Purdue class hopes to create clean water for community

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. (WLFI) - A class of Purdue students is working to make the world a better place one community at a time.

A service learning class of 15 students and five faculty members will be leaving Saturday for the Dominican Republic.

All year, the collaboration of engineering, nursing, biology and agricultural economics students have been working to develop a water treatment system for an entire community. They are working with La Torre, a suburb about 20 minutes outside of the city of Santiago.

By developing a source for clean water, it stops much chronic sickness and helps people break the cycle of poverty.

"This project is beyond anything that it looks right now,' said Taisha Venort, a Purdue senior majoring in Environmental Ecological Engineering. "It has multiple impacts that we'll probably look back on and say 'We were part of an amazing thing.'"

Partial funding comes from an EPA grant, but there are also out-of-pocket costs for the students.

This year's project focus is feasibility and next week's trip is about meeting with people and getting community members behind the project.

In April, the class will compete in Washington D.C. for funding for Phase 2 to actually build the water system.