In the highlands surrounding Guatemala’s Lake Atitlan basin, water is the foundation of daily life, agriculture, culture, and public health. Yet for generations, local communities historically learned about water pollution the hard way—only after families fell ill or agricultural yields failed. Traditional environmental monitoring was prohibitively expensive, highly technical, and reliant on distant experts, leaving residents and municipal leaders without the timely information needed to protect their watershed.
For project lead Edgar Arriaga, professor of chemistry at the University of Minnesota, the challenge was deeply personal. Born and raised in Guatemala and a graduate of Universidad del Valle de Guatemala (UVG), Arriaga wanted to break the cycle of traditional academic intervention. "If I put myself in the shoes of community members where people from other countries come, bring resources, and then leave—for me, it was meaningful to give the technology to them to be in charge of," says Arriaga. "It's a very personal connection."
A Community-First Approach to Science
A collaborative initiative between the University of Minnesota's Department of Chemistry and U-Spatial, UVG and municipal partners in San Andrés Semetabaj is replacing that reactive model with local empowerment.
Rather than waiting for outside laboratories, the project equips residents to build and maintain their own monitoring network across the Tzala River watershed. UVG Highlands Campus students, local schoolteachers, municipal water representatives, and Consejo Comunitario de Desarrollo (community development council) community authorities work side-by-side to select sampling sites and interpret findings. Indigenous leaders and elders have played a crucial role in directing the science.
"An elder was showing us where they were sampling water and where they would like to sample instead," Arriaga recalls. "They were providing local knowledge that scientists would not have otherwise known."
To keep testing practical, researchers leverage tools, like cell phones, that most people already utilize in their day-to-day lives. Using low-cost field kits, smartphones, and offline GIS tools like ArcGIS Survey123, citizen scientists capture conditions directly from the riverbank. UMN researchers are also testing AI-backed smartphone methods that analyze color changes in water samples to quantify E. coli levels, making microbial testing accessible on standard mobile devices.
"If I was only thinking from my perspective of chemistry, none of this would be possible. Without perspectives of culture, AI, geographic systems, differing experiences, and partnerships with other countries, we wouldn’t have been able to accomplish everything that we have," says Arriaga. "All of this is essential. It wasn't just one person, but a team of people working together."
Global Classrooms and Actionable Data
The initiative gained early momentum when 10 UMN students paired up with UVG peers through a Collaborative Online International Learning (COIL) exchange, followed by immersive fieldwork in Guatemala. Working as partners rather than outside experts, students helped test field tools and communicate findings directly to UVG partners.
Together, the team conducted six training workshops and launched three field campaigns—far exceeding initial project goals. Sampling across six key locations along the Tzala River delivered immediate, actionable results: the team mapped distinct variations in pH, nitrates, phosphates, and E. coli, uncovering a critical contamination hotspot linked to nearby human activity. By converting raw chemical samples into clear, visual GIS maps, the project can help local authorities gain the evidence needed to target sanitation resources and safeguard public health.
Sustainable, Local Ownership
By establishing institutional leadership at UVG and training local mentors, the partnership ensures that Guatemala's watersheds remain protected by the people who depend on them most. The project has generated strong momentum and is expanding to other interested parties in Guatemala, including other communities and education leaders.
"Our project involved many different components—cell phones, community, culture, science," reflects Arriaga. "I was thrilled to see that the University was paying attention to that. For the future, I believe this partnership will expand not only at UVG, but across other universities and communities."