Newton Dam

The Willamette Medical Team group spent a week in Sierra Leone the first part of March 2009.  We repaired the generator building that had been damaged since the initial repair two years ago and installed a pump and secured the generator in the generator house.

We installed three 2,000 Liter  tanks. One is located at the top of the dam, one is located at the Jefferson Baptist School, roughly a mile from the dam, and the third is located on the airstrip roughly two miles from the dam. We installed two miles of pipe and connected them to the tanks. By Saturday, March 7th, 2009 we were able to pump water to each of the elevated tanks. It was noted that the tank at the dam, which is roughly 20 feet high, had considerable pressure.

We also did a sampling of consumption rates based upon the amount of water that is being carried from the dam by local participants. We estimated that the present consumption rate is one gallon per person per household. This would likely increase as water becomes more available. Assuming that we will be filling the tanks at least twice a day, we expect that the potable water available to the community out of these tanks is sufficient for roughly 3,000 persons per day.