercury into the human food

chain. Most miners leave La Rinconada with shattered dreams, broken bodies or in a coffin.

(Dickerman & Delano, 2019) Providing safe drinking water to the people will require the

mercury to be eliminated in some way. It is possible that this could be done by placing

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regulations on the mining practices, somehow purifying the water, or by bringing water in from

elsewhere.

The one infrastructure related problem that La Rinconada doesn’t have is electricity.

Going back the the article “In La Rinconada, Peru, searching for beauty in ugliness,” Arana says,

“The only convenience here is the electricity, brought in by overlords so that the machinery can

grind and shuttle-cars can rumble through the mountain’s black veins. At night, La Rinconada

glitters like a cruel oasis” (2013). Basically, the company or people who run the mines need

electricity in order to efficiently operate it, so they provide electricity to the town. Maybe a

solution to the infrastructure problems could involve showing them how better infrastructure

could benefit them in the long run as well?

Conclusion: Infrastructure is incredibly important for the well-being and development of

La Rinconada, yet it is expensive. Areas of infrastructure we should look into include roads,

water, and waste disposal. It may be of value to try to get the owners of the mining operation

behind developing the town.

B. Stakeholders​:

This issue affects everyone in the community of La Rinconada, Peru. It affects the

families, children, government, teachers, students, and mine workers. By fixing the infrastructure

it will improve the poor health as well as the living conditions of the people in La Rinconada.

Andre Vitchek, a journalist, shares his experience from traveling to La Rinconada, Peru

in an article he wrote called “Welcome to hell: The Peruvian mining city of La Rinconada.” He

says, “ Mountains and valleys are dotted with metal shacks, with makeshifts structures. The filith

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is everywhere. There is no water supply. Electricity is scarce. Garbage covers the humble graves

of the local cemetery” (Vitchek,2019). Imagine living without running water, with very little

electricity, and to top it off, your town is covered in garbage. The Mercury used to extract the

gold is very poisonous. The government of Peru will not control the illegal mining and is not

trying to improve working conditions. Scientists involved in doing this study are hoping to help

the people of La Rinconada by involving charities like pharmacists without borders to get them

free medicine. They are also trying to convince mine owners to make mining safer and consider

the health of the miners. Peru would need $160 billion to close its infrastructure deficit,

according to estimates from the National Association for Infrastructure Promotion. The pervuian

government has no interest in helping these tens of thousands that are hungry. The miners are

working as free laborers. Once again, these people have no running water, no sewage system,

garbage covering their city, practically nonexistent roads, homes that are literally shacks, poor air

conditions, cold weather conditions, no heaters in their homes and buildings, and the entire place

is poisoned with mercury as a result of the mining process. All of these issues in La Rinconada,

could be significantly improved if we were able to build real roads, more effective buildings, and

infrastructure for clean water. We could start with a system to get clean water to the people.

C. History:

La Rinconada is the highest town in the world as of now. The Incas lived there around the

1500s (Jarus, 2018). La Rinconada was originally a small mining settlement. It was never

intended as a place for so many people to live. When the Inca were still around they only used

the area as a mine. Before the population of La Rinconada ballooned to its size today, the Inca

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mined under the rule of the Spanish. Inca called gold “Sweet of the sun,” and the Spanish saw it

as a thing they needed, and they desired it (Lamar, 2009). People during that time thought that

gold gave you you have class you had elegance it would show you’re status (Vuckovic). When

the Inca would find the gold they would send it to the Spanish (Arana, 2013). At one point the

gold mine produced large chunks of ore, and lots of it. According to Garcilaso de la Vega, “It

was as large as a humans head and super shiny.” For some time, the mine was closed down and

forgotten. It was something no one really had interest for anymore. Then, more recently people

found interest again but realized that there wasn’t as much gold as there used to be. The ore now

was more like rocks (Arana, 2013).

La Rinconada has a mining area, and the people refer to it as La Bella Durmiente. This

translates as The Sleeping Beauty in Spanish. The people in La Rinconada call it La Bella

Durmiente because they see it as their savior they see it as a miracle. The reason for this is

because they mention that without their Bella Durmiente there wouldn’t be money and there

wouldn’t be a living (Larmer, 2009). La Rinconada wasn’t meant to be a place for living. The

original plan was that people wouldn’t permanently live here. This is part of the reason there is a

severe lack of infrastructure like sanitation, heating services, and plumbing. La Rinconada was a

place for people to work and mine gold, and the people in charge of La Rinconada didn’t realize

how many people were living there. The population keeps growing, and from 2001 to 2009 the

population has doubled, and over the years the only job there has basically mining. Women

usually stay at home and take care of their children (La Rinconada). People have mined gold in

La Rinconada for around 40 to 50 years the amount of gold mined is enough to fill up two

olympic swimming pools (Arana, 2013).

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D. Policies and Practices:

Most of the population are men working inside the mine, taking out ore illegally. Some

kids from the ages of 14 to 17 also find work in the mine. Women in the population of La

Rinconada end up searching for ore on the surface of the mountain with their daughters because

they are not allowed to go into the mine, but they are allowed to pick through the leftovers that

are thrown away on the surface. This makes life very difficult there, also many members of the

community are involved in illegal trades such as prostitution, and there is an issue with minors

consuming alcohol.

The Peruvian government didn't take actions in La Rinconada until 2014 “After long

negotiation meetings, which lasted until 02:45 today, the Government reached a satisfactory

agreement with the miners in the process of formalizing the Puno region, represented by more

than 20 leaders, including those from the bases of Sandia, Carabaya, Ananea and

Rinconada”(PCM,2014). They haven’t done anything since though. The population is steadily

increasing every year now that the people of Peru know that there is a gold Mine in the Andes,

exactly in Puno. “The authorities ratified that interdiction actions will be applied only and

exclusively to illegal mining operators, in accordance with the current regulatory framework,

excluding miners in the process of formalization that concludes on April 19 of the year, in

accordance with D.S. N 032-2013-EM, and will go to the sanitation stage, which begins on April

20, in order to meet the goals towards the year 2016 that includes the formalization of mining

and the fight against illegal extractive activity.”(PCM,2014).

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 However, this process of formalization to reach an agreement was never done due to

corruption inside of the District of Ananea. This was a false statement made by the Government

of Peru in the congress meeting of March 27, 2014 “As is known to the public, the strategy that

the Government has been developing in its negotiations with the miners in the process of

formalization has had as a starting point to demand respect for the rights of citizens, such as free

transit, and the absence of acts of violence, as a substantial condition for initiating dialogue with

organized groups.” (PCM,2014).

The population has increased through the years and the company behind the mines runs

them under the “Cachorreo” system. This is an illegal action of the company. Under the system,

they only allow the workers to take home however much ore they can carry on their shoulders on

the last day of the month. This makes the people want to come in search of ore but all of this is

just luck “La Rinconada’s economy is fueled almost entirely by the nearby gold mines. Tens of

thousands of workers have emigrated to the remote location hoping to secure work and stake

their claim in the riches.”

Employment at the nearby Corporación Ananea gold mine is through a unique system

called Cachorreo. Employees work for 30 days without payment, and on the 31st day they are

allowed to take as much ore from the mine as they can carry. Whatever the miners are able to

extract from that ore is theirs.

Despite the companies utilizing such a non-traditional system of payment, miners

continue to flock to the region. “The population of La Rinconada has skyrocketed over 230% in

the last decade.” (Sometimes-Interesting, 2016) the population went to La Rinconada in search

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of money and because they don't have anywhere else to go because the jobs in Peru aren’t very

well paid.

The government was supposed to take some responsibility by 2014. They had a meeting

to make an agreement with the district of Ananea to take control of the situation in the

population but that wasn't done until today. The population still lives under the same conditions

as 20 years before the people knew about the gold mine in La Rinconada. The population

overpassed the 230% over the years making the zone an environmental exploitation center. They

contaminate the river as the lake with mercury that they use to separate the gold from the ore that

they take from the mine that is below 30 Degrees Fahrenheit.

E. Resources:

Lime softening M.W Watermark Lime Softening - M.W. Watermark: M.W. Watermark. (n.d.).

Retrieved December 12, 2019, from

http://www.mwwatermark.com/en_US/industries-and-applications/lime-softening/.

In a discussion with Douglas Merril, the chemistry teacher at Copper Hills High School,

it was confirmed that the Lime Softening Process by which calcium hydroxide, Ca(OH)​2​, is

mixed with water to create lime water, which is then subsequently added to the

mercury-contaminated water, is a viable solution to removing mercury from water. One of the

things he claimed should be considered was filtering out the slag that sinks to the bottom during

the process. An effective and cheap solution he suggested is sand filtration. Due to the addition

of lime water, the drinking water becomes basic, so it will be necessary to neutralize it after the

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sand filtration process. He claimed, “A little calcium hydroxide can go a long way” (Merrill).

This means that in all likelihood the transportation of materials will best be done by use of

pick-up trucks hauling calcium hydroxide, sand, and the neutralizing acid of choice up to La

Rinconada, then bringing any waste created back down for the purpose of efficiency.

F. Other:

For some perspective, hydrated lime can be purchased from Lowe’s at a rate of $13.68

for 50 lbs. This means that it is relatively cheap, and as Mr. Merrill stated, a little calcium

hydroxide can go a long way.

Part 3: Criteria

After researching our areas of analysis, we all came together to define some of the criteria we

thought a solution to the problem in La Rinconada should have. It is important to set this criteria

before developing solutions so that we know what we want out of the solutions and so that there

isn’t unfair bias in the criteria which would favor a solution we like.

The process of creating this criteria began with us defining our general goal for the project, then

suggesting criteria based on our research, as well as other points of criteria we had discussed in

class.

A. General Goals:

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 Our general goal was to implement a solution that would improve the infrastructure

situation in La Rinconada peru.

B. Specific Criteria

1. Cost-effective

2. Has a realistic time frame.

3. Is acceptable to the Peruvian Government.

4. Serves the best interests of the people of La Rinconada.

5. Will not pose further danger to the people of La Rinconada.

6. Results in improved health for the people.

7. Improves the cleanliness of the community.

Meeting #3:

This meeting was defined by the completion of steps 3, 4, and 5 of the reflective sequence. Here

we brainstormed solutions, rated them using the criteria, and decided on the best solution.

Part 4: Brainstorm possible solutions

The next step that we took to find a solution for the lack of infrastructure in La Rinconada was

brainstorming solutions to the problem. We proposed a number of solutions, then narrowed it

down to 5 we liked the best. We would subsequently rate these 5 using the criteria we came up

with.

Proposed Solutions:

1. Make a website to raise awareness. (Show Pictures, Say Problems, Have Fundraiser)

2. Aid Kits (Food/Clothing).

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 3. Fundraiser

4. Propose a plan of sheltering to the government of Peru?

5. Contact Media in Peru & Internationally

6. Bring Awareness to Our School

7. Find a way to turn it into a more touristy place?

8. Contact the organization in charge of the mine.

9. Find a charitable construction company?

10. Garbage cleanup crew.

11. Water Purification Equipment

12. Contact the purchasers of gold from Peru/La Rinconada.

13. Boycott

Top 5 Solutions:

1. Purify the Water

2. Create a website to spread the information about the problem

3. Talk to the media in Peru and internationally

4. Contact the gold purchasers

5. Make it into a tourist destination

Part 5: Solution analysis/Organization

In this step, we evaluated the solutions based on our criteria. We used a ranking of 1 to 5 to show

how well each solution fit each criterion. As a result of our criteria chart, we chose to go with

solution 1, but combine it with certain aspects of solution 2.

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Criteria Chart 1-Less effective & 5-Most effective

Criteria Solution 1: Solution 2: Solution 3: Solution 4: Solution 5:

Water Website Talk to Contact gold Make into a

Purification Media in Purchaser tourist

Peru and In destination

other Places

Cost-Effective 1 4 3 3 1

Time Frame 2 5 3 3 0

Acceptable 5 4 2 0 4

People’s 4 5 3 0 0

Interest

Not Further 5 5 3 0 1

Danger

Improve 5 5 0 0 0

Health

Improve 3 0 0 0 0

Cleanliness

Total: 25 28 14 6 6

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C. Final Solution

After completing the criteria chart, we chose to mix solution one and two to create our final

solution. The website will help in bringing awareness for the problems that the population of La

Rinconada have, particularly with water. It will also allow for the collection of funds to properly

implement the solution of purifying the water through lime softening.

This solution excels over others because:

It improves the health and infrastructure of the people of La Rinconada by creating access to

clean, drinkable water. This also spreads the information to different countries apart from peru

and we can collect monetary aid for the needed in La Rinconada. This also solution doesn’t pose

further danger to the population.

D. Possible negative consequences

Barrier 1: ​Getting the funds for putting a system in place to purify the water.

Solution:​ Use the website as a center where donations can be made.

Barrier 2: ​Very low temperatures at a very high altitude Town.

Solution: ​Usage of lightweight heating clothes plus thermal jackets, recruit people with good

physical conditions to withstand the low temperature and altitude of La Rinconada.

Barrier 3: ​Transporting the water purification materials to the town. There aren’t great roadways

to get it there.

Solution:​ Possibly airdrop the materials in or tough it out and haul it up in trucks.

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Barrier 4: ​Teaching people how to properly purify the water.

Solution: ​Send detailed instructions in Spanish with graphics to make it easy to understand how

to properly set up and use water purification techniques. Send in volunteers recruited through the

website to teach the people how.

Barrier 5: ​Raising awareness for/bringing attention to the issue.

Solution: ​Send letters to media outlets in the U.S. in hopes of getting coverage for the issue and

to help raise awareness for the website and its goals.

Barrier 6: ​Finding Volunteers

Solution: ​Recruit through the website, and even try to reach out and recruit people from Peru.

Alternatively, just drop supplies with the instructions, but that is unlikely to work.

Team meeting #4:

This meeting was defined by finalizing our formal report and powerpoint presentation

Part 6: Implementation of Solution

Step Person Assigned Due Date

1. Companies available Taryn McDonald 1/3/20

to help us. (Transport)

2. Cost for the solution. Britney Almanza 1/3/20

(Rate)

3. Track the path of the Cory Neilsen 1/3/20

solution. (Time)

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 4. Communicate the Kierra Allen 1/3/20

action. (Media)

5. Advise when to stop. Leo Garcia 1/3/20

(Date)

Humanitarian support center

The first step of our solution to implement the Health and the Infrastructure in La Rinconada, is

to seek companies that are willing to help in this process, or from which we can purchase the

materials and services necessary to implementing a lime softening water treatment area in La

Rinconada. We will have to search for a humanitarian aircraft relief company that will help us

with the transportation of the Calcium Hydroxide and drop it by airplane. This humanitarian

center needs to have some past service records to show, with this data information we will be

able to start the process of a contract with them for the mobilization of the calcium hydroxide.

Alternatively we could ship the necessary materials to a nearby city and use pick-up trucks to

haul materials to and from La Rinconada. This would eliminate the need for air dropping the

materials.

Rate of Cost

The person assigned to this task will calculate the amount of income and outcome for the

purchase of calcium hydroxide and the amount needed for a monthly pace. With this we will get

regular amount of that component to send it to La Rinconada for every passing month that the

22
campaign is open. The cost of the humanitarian company service will affect this monthly so we

will need a certain amount of time with this project.

Time needed

As said before, we will also need to calculate the amount of time needed to help La Rinconada

enough to let them start by themselves in their private constructions, most of our help will go to

public services and buildings as a plumbing system, clinics and security posts to guard the

corruption inside the town. This person will calculate this by the amount of water that they can

get and the rate of the construction progress.

Contact the media

Reach out to media to spread and share what is happening in La Rinconada. Also share what the

living conditions is and the infrastructure. After we will ask the media companies to share with

others, or share our website, or make a donation to help.

Term for the Solution

In this last step that we are going to do is just the analysis of the amount of time that we are

going to do the service and how much it will take to build the basic public services and the

missing infrastructures, then with this data we will set an end date for this solution.

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 Conclusion:

As we analyzed La Rinconada and the issues plaguing it, we did our best to identify a

problem that by solving would have the greatest positive impact on the community and was

within the reach of possibility for us to solve. Mercury poisoning is extremely detrimental to the

health of humans and can lead to death, so we decided to attempt to help the people stop drinking

mercury contaminated water. This will have the greatest positive impact because by reducing the

mercury intake of the people of La Rinconada, their overall health and life spans will be

drastically improved.

24
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de-and-seek-rats

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ermanent-human-settlement/.

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Finnegan, William. “A Fortune at the Top of the World.” The New Yorker, The New Yorker, 9

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27
 Appendix I: Team Contract
Team Member Roles
Task Roles:
Leader: Leo
Recorder: Cory
Editor: Britney
Administrator: Cory
Information-Giver: Britney
Opinion Giver: Leo
Interpreter: Taryn
Idea Giver: Taryn
Information Seeker: Kierra
Housekeeper: Kierra
Relational Roles:
Listener: Leo
Tension Reliever: Cory
Keep-it-together-er: Britney
Harmonizer: Taryn
Sensor: Kierra
Expediter: Britney
Encourager: Cory
Compromiser: Taryn
Standard Setter: Leo
Gatekeeper: Kierra

Team Norms
Relational Norms:
● Be Civil
● Give Everyone A Chance To Provide Information
● Respect Each Other's Ideas
● No Drama
● Don’t Goof Around
Task Norms:
● Always Be Doing Something Productive
● Constructive opinions
● Don’t Stop Working Just Because Class Is Almost Over
● Be Prepared Every Time We Meet
● Don’t Be Absent From Meetings

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 ● Don’t Be Late To Meetings
Consequences of Breaking Norms
● Dance in front of the class
● Do 30 push-ups
● Bring Candy For Everyone At The Next Meeting
Consequences of Keeping Norms
● We Get the Project Done
● Party Or Something.
● You’ll get a candy
● We Don’t Get Frustrated

Appendix II: Team Member Participation

Name Made it to the Did Necessary Focused in Made Adequate

Kierra Allen 9 10 10 10

Britney Almanza 10 10 10 10

Leo Leon 10 10 10 10

Taryn 7 10 10 9
McDonald

Cory Neilsen 10 10 10 10

29