Team USA, whose sponsors included ASPE, came out on top in the recently completed Community Plumbing Challenge in Nashik, India. Team USA members include Jill Vande Boom, Judith Torres and Douglas Nelson, P.E.

The event was hosted and facilitated by the Indian Plumbing Association and by the WorldSkills Foundation. It was a follow-up to the Water Innovation Challenge of June 2014, which Team USA also won. The goal of the Community Plumbing Challenge was to design and build a new sanitation facility for Mukti Dham School No. 125, home to 500 students between the ages of 7 and 15.

Team USA began its design in May. The design was submitted prior to the team’s arrival and then presented to the local officials, judges and the school’s principal. The school now has 25 working taps (up from four) and hand-wash drainage, two taps in the toilet areas (up from zero), improved ventilation, better water pressure and higher water-tank storage capacity.

“The experience was incredible, cultural barriers were forgotten and all teams worked collaboratively to get the work done on time,” said Torres, who was a coach for Team USA.