scholarly journals Approximating Community Water System Service Areas to Explore the Demographics of SDWA Compliance in Virginia

2021 ◽  
Vol 18 (24) ◽  
pp. 13254
Author(s):  
Cristina Marcillo ◽  
Leigh-Anne Krometis ◽  
Justin Krometis
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Water Quality ◽  
Drinking Water ◽  
Negative Binomial ◽  
Water System ◽  
The United States ◽  
Drinking Water Quality ◽  
Safe Drinking Water ◽  
Community Water ◽  
Service Areas

Although the United States Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA) theoretically ensures drinking water quality, recent studies have questioned the reliability and equity associated with community water system (CWS) service. This study aimed to identify SDWA violation differences (i.e., monitoring and reporting (MR) and health-based (HB)) between Virginia CWSs given associated service demographics, rurality, and system characteristics. A novel geospatial methodology delineated CWS service areas at the zip code scale to connect 2000 US Census demographics with 2006–2016 SDWA violations, with significant associations determined via negative binomial regression. The proportion of Black Americans within a service area was positively associated with the likelihood of HB violations. This effort supports the need for further investigation of racial and socioeconomic disparities in access to safe drinking water within the United States in particular and offers a geospatial strategy to explore demographics in other settings where data on infrastructure extents are limited. Further interdisciplinary efforts at multiple scales are necessary to identify the entwined causes for differential risks in adverse drinking water quality exposures and would be substantially strengthened by the mapping of official CWS service boundaries.

Drinking Water Microbiology Research in the United States: An Overview of the Past Decade

1988 ◽  
Vol 20 (11-12) ◽  
pp. 101-107 ◽  
Author(s):  
Donald J. Reasoner
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Water Quality ◽  
Drinking Water ◽  
Pathogenic Bacteria ◽  
Heterotrophic Bacteria ◽  
The United States ◽  
Drinking Water Quality ◽  
Giardia Cyst ◽  
The Past ◽  
Treatment Research

The passage of the Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA) in 1974 (Public Law 93-523) significantly influenced microbiological, chemical and engineering research on drinking water quality in the United States. Microbiological quality research during the past 10 years encompassed the two basic areas of treatment and distribution. Much of the treatment research focused on generation of data to support the evaluation of turbidity and coliform maximum contaminant levels (MCLs) for the Interim Primary Drinking Water Standards. Major effort was also directed toward disinfection research on enteric viruses, pathogenic bacteria and the protozoan pathogen, Giardialamblia. Basic distribution system studies examined the occurrence of heterotrophic bacterial numbers and types in treated and untreated distribution waters, and coliform occurrence and colonization problems. Methodology developments bridged both treatment and distribution, and included enteric virus detection methods, injured ooliform recovery, heterotrophic bacteria enumeration, and Giardia cyst detection. Knowledge gained from the research efforts of the past deoade has resulted in new challenges and opportunities to improve drinking water quality.

scholarly journals National trends in drinking water quality violations

2018 ◽  
Vol 115 (9) ◽  
pp. 2078-2083 ◽  
Author(s):  
Maura Allaire ◽  
Haowei Wu ◽  
Upmanu Lall
Keyword(s):  
Water Quality ◽  
Drinking Water ◽  
Rural Areas ◽  
Hot Spots ◽  
The United States ◽  
Water Systems ◽  
Drinking Water Quality ◽  
Vulnerability Factors ◽  
Community Water Systems ◽  
Community Water

Ensuring safe water supply for communities across the United States is a growing challenge in the face of aging infrastructure, impaired source water, and strained community finances. In the aftermath of the Flint lead crisis, there is an urgent need to assess the current state of US drinking water. However, no nationwide assessment has yet been conducted on trends in drinking water quality violations across several decades. Efforts to reduce violations are of national concern given that, in 2015, nearly 21 million people relied on community water systems that violated health-based quality standards. In this paper, we evaluate spatial and temporal patterns in health-related violations of the Safe Drinking Water Act using a panel dataset of 17,900 community water systems over the period 1982–2015. We also identify vulnerability factors of communities and water systems through probit regression. Increasing time trends and violation hot spots are detected in several states, particularly in the Southwest region. Repeat violations are prevalent in locations of violation hot spots, indicating that water systems in these regions struggle with recurring issues. In terms of vulnerability factors, we find that violation incidence in rural areas is substantially higher than in urbanized areas. Meanwhile, private ownership and purchased water source are associated with compliance. These findings indicate the types of underperforming systems that might benefit from assistance in achieving consistent compliance. We discuss why certain violations might be clustered in some regions and strategies for improving national drinking water quality.

scholarly journals Trends in microbiological drinking water quality violations across the United States

2020 ◽  
Vol 6 (11) ◽  
pp. 3091-3105
Author(s):  
Senne Michielssen ◽  
Matthew C. Vedrin ◽  
Seth D. Guikema
Keyword(s):  
Water Quality ◽  
Drinking Water ◽  
The United States ◽  
Water Systems ◽  
Drinking Water Quality ◽  
Community Water Systems ◽  
Regulatory Changes ◽  
Community Water ◽  
Disproportionate Burden ◽  
The U.S

Trends in microbiological drinking water quality violations in the U.S. indicate that very small and transient non-community water systems bear a disproportionate burden exacerbated by recent regulatory changes.

scholarly journals Assessing clarity of message communication for mandated USEPA drinking water quality reports

2015 ◽  
Vol 14 (2) ◽  
pp. 223-235 ◽  
Author(s):  
Katherine Phetxumphou ◽  
Siddhartha Roy ◽  
Brenda M. Davy ◽  
Paul A. Estabrooks ◽  
Wen You ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Water Quality ◽  
Drinking Water ◽  
Environmental Protection Agency ◽  
Water System ◽  
System Size ◽  
The United States ◽  
National Sample ◽  
Evaluation Tool ◽  
Index Index ◽  
State Of The Science

The United States Environmental Protection Agency mandates that community water systems (CWSs), or drinking water utilities, provide annual consumer confidence reports (CCRs) reporting on water quality, compliance with regulations, source water, and consumer education. While certain report formats are prescribed, there are no criteria ensuring that consumers understand messages in these reports. To assess clarity of message, trained raters evaluated a national sample of 30 CCRs using the Centers for Disease Control Clear Communication Index (Index) indices: (1) Main Message/Call to Action; (2) Language; (3) Information Design; (4) State of the Science; (5) Behavioral Recommendations; (6) Numbers; and (7) Risk. Communication materials are considered qualifying if they achieve a 90% Index score. Overall mean score across CCRs was 50 ± 14% and none scored 90% or higher. CCRs did not differ significantly by water system size. State of the Science (3 ± 15%) and Behavioral Recommendations (77 ± 36%) indices were the lowest and highest, respectively. Only 63% of CCRs explicitly stated if the water was safe to drink according to federal and state standards and regulations. None of the CCRs had passing Index scores, signaling that CWSs are not effectively communicating with their consumers; thus, the Index can serve as an evaluation tool for CCR effectiveness and a guide to improve water quality communications.

scholarly journals Influence of an Extended Domestic Drinking Water System on the Drinking Water Quality

Water ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 10 (5) ◽  
pp. 582 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ljiljana Zlatanović ◽  
Aleksandra Knezev ◽  
Jan van der Hoek ◽  
Jan Vreeburg
Keyword(s):  
Water Quality ◽  
Drinking Water ◽  
Water System ◽  
Drinking Water Quality ◽  
Drinking Water System

Associations of Community Water Lead Concentrations with Hemoglobin Concentrations and Erythropoietin-Stimulating Agent Use among Patients with Advanced CKD

2021 ◽  
pp. ASN.2020091281
Author(s):  
John Danziger ◽  
Kenneth J. Mukamal ◽  
Eric Weinhandl
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Drinking Water ◽  
Kidney Disease ◽  
The United States ◽  
Water Systems ◽  
Adverse Outcomes ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Community Water Systems ◽  
Community Water ◽  
Lead Levels

BackgroundAlthough patients with kidney disease may be particularly susceptible to the adverse health effects associated with lead exposure, whether levels of lead found commonly in drinking water are associated with adverse outcomes in patients with ESKD is not known.MethodsTo investigate associations of lead in community water systems with hemoglobin concentrations and erythropoietin stimulating agent (ESA) use among incident patients with ESKD, we merged data from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Safe Drinking Water Information System (documenting average 90th percentile lead concentrations in community water systems during 5 years before dialysis initiation, according to city of residence) with patient-level data from the United States Renal Data System.ResultsAmong 597,968 patients initiating dialysis in the United States in 2005 through 2017, those in cities with detectable lead levels in community water had significantly lower pre-ESKD hemoglobin concentrations and more ESA use per 0.01 mg/L increase in 90th percentile water lead. Findings were similar for the 208,912 patients with data from the first month of ESKD therapy, with lower hemoglobin and higher ESA use per 0.01 mg/L higher lead concentration. These associations were observed at lead levels below the EPA threshold (0.015 mg/L) that mandates regulatory action. We also observed environmental inequities, finding significantly higher water lead levels and slower declines over time among Black versus White patients.ConclusionsThis first nationwide analysis linking EPA water supply records to patient data shows that even low levels of lead that are commonly encountered in community water systems throughout the United States are associated with lower hemoglobin levels and higher ESA use among patients with advanced kidney disease.

Development of communication networks and water quality early warning detection systems at drinking water utilities in the Ohio river valley basin

2005 ◽  
Vol 52 (9) ◽  
pp. 235-242
Author(s):  
J.G. Schulte ◽  
A.H. Vicory
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Water Quality ◽  
Drinking Water ◽  
Early Warning ◽  
The United States ◽  
River Valley ◽  
Water Utilities ◽  
Ohio River ◽  
Source Water ◽  
Ohio River Valley

Source water quality is of major concern to all drinking water utilities. The accidental introduction of contaminants to their source water is a constant threat to utilities withdrawing water from navigable or industrialized rivers. The events of 11 September, 2001 in the United States have heightened concern for drinking water utility security as their source water and finished water may be targets for terrorist acts. Efforts are underway in several parts of the United States to strengthen early warning capabilities. This paper will focus on those efforts in the Ohio River Valley Basin.

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