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Colorado Water Purifiers Headed To Haiti

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Jan 18, 2010 9:45 pm US/Mountain

Colorado Water Purifiers Headed To Haiti

Written by Paul Day

Reporting
Paul Day
ROCKY FORD, Colo. (CBS4) ― A small factory in the southeastern Colorado community of Rocky Ford is about to make a big difference in earthquake-torn Haiti.

"I thought how this could really tremendously help them," said Harley Aldrich, Innovative Water Technologies Plant Manager.

IWT makes a unique type of water purifier called Sunspring. Now 14 of the portable, solar-powered units are being readied for rush shipment to Port au Prince.

Even before the quake, Haitians were getting sick from unsafe water.

"Dysentary," said IWT's owner, Carmen Barker. "They get dehydrated and it's a very horrible way to die."

With its extensive canal system, Haiti has no shortage of raw water, but much of it is contaminated. Now, since the disaster, clean water is even harder to find.

Barker said victims are being rationed to just one liter of bottled water daily. But a single Sunspring unit is capable of producing 19,000 liters of drinkable water every day. The units are quick to deploy and can be operational three hours after arrival. So the shipment of 14 units should have a huge immediate impact.

But the help will keep coming years down the road because Sunsprings last a decade.

Each system costs $25,000.

The shipment, which is due to depart Tuesday, is funded by the GE Foundation, Pentair Inc. and private donors.

The tricky arrangements necessary for delivery in the quake zone have already been resolved, according to Barker.

Baker said anyone interested in donating towards additional Sunspring shipments to Haiti can find information at sunspringwater.com.

Haiti Relief Information

-- Donating: People who want to help those affected by the Haitian earthquake can make a donation to the American Red Cross International Response Fund by going to ColoradoRedCross.org/haiti or by calling (800)REDCROSS.
-- Finding/contacting loved ones: The U.S. State Department has set up a phone number for people to get information on family members in Haiti, after a 7.0 Earthquake. (888) 407-4747
-- Helping Haiti: The Road To Hope: The Road to Hope is a non-profit corporation dedicated to helping the children of Haiti. Go to theroadtohope.org.
-- Doctors Without Borders: Doctors Without Borders lost its Haiti headquarters in the earthquake. They need help rebuilding and paying for all of the medical care that will be needed in the weeks to come. Go to doctorswithoutborders.org
-- Project C.U.R.E.: This organization is helping Haiti by donating medical supplies. Donate money or suplies here projectcure.org.
-- Lambi Fund of Haiti: This organization teaches villages in Haiti how to become self-sustaining. Several board members have died in the earthquake. Go to lambifund.org.

(© MMX CBS Television Stations, Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)

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