{"id":{"repo_id":"uiuc","oai_identifier":"oai:www.ideals.illinois.edu:2142/132562"},"canonical_url":"https://search.dev.ndltd.org/etd/uiuc/oai:www.ideals.illinois.edu:2142/132562","repository":{"repo_id":"uiuc","name":"University of Illinois - Urbana-Champaign","base_url":"https://www.ideals.illinois.edu/oai-pmh"},"display":{"title":"Designing a sustainable water storage system for livestock in Bodaway Gap using contextual engineering principles and community engagement","abstract":"Access to water remains a persistent challenge across the Navajo Nation, where environmental, infrastructural, and institutional constraints have long limited the sustainability of development efforts. This thesis applies Contextual Engineering framework that integrates technical design with sociocultural, political, and environmental realities to address water scarcity in Bodaway Gap, Arizona. Although the entire project originated under the assumption that household drinking water represented the community's most urgent need, engagement with residents revealed that livestock water access was the primary concern. Guided by Witmer's 3-4-5 methodology, the study combines hydrological analysis with iterative stakeholder dialogue to develop a water storage solution that is technically feasible, culturally grounded, and locally governed. Using the Predictive Tool, contextual influences were weighted, revealing that cultural and political legitimacy held greater significance than other social factors. Fieldwork conducted across 2024–2025—including interviews, site surveys, co-design sessions, and hydrological assessments—indicated a high-loss regime, where evaporation and infiltration exceed precipitation during extreme hot weather conditions. This finding prompted a design strategy centered on in-pond catchment and solar-powered transfer to covered steel tanks, reflecting a risk-based approach to design under uncertainty. While extreme hot-dry periods produce a negative water balance, historical precipitation records show sufficient rainfall events in the rainy season to justify storage infrastructure, provided losses are minimized through rapid transfer and cover. The fieldwork culminated in the identification of three candidate ponds for implementing a water storage system, with the White Horse reservoir (R-32) selected as the pilot site. More importantly, the process demonstrated that sustainability arises not merely from technical optimization but from aligning engineering decisions with community-defined values and governance structures. This work contributes to both engineering practice and community development by documenting a full-cycle application of contextual engineering—from problem reframing to design proposal—in an Indigenous setting. The findings underscore that durable solutions in water-scarce regions depend on engineers' capacity to listen, adapt, and co-create with the people they serve.","abstract_html":"Access to water remains a persistent challenge across the Navajo Nation, where environmental, infrastructural, and institutional constraints have long limited the sustainability of development efforts. This thesis applies Contextual Engineering framework that integrates technical design with sociocultural, political, and environmental realities to address water scarcity in Bodaway Gap, Arizona. Although the entire project originated under the assumption that household drinking water represented the community's most urgent need, engagement with residents revealed that livestock water access was the primary concern. Guided by Witmer's 3-4-5 methodology, the study combines hydrological analysis with iterative stakeholder dialogue to develop a water storage solution that is technically feasible, culturally grounded, and locally governed. Using the Predictive Tool, contextual influences were weighted, revealing that cultural and political legitimacy held greater significance than other social factors. Fieldwork conducted across 2024–2025—including interviews, site surveys, co-design sessions, and hydrological assessments—indicated a high-loss regime, where evaporation and infiltration exceed precipitation during extreme hot weather conditions. This finding prompted a design strategy centered on in-pond catchment and solar-powered transfer to covered steel tanks, reflecting a risk-based approach to design under uncertainty. While extreme hot-dry periods produce a negative water balance, historical precipitation records show sufficient rainfall events in the rainy season to justify storage infrastructure, provided losses are minimized through rapid transfer and cover. The fieldwork culminated in the identification of three candidate ponds for implementing a water storage system, with the White Horse reservoir (R-32) selected as the pilot site. More importantly, the process demonstrated that sustainability arises not merely from technical optimization but from aligning engineering decisions with community-defined values and governance structures. This work contributes to both engineering practice and community development by documenting a full-cycle application of contextual engineering—from problem reframing to design proposal—in an Indigenous setting. The findings underscore that durable solutions in water-scarce regions depend on engineers' capacity to listen, adapt, and co-create with the people they serve.","abstract_has_math":false,"creators":["Echeverria Ortiz, Xiomara Nicole"],"institution":"University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign","degree_name":"M.S.","degree_level":"Thesis","degree_discipline":"Agricultural & Biological Engr","degree_department":null,"school":null,"contributors":["Witmer, Ann-Perry","Bhattarai, Rabin","Dill, Brian"],"advisors":[],"committee_chairs":[],"committee_members":[],"year":2025,"date_issued":"2025-12","date_published":"2025-12","updated_at":"2026-07-22T22:25:07Z","subjects":["Water","Navajo Nation","Design","engineering","contextual engineering","solar panels","community","Bodaway Gap","stakeholders"],"languages":["en"],"rights":["Copyright 2025 Xiomara Ortiz"],"rights_urls":[],"identifier_entries":[]},"links":{"outbound_url":"https://hdl.handle.net/2142/132562","outbound_label":"Handle","outbound_source":"dc:identifier"},"metadata_groups":[{"id":"people","label":"People","entries":[{"key":"dc:contributor","label":"Contributor","values":["Witmer, Ann-Perry","Bhattarai, Rabin","Dill, Brian"]},{"key":"dc:creator","label":"Author","values":["Echeverria Ortiz, Xiomara Nicole"]}]},{"id":"academic_context","label":"Academic Context","entries":[{"key":"dc:date","label":"Dc Date","values":["2025-12","2025-12-08"]},{"key":"dc:type","label":"Dc Type","values":["text","Thesis"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_discipline","label":"Discipline","values":["Agricultural & Biological Engr"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_level","label":"Degree Level","values":["Thesis"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_name","label":"Degree Name","values":["M.S."]},{"key":"thesis:institution_name","label":"Thesis Institution Name","values":["University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign"]}]},{"id":"subjects_keywords","label":"Subjects and Keywords","entries":[{"key":"dc:subject","label":"Dc Subject","values":["Water","Navajo Nation","Design","engineering","contextual engineering","solar panels","community","Bodaway Gap","stakeholders"]}]},{"id":"language_rights","label":"Language and Rights","entries":[{"key":"dc:language","label":"Dc Language","values":["en"]},{"key":"dc:rights","label":"Dc Rights","values":["Copyright 2025 Xiomara Ortiz"]}]},{"id":"identifiers","label":"Identifiers","entries":[{"key":"dc:identifier","label":"Identifier","values":["https://hdl.handle.net/2142/132562"]}]},{"id":"additional","label":"Additional Metadata","entries":[{"key":"dc:description","label":"Description","values":["Access to water remains a persistent challenge across the Navajo Nation, where environmental, infrastructural, and institutional constraints have long limited the sustainability of development efforts. This thesis applies Contextual Engineering framework that integrates technical design with sociocultural, political, and environmental realities to address water scarcity in Bodaway Gap, Arizona. Although the entire project originated under the assumption that household drinking water represented the community's most urgent need, engagement with residents revealed that livestock water access was the primary concern. Guided by Witmer's 3-4-5 methodology, the study combines hydrological analysis with iterative stakeholder dialogue to develop a water storage solution that is technically feasible, culturally grounded, and locally governed. Using the Predictive Tool, contextual influences were weighted, revealing that cultural and political legitimacy held greater significance than other social factors. Fieldwork conducted across 2024–2025—including interviews, site surveys, co-design sessions, and hydrological assessments—indicated a high-loss regime, where evaporation and infiltration exceed precipitation during extreme hot weather conditions. This finding prompted a design strategy centered on in-pond catchment and solar-powered transfer to covered steel tanks, reflecting a risk-based approach to design under uncertainty. While extreme hot-dry periods produce a negative water balance, historical precipitation records show sufficient rainfall events in the rainy season to justify storage infrastructure, provided losses are minimized through rapid transfer and cover. The fieldwork culminated in the identification of three candidate ponds for implementing a water storage system, with the White Horse reservoir (R-32) selected as the pilot site. More importantly, the process demonstrated that sustainability arises not merely from technical optimization but from aligning engineering decisions with community-defined values and governance structures. This work contributes to both engineering practice and community development by documenting a full-cycle application of contextual engineering—from problem reframing to design proposal—in an Indigenous setting. The findings underscore that durable solutions in water-scarce regions depend on engineers' capacity to listen, adapt, and co-create with the people they serve.","Submission original under an indefinite embargo labeled 'Open Access'. The submission was exported from vireo on 2026-02-19 without embargo terms","The student, Xiomara Echeverria Ortiz, accepted the attached license on 2025-12-03 at 05:33.","The student, Xiomara Echeverria Ortiz, submitted this Thesis for approval on 2025-12-03 at 05:34.","This Thesis was approved for publication on 2025-12-08 at 16:05.","DSpace SAF Submission Ingestion Package generated from Vireo submission #23037 on 2026-02-19 at 18:26:27"]},{"key":"dc:format","label":"Dc Format","values":["application/pdf"]},{"key":"dc:title","label":"Title","values":["Designing a sustainable water storage system for livestock in Bodaway Gap using contextual engineering principles and community engagement"]}]}],"canonical_facts":{"dc:contributor":["Witmer, Ann-Perry","Bhattarai, Rabin","Dill, Brian"],"dc:creator":["Echeverria Ortiz, Xiomara Nicole"],"dc:date":["2025-12","2025-12-08"],"dc:description":["Access to water remains a persistent challenge across the Navajo Nation, where environmental, infrastructural, and institutional constraints have long limited the sustainability of development efforts. This thesis applies Contextual Engineering framework that integrates technical design with sociocultural, political, and environmental realities to address water scarcity in Bodaway Gap, Arizona. Although the entire project originated under the assumption that household drinking water represented the community's most urgent need, engagement with residents revealed that livestock water access was the primary concern. Guided by Witmer's 3-4-5 methodology, the study combines hydrological analysis with iterative stakeholder dialogue to develop a water storage solution that is technically feasible, culturally grounded, and locally governed. Using the Predictive Tool, contextual influences were weighted, revealing that cultural and political legitimacy held greater significance than other social factors. Fieldwork conducted across 2024–2025—including interviews, site surveys, co-design sessions, and hydrological assessments—indicated a high-loss regime, where evaporation and infiltration exceed precipitation during extreme hot weather conditions. This finding prompted a design strategy centered on in-pond catchment and solar-powered transfer to covered steel tanks, reflecting a risk-based approach to design under uncertainty. While extreme hot-dry periods produce a negative water balance, historical precipitation records show sufficient rainfall events in the rainy season to justify storage infrastructure, provided losses are minimized through rapid transfer and cover. The fieldwork culminated in the identification of three candidate ponds for implementing a water storage system, with the White Horse reservoir (R-32) selected as the pilot site. More importantly, the process demonstrated that sustainability arises not merely from technical optimization but from aligning engineering decisions with community-defined values and governance structures. This work contributes to both engineering practice and community development by documenting a full-cycle application of contextual engineering—from problem reframing to design proposal—in an Indigenous setting. The findings underscore that durable solutions in water-scarce regions depend on engineers' capacity to listen, adapt, and co-create with the people they serve.","Submission original under an indefinite embargo labeled 'Open Access'. The submission was exported from vireo on 2026-02-19 without embargo terms","The student, Xiomara Echeverria Ortiz, accepted the attached license on 2025-12-03 at 05:33.","The student, Xiomara Echeverria Ortiz, submitted this Thesis for approval on 2025-12-03 at 05:34.","This Thesis was approved for publication on 2025-12-08 at 16:05.","DSpace SAF Submission Ingestion Package generated from Vireo submission #23037 on 2026-02-19 at 18:26:27"],"dc:format":["application/pdf"],"dc:identifier":["https://hdl.handle.net/2142/132562"],"dc:language":["en"],"dc:rights":["Copyright 2025 Xiomara Ortiz"],"dc:subject":["Water","Navajo Nation","Design","engineering","contextual engineering","solar panels","community","Bodaway Gap","stakeholders"],"dc:title":["Designing a sustainable water storage system for livestock in Bodaway Gap using contextual engineering principles and community engagement"],"dc:type":["text","Thesis"],"thesis:degree_discipline":["Agricultural & Biological Engr"],"thesis:degree_level":["Thesis"],"thesis:degree_name":["M.S."],"thesis:institution_name":["University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign"]},"updated_at":"2026-07-22T22:25:07Z"}