Aqua Shield
Introduction
Island Waterworks has sponsored Team Aqua Shield to develop a self-cleaning intake line for a water system on St. Mary's Lake on Salt Spring Island. Island Waterworks provides a full complement of water equipment solutions for homes and businesses. Their deep knowledge of local water conditions allows them to tailor to every need, from well maintenance to microbiology water testing. The project addresses a common issue faced by small-scale drinking water systems: clogging intake screens. Weeds, algae, sediment, and other organic material can restrict water flow that requires frequent maintenance. Team Aqua Shield has been tasked with designing a reliable, low-maintenance, self-cleaning intake system that will help reduce service calls and provide a practical solution for small-scale drinking water systems. Team Aqua Shield consists of Ali Al-Juwaida, Kevin Gray, Samuel Araoz, and Victor Maduforo. Together, we bring a diverse range of engineering, technical, and project management skills to develop an innovative solution that meets the needs of Island Waterworks and all its customers.
Acknowledgements
Our team would like to express our deep gratitude to Harry McHugh at Island Waterworks and the Mechanical Engineering Department at Camosun College for entrusting us with this project. We would like to especially thank Len Mar, Steve Ferguson, Pat Nicholson, Sofia Marin, Nick McGeachie, Jesse Dardengo, Imtehaze Heerah, Jesus Ponce de Leon, Shayne Irg, Katie Tanigawa, and Tom Nienhuis for their support, we couldn’t have done it without you.
Team Members
Ali Al-juwaida
(CAD Lead)Ali Adil is passionate about mechanical engineering and enjoys understanding how things work. His interest in engineering comes from a curiosity about mechanical systems and a passion for hands-on problem solving. Outside of school, he enjoys repairing bicycles, where he applies troubleshooting skills and gains practical experience working with mechanical components. As part of Team Aqua Shield, Ali contributes to the design and development of the self cleaning water pump intake system, using his skills in CAD design with SolidWorks, CNC machining, and mechanical analysis to help create practical design solutions. He values teamwork and continuous learning and hopes to build a career in engineering where he can design innovative and efficient mechanical systems.
Kevin Grey
(Project & Documentation Lead)Kevin Gray serves as the Project and Documentation Lead for Team Aqua Shield. In this role, he keeps the project on schedule by coordinating tasks, managing documentation, and ensuring the team meets key deadlines. Growing up on Pender Island gave Kevin a deep appreciation for the environment and inspired his interest in the sustainable energy sector, leading him to pursue a Mechanical Engineering Technology Diploma at Camosun College. Through this project, he has strengthened his skills in project management, technical communication, and team leadership. While he enjoys the technical aspects of engineering, Kevin is especially interested in the business side of the industry and hopes to build a career in renewable energy before eventually starting his own company.
Samuel Araoz
(Manufacturing Lead)Samuel has a strong interest in mechanical engineering and enjoys solving hands-on technical problems. His passion for mechanical design started with cars. Growing up, he was always drawn to how vehicles were designed and built, and today he still restores and troubleshoots his own car as a personal project outside of school. That same curiosity led him into robotics, where he enjoys designing circuits, coding, and following the logic behind how systems work. He has built skills in CAD design, manual manufacturing, CNC machining, and Arduino programming, along with strong critical thinking and a solid work ethic. As Manufacturing Lead for Team Aqua Shield, he helped guide the team's design and manufacturing decisions for the self-cleaning intake system, drawing on the same design instincts he's developed working on cars. Looking ahead, Samuel hopes to build a career in robotics with an eventual move into the automotive industry. He values teamwork and clear communication, knowing that every perspective helps build a stronger final product.
Victor Maduforo
(Accounting Lead)Victor Maduforo brings curiosity, research depth, and critical thinking to Team Aqua Shield. He contributed by researching design options, comparing materials and cleaning methods, challenging assumptions, and helping the team think through what would work in real lake conditions. His approach to engineering is practical and detail-oriented: a strong design should be functional, manufacturable, serviceable, and durable. With experience in SolidWorks, control programming, fluid power, and manufacturing processes, Victor enjoys connecting technical research with real-world constraints to support better design decisions. Outside engineering, Victor loves to spend his time working on his side businesses, working out in the gym, watching movies, or hanging out with friends.