Source-to-Tap Assessment of Microbiological Water Quality in Small Rural Drinking Water Systems in Puerto Rico Six Months After Hurricane Maria

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ishi Keenum ◽  
Melitza Crespo Medina ◽  
Emily Garner ◽  
Kelsey J. Pieper ◽  
Matthew Forrest Blair ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Water Quality ◽  
Drinking Water ◽  
Puerto Rico ◽  
Water Systems ◽  
Microbiological Water Quality ◽  
Drinking Water Systems

scholarly journals Detection of Microcystins in Lake Manatee and Lake Washington – Two Florida Drinking Water Systems

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rajesh Melaram ◽  
Brandon Lopez-Dueñas
Keyword(s):  
Water Quality ◽  
Drinking Water ◽  
Surface Water Quality ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Water Systems ◽  
Enzyme Linked Immunosorbent Assay ◽  
Water Supplies ◽  
Intrinsic Nature ◽  
Lake Washington ◽  
Drinking Water Systems

Clean, fresh, and safe drinking water is essential to human health and well-being. Occasionally, chemical pollutants taint surface water quality used for consumption. Microcystins (MCs) are toxic heptapeptides produced by freshwater cyanobacteria. These secondary metabolites can reach hazardous concentrations, impairing surface drinking water supplies. Inconsistent screening of MCs is not uncommon in Florida waters as no provisional guidance value is established to protect public health. The occurrence of MCs in Lake Manatee and Lake Washington was monitored over the potential peak algae bloom season (June-August). An indirect competitive enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (icELISA) quantified total MCs in two drinking water systems. Varied concentrations occurred between June and July, whereas concentrations peaked in August. Overall, MC prevalence was higher in Lake Manatee than Lake Washington. Colorimetric assays measured phosphate and nitrite in environmental water samples. Phosphate and nitrite concentrations strongly correlated with total MCs (p < 0.01). The results indicate the intrinsic nature of environmental MCs in surface drinking water supplies and the need to examine hepatotoxin dynamics to preserve drinking water quality in community served areas.

scholarly journals Water Quality in Selected Small Drinking Water Systems of Missouri Rural Communities

Beverages ◽  
2016 ◽  
Vol 2 (2) ◽  
pp. 10 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bin Hua ◽  
Ruipu Mu ◽  
Honglan Shi ◽  
Enos Inniss ◽  
John Yang
Keyword(s):  
Water Quality ◽  
Drinking Water ◽  
Rural Communities ◽  
Water Systems ◽  
Drinking Water Systems

Water compliance challenges: how do Canadian small water systems respond?

Water Policy ◽  
2014 ◽  
Vol 17 (2) ◽  
pp. 349-369 ◽  
Author(s):  
Megan Kot ◽  
Graham A. Gagnon ◽  
Heather Castleden
Keyword(s):  
Water Quality ◽  
Drinking Water ◽  
Cultural Differences ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Regulatory Compliance ◽  
Water Systems ◽  
Small Community ◽  
Small Water ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Drinking Water Systems

Fundamental to community health and well-being is the capacity to access a sustainable supply of safe drinking water. Small community drinking water systems are the most vulnerable to contamination, and struggle to secure the funds necessary to improve water treatment and delivery systems, and meet increasingly stringent drinking water quality regulations. Little is known of the contextual and cultural differences between communities and the impact this has on regulatory compliance. This study explored the experiences and impact of individual actors within seven small community drinking water systems in locations across Canada. Qualitative, in-person interviews were conducted with water operators, consumers, and decision-makers in each community, and these findings were analysed thematically. Findings from the study show that communities approach and align with compliance challenges in three distinct ways: by adopting regulator-provided or regulator-driven solutions, by adopting an existing improvement framework (i.e. regionalization), or through reinvention to address a new issue or concern. Policy-makers looking to align small communities with appropriate water quality goals may benefit from a consideration of these contextual and cultural differences.

scholarly journals Cryptosporidium in small water systems in Puerto Rico: a pilot study

2015 ◽  
Vol 13 (3) ◽  
pp. 853-858 ◽  
Author(s):  
Guy Robinson ◽  
Harvey A. Minnigh ◽  
Paul R. Hunter ◽  
Rachel M. Chalmers ◽  
Graciela I. Ramírez Toro
Keyword(s):  
Drinking Water ◽  
Puerto Rico ◽  
Pilot Study ◽  
Immunomagnetic Separation ◽  
Water Systems ◽  
Small Water ◽  
Cryptosporidium Oocysts ◽  
Small Water Systems ◽  
Potential Public Health ◽  
Drinking Water Systems

A pilot study was undertaken to investigate the occurrence of Cryptosporidium in four very small drinking water systems supplying communities in rural Puerto Rico. Water samples (40 L) were collected and oocysts were concentrated by calcium carbonate flocculation, recovered by immunomagnetic separation and detected by immunofluorescence microscopy. Cryptosporidium oocysts were identified in all four systems. This is the first report of evidence of the potential public health risk from this chlorine-resistant pathogen in Puerto Rican small water systems. Further work is warranted to fully assess the health risks that Cryptosporidium and other protozoa pose to populations served by community-managed small drinking water systems.

Approach for drinking water quality monitoring in rural areas: Morocco's case

2004 ◽  
Vol 4 (5-6) ◽  
pp. 415-419 ◽  
Author(s):  
H. Benqlilou ◽  
L. Laraki ◽  
A. Outair
Keyword(s):  
Water Quality ◽  
Drinking Water ◽  
Rural Areas ◽  
Water Systems ◽  
Water Disinfection ◽  
Drinking Water Quality ◽  
Residual Chlorine ◽  
Simplified Approach ◽  
Drinking Water Systems

Rural areas in Morocco are characterized by specific particulars dispersal, remoteness and importance. Considering this particular context, it is necessary to adjust the analysis and treatment methods, the monitoring and sanitary inspection systems. Within this framework, a new methodology was developed with the purpose of supervising and monitoring drinking water quality in rural areas. This methodology consists basically in applying common norms for rural localities bordering existing adductions, and in the adoption of a simplified approach for non-accessible rural localities supplied by autonomous drinking water systems. The simplified approach relies essentially on sanitary inspection data and on the control of parameters that constitute a sanitary risk in the short term (bacteriological parameters). The control of residual chlorine content is so important, for it ensures a high bacteriological quality of water and can offer the opportunity for a quick reaction of the manager. These two approaches are based mainly on resource protection, water disinfection and population awareness about the good use and preservation of water quality. Indeed, in order to ensure the continuity of rural autonomous drinking water systems in terms of quantity and quality of distributed water, various management models were developed: management by means of water user associations, and by a private operator. For these different modes of management, the methodology to adopt for supervising and monitoring drinking water quality in rural areas together with the attribution of tasks and responsibilities was already established. The right of citizens to sustainable and safe water is a stimulating challenge which requires the collaboration and involvement of all acting agents in the sector.

scholarly journals A Snapshot of the Global Drinking Water Virome: Diversity and Metabolic Potential Vary with Residual Disinfectant Use

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bridget Emily Hegarty ◽  
Zihan Dai ◽  
Lutgarde Raskin ◽  
Ameet J Pinto ◽  
Krista Wigginton ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Water Quality ◽  
Drinking Water ◽  
Dna Sequences ◽  
Distribution Systems ◽  
Drinking Water Treatment ◽  
Taxonomic Diversity ◽  
Water Systems ◽  
Free Chlorine ◽  
Metabolic Potential ◽  
Drinking Water Systems

Viruses are important drivers of microbial community ecology and evolution, influencing microbial mortality, metabolism, and horizontal gene transfer. However, the effects of viruses remain largely unknown in many environments, including in drinking water systems. Drinking water metagenomic studies have offered a whole community perspective of bacterial impacts on water quality, but have not yet considered the influences of viruses. In this study, we address this gap by mining viral DNA sequences from publicly available drinking water metagenomes from distribution systems in six countries around the world. These datasets provide a snapshot of the taxonomic diversity and metabolic potential of the global drinking water virome, and provide an opportunity to investigate the effects of geography, climate, and drinking water treatment practices on viral diversity. Both environmental conditions and differences in sample processing were found to influence the viral composition. Using free chlorine as the residual disinfectant was associated with clear differences in viral taxonomic diversity and metabolic potential, with significantly fewer viral populations and less even viral community structures than observed in distribution systems without residual disinfectant. Additionally, significantly more viral-encoded genes involved in mitigating oxidative stress were observed in systems that use free chlorine, while significantly more viral genes involved in nitrogen metabolism were observed in systems that do not. Through this study, we have demonstrated that viral communities are diverse across drinking water systems and vary with the use of residual disinfectant. Our findings offer directions for future research to develop a more robust understanding of how virus-bacteria interactions in drinking water distribution systems affect water quality.

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