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Great discussion stream. As a professional civil and environmental engineer who has been in the WASH game since 1972, the key will ALWAYS be in the social environment. The community MUST lead the effort. It is our job to serve as consultants and a times catalysts for SUSTAINED rural development. Community organization does not have to be expensive, but it takes time. More time than many western engineers care to spend.

Swamps and wetlands are very important. So are people. I wish easy answers existed. I would love to know that X meters of filtration through Y soil would remove Z pathogen. I have not seen such a multivariate equation. Rules of thumb can be very helpful. One that I have used is that as long as warm-blooded animals do not crap within 100 meters of a water source, I will drink the water. The same goes for protecting springs. BIOLOGICAL contamination of water sources will be significantly improved if one fences or restricts mammals from living withing 100 meters of the source.