Today we headed by boat to Buena Esparanza. This location had land owners as well as community leaders that both seemed to be decision makers. There was also a healer in this community who was able to cure venomous snake bites from local snakes.
We followed the owner of the land to a natural spring that is used during droughts that was about a half kilometer from the center of the community, and then also analyzed the water from a nearby well and the nearby rain catchment systems.
From here we went to Zapatilla 2, which is an island without local inhabitants. A few of us went to sample water from a reservoir made in the 1930’s. This incorporated a few tests and a small sample.
After we left Zapatilla, we island-hopped over to Salt Creek, an inlet on Bastimientos that is home to an indigenous community. Upon arrival through the mangroves of the creek, we set out to find a local school that drew water from a rain catchment system nearby to a faucet. We tested water at this spigot to see the conditions of the water the children and teachers would drink. Our final spot to test water was a bit further into the village.
We were led past a big field in which kids were playing Panama’s national pastime, baseball. The destination was a house in which a pitcher with a little bit of reservoir water. We took a small sample and tested for conductivity and pH as there was not enough for bacteriological or turbidity testing.
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Luke G. and Joel S.
