Investigation of riverbed filtration systems on the Parapeti river, Bolivia

Abstract Riverbed filtration is a promising alternative method of drinking water production for developing countries which has been little investigated and is still poorly characterized. As it offers advantages on riverbank filtration in terms of production yield, riverbed filtration needs to be more deeply defined. Riverbed filtration systems set up in Camiri (southeastern Bolivia) were characterized by collecting field data about the systems production yields and the produced water quality. The first objective of this work is to propose a method for the prediction of the production yield of the riverbed filtration systems in Camiri. The second objective is to perform a general review of the water quality of the filtered water provided by these systems. The water quality study results show that the Camiri's riverbed filtration systems act like filters, efficiently removing turbidity and microorganisms. Regarding the systems production yield, the field study results obtained are successfully compared to those predicted by the method developed in this work, based on the evaluation, in laboratory, of the characteristic permeabilities of the porous media of the studied systems. This comparison highlights the fact that a clogging of a part of the riverbed might be the reason of the observed drop over time of the production yield of Camiri's riverbed filtration systems.