Project Team
Students
Camilo Rojas-Balli
Civil and Environmental Engineering
Penn State University Park
Faculty Mentors
William Burgos
Penn State University Park
Civil and Environmental Engineering
Project
https://sites.psu.edu/mcreu/files/formidable/2/poster-5.0.pdf
Project Video
Project Abstract
Reservoir management in developing countries has been and continues to be explored as issues arise from the construction of large dams. For instance, naturally occurring compounds, such as 2-methylisoborneol (MIB) and geosmin, are causing taste and odor (T&O) issues in reservoirs recently built in several countries including China and Colombia. These compounds are released by cyanobacteria during environmentally stressful conditions including changes in temperature and nutrient levels. However, these T&O issues have sparse case studies regarding its mitigation techniques. Bucaramanga, a city with over one million residents in the northeastern region of Colombia has been experiencing a seasonal T&O issue since the construction of the Bosconia reservoir in 2015. Through a collaboration with the water authorities in Bucaramanga (AMB) and faculty at Pontifical Bolivarian University Bucaramanga this study investigates the possible origins of the cyanobacteria and identifies potential causes of the release of MIB and geosmin. The goal of this project is to synthesize data and present findings to the AMB including possible remediation techniques intended to alleviate the T&O issues impacting over one million citizens of Bucaramanga.
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