Auburn Engineering students solving water issues domestically and abroad
Published: Feb 6, 2025 7:55 AM
By Joe McAdory
A small community in south central Tennessee has a water crisis and Auburn engineers are digging for a solution.
The water infrastructure in unincorporated Westpoint, located roughly an hour north of Florence, was installed more than 60 years ago and has not received a full-scale update.
“The pump area at the main water tower has been abandoned and is pretty much out of commission,” said Joel Young, a junior in chemical engineering and team lead for Auburn University’s Engineers Without Borders’ domestic project. “The residents, about 250 of them, must instead receive their water from nearby Loretto — and the infrastructure in place to receive that water isn’t great either. Loretto has its own water needs. Whenever there is a water issue in Loretto, Westpoint receives no water. It’s a quantity issue.”
Bathing, washing clothes, flushing toilets, etc., are problematic without running water.
In case of a fire, hydrants in the center of the community are flushed. What happens then? Residents in the higher-elevated outskirts of town lose water.
“That encapsulates the whole issue. There just isn’t enough water to go around,” Young said.
Christian Brodbeck, an EWB faculty advisor and director of engineering research operations, said, “It’s difficult to envision that there are communities here in the U.S. that don’t have access to reliable, clean water.”
Resolving water issues in rural Tennessee is just one of three Engineers Without Borders (EWB) projects for 2025. This May, a team of 10 students and advisors will review recently completed work in Xeo, Guatemala, and begin assessing a future project in the nearby Quiche Region. In August, eight students and advisors will continue 2024’s efforts in Quesimpico, Bolivia, by repairing water transmission lines and design an improved irrigation system.
“The work we do is incredibly rewarding, but it’s equally as rewarding to watch out students grow through the organization and do the work,” Brodbeck said. “We’ve watched students come in as freshmen and grow through the program. The student-engineers receive fantastic experience through EWB, gaining a better understanding of project management, designing, building, installing … all the stuff that goes into what we do. Then they get to experience the communities they are helping – seeing their hard work laid into place.”
Auburn EWB has 60 active student members advised by faculty within the Samuel Ginn College of Engineering, including Brodbeck, senior lecturer in mechanical engineering Tom Burch (Bolivia), professor in civil and environmental engineering Jose Vasconcelos (Guatemala), lecturer in mechanical engineering Joseph Ragan (Bolivia), associate professor in civil and environmental engineering Jack Montgomery (Bolivia) and research associate in civil and environmental engineering Gerald John (domestic).
For nearly a year, Young and a rotating team of 15 students visited Westpoint, communicated with local utility district representatives, townspeople and analyzed the situation.
“Surveying and assessment are mostly what we’ve been doing,” Young said. “We surveyed all the hydrants, inspected the facilities, water meters and related equipment. What we’re doing now is working with hydraulic models and preparing a preliminary engineering report for an engineering firm who can do the contracting work. When the water system gets fixed, it will require a lot of new infrastructure — a wholesale replacement. It’s not as simple as fixing a few pipes.
“It’s important for us to use what we have been given to give back to places and people who don’t have the resources they need.”
EWB recently completed potable water projects in Saloj and Xeo, Guatemala. This May’s trip provides an opportunity to review past work and source projects for 2026 and 2027.
“We will be designing a water system for distribution purposes – potable water,” Brodbeck said. “This is a larger community, so it’s going to require tank construction and a distribution network. For that project, our intent is to remotely construct the tank.”
Brodbeck said this spring’s trip to Guatemala adds a new twist: two graduate students.
“They are vital because they have done research in structural and concrete areas, which is beneficial to everyone,” Brodbeck said. “Their background in concrete will ensure the tanks are designed correctly. Once we arrive in Guatemala, we are going to assess the situation and collect the necessary data so that we can design the distribution network. There, we’ll have students lay the transmission line from the spring to the tank.”
Malia Chitwood, the student team lead for EWB’s Guatemala exploits, considers working with EWB “some of the most rewarding work I have ever done.”
“I had the opportunity to travel with EWB last year,” said the junior in mechanical engineering. “Our team spent the school year working on and designing the water system. While in Guatemala at the beginning of May 2024, the water system was built and assembled with help from community members. Throughout my two weeks in Guatemala, I began to understand the impact we are truly making in the lives of the community. These people do not have access to running water of any kind, and to see the hope on their faces as running water became a reality was worth everything.
“I love children, so seeing the children from the community with dirty, torn clothes and no water to drink broke my heart. Knowing that I played a role in providing them and their families with safe drinking water is so empowering.
“The work we did was very strenuous, but I will never regret going. Every day, we came back to the hotel exhausted, but our temporary pain was nothing compared to the life-changing services we were providing the community.
“EWB allows me to apply the concepts I am learning through the engineering program to real situations. I can then use my understanding of engineering to give back to others.”
Gavin Valentine, a junior in biosystems engineering and Bolivia student team lead, said that joining EWB was the most impactful decision of his life.
“It has transformed how I view my potential to improve the lives of others through engineering,” he said. “EWB has provided me with invaluable real-world experience and equipped me with skills I will carry throughout my career. Without this organization, I would never have had the chance to design and implement a full-scale irrigation system during my undergraduate studies.
“Beyond the technical aspects of engineering, EWB has shaped me on a personal level. Traveling to Bolivia this past summer was a once-in-a-lifetime experience that gave me a fresh perspective on life. I cherish the relationships I built with the community and the unforgettable memories we shared. Their gratitude deeply resonated with me, reminding me of the profound impact our work has on their daily lives. Reflecting on these experiences has only strengthened my resolve to continue using engineering to help those in need."
This past summer’s Bolivia team constructed an 80,000-liter tank reservoir used for irrigation. How has it held up over the past few months? Have other construction groups carried out the work that Auburn started?
“I know that the team worked hard to put in the rebar, with the community pouring the concrete after the team left,” Brodbeck said. “The team will assess the finished tank when they return in August. This year, if there are parts of the transmission line not functioning correctly, they’ll need to fix it. They will also design the irrigation system that will come from that large tank.”
In its 13th iteration of EWB, there is a familiar, massive hurdle. “Construction abroad can be very expensive,” Brodbeck said.
How so? Purchasing tools/supplies used to repair or maintain water systems, including concrete, pipe and rebar. Food. Housing. Airline tickets, just to name a few. To offset the cost, EWB hopes to raise $35,000 this spring to fuel efforts of service toward others.
“Public support is vital in making our projects possible,” Brodbeck said. “By contributing or participating in our fundraisers, people are directly impacting the lives of villagers in need of reliable water and irrigation systems. Their generosity not only helps us provide essential resources but also empowers our students to gain invaluable hands-on experience and foster a spirit of global citizenship. Together, we can make a lasting difference.”
Though corporate sponsors and individual donations go a long way in helping to fund the annual projects, EWB’s largest annual fundraiser is Water Cycle, an all-day festival March 29 at Pioneer Park in Loachapoka with multiple bicycle races on gravel terrain. Following the race, participants and their families can celebrate with live music and games. Lunch will be available.
Water Cycle kicks off at 8 a.m. with the 60-mile loop ($65) to near Loachapoka and back. The 30-mile race ($65) begins at 10 a.m., and the 15-mile fun ride ($30) at 11 a.m., where e-bikes are welcome. T-shirts and post-race meals are included with registration. Click here for more detailed event information, including routes and registration information.
Media Contact: , jem0040@auburn.edu, 334.844.3447
Engineering Without Borders students on location in Westpoint, Tennessee, include (from left), Eli Williams, Virginia Keith, Morgan Bell (resident engineer in charge), Emma Tolbert, Sam Mariano, Joel Young, Park White and Gerald John, advisor and civil and environmental engineering research associate.
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