BY JASON DAHLMAN WITH CHARLIE FORST
INTRODUCTION
Lack of clean drinking water is perhaps the greatest health in many parts of the world. Filtering water
through a layer of sand is a simple method of removing many of the organic impurities present in the
water. The water filter described here is a low-cost system to remove impurities and bacteria from
water in order to make it safer for drinking. Charlie Forst, director of ECHO’s appropriate technology
department, first saw a similar filter in the mid-1980s. The concept of the filter is not new, and sand
water filters are listed in many appropriate technology sourcebooks.