Humphrey M. Blackburn, M.S. Rural Water and Sanitation Specialist P.O. Box 37, The Sea Ranch, California, 95497 707 785 3986 e-mail - hbwater@mcn.org Work Experience
1996 - present. Owner, Blackburn and Associates, The Sea Ranch, California. Research, design and development of appropriate tech. water treatment systems including slow sand filters, iron filters, roughing filters, wastewater treatment, piping and control systems. 1994 - 1996. Vice President of Research and Development, OASIS Filtration International, McKinleyville, California. Design and development of appropriate technology, water treatment systems for rural U.S. and developing countries. 1983 - 1993. Owner, Lost Art Systems, McKinleyville, California. Firm specializing in water supply and treatment equipment, sales, and installation. Worked extensively with pumps, filters, heat exchangers and various types of control equipment.
Education
M.S. Environmental Systems - International Development Technology, Humboldt State University, Arcata, California, 1995. Emphasis of coursework in water related engineering, water and wastewater testing, international health, data collection and analysis. project development, implimentation, and evaluation. Thesis/Project -Slow Sand Filtration of Drinking Water: Introducing an Appropriate Technology to Rural Southern Mexico. B.A., Humboldt State University, Arcata, California, 1974. Slow Sand Filtration Workshop, American Water Works Association, Salem, Oregon, September, 1995. A Short Course in Created Wetlands for Wastewater Treatment, Humboldt State University, May 1998. Professional Activities Design and development of modular low-tec water treatment systems-slow sand filters for drinking water, vertical and horizontal flow roughing filters, iron removal systems for ground water. 1400-65,000 gpd. Since 1991. Design and development of ten thousand gal/day slow sand filter modules for tertiary treatment of wastewater for agricultural reuse, Molokai, Hawaii. 1997. Installation of demonstration slow sand filter and training, Real Goods Solar Living Center, Hopland, California, 1998. Worked with Indian Health Service, Redding, California office, to provide 16 slow sand filters and roughing filters to their clients. Train installation and maintenence personnel. 1998. Design 64,000 gpd roughing filter for Indian Health Service. 1999 budget. Project Director - pilot project sponsored by US AID/National Association of State Development Agencies. (United States Agency for International Development)- Slow sand filters for rural Philippine villages. 1996. Design and/or supervision of installation and operation of more than 100 slow sand filters, gravel roughing filters, and iron filters at rural sites since 1994. Construction supervisor for aspects of construction of remote biological research station, San Gerardo, Costa Rica. by request of Monteverde Conservation League and Dr. Robert Gearheart, Humboldt State University. 1994. Project Director - Demonstration slow sand filter for Mayan highlands research center, Chiapas, Mexico. Funded by a Scholarship, Research, and Creative Activities Award from California State University System. 1993 Project Director - Water well resource assessment, town of Camoapa, Nicaragua. Developed plan for improving polluted drinking water supplies in cholera epidemic region, 1993. Summer projects - Various projects including development of filtration systems for aquaculture, design of handpump systems, fuel efficient cookstoves(lorena), diagnosis of distribution problems in town water supply, environs of Yajalon, feasibility study for primary wastewater treatment, Chiapas, Mexico. 1989-1993. Articles The ABC’s of Slow Sand Filtration, Water Technology Magazine, September, 1998. Low-Tec Modular Water Treatment Systems for Rural Applications, Water Conditioning and Purification Magazine, January,1997. Get The Upper Hand with Slow Sand, <italic>Water Technology Magazine</italic>, April 1997.
Slow Sand Filtration. <italic>California Rural Water Association Journal</italic>, Spring 1995. A.T. in Chiapas.<italic>The AT Journal</italic>, Publication of the Campus Center for Appropriate Technology, Humboldt State University, Arcata, California. Fall 1992.
<bold>Awards and Honors</bold> USAEP/NASDA Environmental/Energy Technology Fund Grant from U.S. Asian Environmental Partnership a program of the U.S. Agency for International Development and the National Association of State Development Agencies. 1996. Scholarship, Research, and Creative Activities Award from California State University System. 1993. <bold>Essential Skills</bold> Familiarity with pumps, control systems, water treatment systems(conventional and AT), wastewater(municipal and rural), treatment wetlands. Familiarity with electrical systems for control and power. Wiring, switches, contactors, relays, transformers, photo-voltaic, batteries, specifications and codes. Familiarity with frame construction, estimating, construction materials and methods, tool use and safety. Familiarity with PC and Macintosh computer platforms. Spreadsheets, wordprocessing, internet, statistical methods. Familiarity with water realted public health issues. Epidemiology, tropical diseases, risk assessment, planned change, diffussion of innovations. Familiarity with laboratory procedures for analysis of water and wastewater including, BOD, coliform(MPN and membrane), spectrophotometer, mass spectrograph. Statistical analytical methods. Data collection, experimental design. Familiarity with methodology of meetings, facilitation, information dissimination, training, use of media. <bold>Languages</bold> High school and college French Latin American Spanish <bold>References</bold> Robert Gearheart, Ph.D.. Professor. Environmental Resources Engineering, Humboldt State University, Arcata, California. Peter Lehman, Ph.D.. Professor. Environmental Resources Engineering, Humboldt State University, Arcata, California. Pdr. Loren Reibe. Mission Director, Yajalon. Diocese of San Cristobal, Chiapas, Mexico. Supervisor in Chiapas.