The way forward for clean water efforts

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Excerpt frompost "Welcome to Development" , June 20th 2012:

If someonehas no means, such as chlorine drops or charcoal to boil water, that number wouldbe a fantastic improvement on the lake water they currently drink. However, 97%effectiveness for kegs, or even the 98.5% for just a pot filter will stillresult in occasional sickness. Therefore, both of these household systems pale—mildly, next to the community chlorination systems that SHIM promotes in theregion. They will achieve 100% safe water when operated correctly. Ultimately,unless the kegs or pots were able to match that, we would not have had ourhost’s full support.

Finished single-pot units

I'm fortunate to be able to qualifythis explanation with a revelation that came about after the original post. Itmade and continues to make to sense to not introduce any ceramic filter in aplace where a majority are already using a "100% solution" for waterpurification. As I explained then, Lingira Island is such a place and to ourcollective frustration, is poorly suited to receive a 98/99% solution, such asour filters. We had turned to the Community-Lead Total Sanitation [CLTS] teamat SHIM, consisting of the most-knowledgeable and driven water guys in thearea. The appointed leader of the team, Samson helped us to understand whyLingira was not the place for the filters and why his team could not promoteour filters in other areas where their team works. Short on time, it seemed ourbest hope would be to gift the remaining 200 or so filters to an NGO working inan area where ceramic filters could widely improve water consumption habits.  
What we failed to consider was thecommunities that Samson has personally set out to develop. Born and raised onan island where SHIM has had a tremendous impact, he saw little role for thefilters there or anywhere else SHIM works. However, in a follow-up conversationwith friend and CLTS member, Julius, I got a totally different outlook on theproject. After feeling hamstrung for a day or two, he explained the plight ofthose people living in his home district of Mayuge. Like Samson, Julius wasconsidering the peoples that he has set out to impact, though who that is,seems to be a product of where home is. Almost immediately, he proposed that welet the team use the filters to reach beyond SHIM's normal territory, to placeswhere the water in the lake is the same as the water in the drinking glasses.(Forgive this crude map, but the blue line approximately identifies the areas Idescribe. SHIM's normal activity extends West a little, but southwardotherwise. Here is the live map if you want to explore.)
At the time of our departure, the CLTSteam intended to do some sanitation workshops and introduce the technology.There is really no other group in the area that I am aware of that is moreequipped to take over the project and see that a productive resolution comesabout. Our continued role will be serving as a resource for information on thefilters as they need it, as well as continuing to direct our supporters'donations to the water project towards the needs of the CLTS team as theydistribute the filters. Currently, there are no plastic containers to containthe pots, which we set out to subsidize to reduce the final cost per unit. Wewill likely supply the funds for those to ensure a low cost and prevent thelack of a container from being an issue for an interested family. In all, we'rehappy to say that over the next couple of months, the filters will be movinginto a couple hundred deserving homes on the beaches of Mayuge District, at thehands of knowledgeable and capable friends. 
As a final note, I again extend aninvitation to discuss things further as the people who helped make thispossible. Also, my dear sister, who is among our donors, essentially asked mewhat heck these filters looked like and how they work. That was a fairquestion, considering the lack of visuals that we have supplied. I'll say nowthat any ceramic filter relies on the ceramic being porous, but only porousenough to permit the flow of water. As to the rest, I offer avideo assembled by Dr. Buz Kloot, who was present on the island for 3 weeksof our stay. While we didn't give him much of a narrative to work with, thevisuals are all there, accompanied by helpful dialogue. 
Paul