scholarly journals Investment Risks for Water Projects

2013 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
pp. 69-83
Author(s):  
Sharlene Leurig
Keyword(s):  
Environmental Protection Agency ◽  
Local Economic Development ◽  
Waste Water Treatment ◽  
The United States ◽  
Water Systems ◽  
Bond Market ◽  
Army Corps ◽  
Municipal Bond ◽  
Bureau Of Reclamation ◽  
Public Water Systems

Unlike most of the developed world, where investor-owned water systems serve the majority of the population, the United States relies mostly on water provided by public systems. To a great extent, these systems were financed through the taxation authority of the federal government—the iconic Hoover Dam only one of the many hundreds of pipelines and reservoirs built by agencies such as the Bureau of Reclamation and Army Corps of Engineers for the benefit of local economic development. Similarly, many of the drinking and waste- water treatment facilities in operation today were built to help communities comply with the federal Safe Drinking Water Act and Clean Water Act and financed in large part by federal dollars distributed through the Environmental Protection Agency, sometimes leveraged by state revolving loan funds. What of our public water systems has not been paid for by federal or state tax dollars has been debt-financed through the tax-exempt municipal bond market. Of the $3.7 trillion municipal bond market,1 roughly 10% is debt issued by water and wastewater systems to build, repair and expand water infrastructure.

scholarly journals An approach for developing a national estimate of waterborne disease due to drinking water and a national estimate model application

2006 ◽  
Vol 4 (S2) ◽  
pp. 201-240 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael Messner ◽  
Susan Shaw ◽  
Stig Regli ◽  
Ken Rotert ◽  
Valerie Blank ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Drinking Water ◽  
Environmental Protection Agency ◽  
Water System ◽  
Credible Interval ◽  
The United States ◽  
Water Systems ◽  
Epidemiologic Studies ◽  
Incidence Rates ◽  
Waterborne Disease ◽  
Public Water Systems

In this paper, the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) presents an approach and a national estimate of drinking water related endemic acute gastrointestinal illness (AGI) that uses information from epidemiologic studies. There have been a limited number of epidemiologic studies that have measured waterborne disease occurrence in the United States. For this analysis, we assume that certain unknown incidence of AGI in each public drinking water system is due to drinking water and that a statistical distribution of the different incidence rates for the population served by each system can be estimated to inform a mean national estimate of AGI illness due to drinking water. Data from public water systems suggest that the incidence rate of AGI due to drinking water may vary by several orders of magnitude. In addition, data from epidemiologic studies show AGI incidence due to drinking water ranging from essentially none (or less than the study detection level) to a rate of 0.26 cases per person-year. Considering these two perspectives collectively, and associated uncertainties, EPA has developed an analytical approach and model for generating a national estimate of annual AGI illness due to drinking water. EPA developed a national estimate of waterborne disease to address, in part, the 1996 Safe Drinking Water Act Amendments. The national estimate uses best available science, but also recognizes gaps in the data to support some of the model assumptions and uncertainties in the estimate. Based on the model presented, EPA estimates a mean incidence of AGI attributable to drinking water of 0.06 cases per year (with a 95% credible interval of 0.02–0.12). The mean estimate represents approximately 8.5% of cases of AGI illness due to all causes among the population served by community water systems. The estimated incidence translates to 16.4 million cases/year among the same population. The estimate illustrates the potential usefulness and challenges of the approach, and provides a focus for discussions of data needs and future study designs. Areas of major uncertainty that currently limit the usefulness of the approach are discussed in the context of the estimate analysis.

U.S. Army Engineers and the Rise of Cost-Benefit Analysis

2020 ◽  
pp. 148-190
Author(s):  
Theodore M. Porter
Keyword(s):  
Cost Benefit Analysis ◽  
Academic Research ◽  
Cost Benefit ◽  
The United States ◽  
Army Corps ◽  
Benefit Analysis ◽  
Bureau Of Reclamation ◽  
Conflict Cost ◽  
Utility Companies ◽  
Economic Analyses

This chapter traces the history of cost–benefit analysis in the United States bureaucracy from the 1920s until about 1960. It is not a story of academic research, but of political pressure and administrative conflict. Cost–benefit methods were introduced to promote procedural regularity and to give public evidence of fairness in the selection of water projects. Early in the century, numbers produced by the Army Corps of Engineers were usually accepted on its authority alone, and there was correspondingly little need for standardization of methods. About 1940, however, economic numbers became objects of bitter controversy, as the Corps was challenged by such powerful interests as utility companies and railroads. The really crucial development in this story was the outbreak of intense bureaucratic conflict between the Corps and other government agencies, especially the Department of Agriculture and the Bureau of Reclamation. The agencies tried to settle their feuds by harmonizing their economic analyses. When negotiation failed as a strategy for achieving uniformity, they were compelled to try to ground their makeshift techniques in economic rationality. On this account, cost–benefit analysis had to be transformed from a collection of local bureaucratic practices into a set of rationalized economic principles.

scholarly journals Causes of Outbreaks Associated with Drinking Water in the United States from 1971 to 2006

2010 ◽  
Vol 23 (3) ◽  
pp. 507-528 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gunther F. Craun ◽  
Joan M. Brunkard ◽  
Jonathan S. Yoder ◽  
Virginia A. Roberts ◽  
Joe Carpenter ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
United States ◽  
Distribution System ◽  
Water System ◽  
The United States ◽  
Water Systems ◽  
Outbreak Detection ◽  
Waterborne Disease ◽  
Public Water Systems ◽  
Annual Proportion

SUMMARY Since 1971, the CDC, EPA, and Council of State and Territorial Epidemiologists (CSTE) have maintained the collaborative national Waterborne Disease and Outbreak Surveillance System (WBDOSS) to document waterborne disease outbreaks (WBDOs) reported by local, state, and territorial health departments. WBDOs were recently reclassified to better characterize water system deficiencies and risk factors; data were analyzed for trends in outbreak occurrence, etiologies, and deficiencies during 1971 to 2006. A total of 833 WBDOs, 577,991 cases of illness, and 106 deaths were reported during 1971 to 2006. Trends of public health significance include (i) a decrease in the number of reported outbreaks over time and in the annual proportion of outbreaks reported in public water systems, (ii) an increase in the annual proportion of outbreaks reported in individual water systems and in the proportion of outbreaks associated with premise plumbing deficiencies in public water systems, (iii) no change in the annual proportion of outbreaks associated with distribution system deficiencies or the use of untreated and improperly treated groundwater in public water systems, and (iv) the increasing importance of Legionella since its inclusion in WBDOSS in 2001. Data from WBDOSS have helped inform public health and regulatory responses. Additional resources for waterborne disease surveillance and outbreak detection are essential to improve our ability to monitor, detect, and prevent waterborne disease in the United States.

scholarly journals Review of perchlorate occurrence in large public drinking water systems in the United States of America

2018 ◽  
Vol 19 (3) ◽  
pp. 681-694
Author(s):  
Steven J. Luis ◽  
Elizabeth A. Miesner ◽  
Clarissa L. Enslin ◽  
Keith Heidecorn
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Decision Making ◽  
Drinking Water ◽  
Environmental Protection Agency ◽  
The United States ◽  
Water Systems ◽  
Contaminant Monitoring ◽  
Public Drinking Water ◽  
Regulatory Bodies ◽  
Public Drinking

Abstract When deciding whether or not to regulate a chemical, regulatory bodies often evaluate the degree to which the public may be exposed by evaluating the chemical's occurrence in food and drinking water. As part of its decision-making process, the United States Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) evaluated the occurrence of perchlorate in public drinking water by sampling public water systems (PWSs) as part of the first implementation of the Unregulated Contaminant Monitoring Rule (UCMR 1) between 2001 and 2005. The objective of this paper is to evaluate the current representativeness of the UCMR 1 dataset. To achieve this objective, publicly available sources were searched to obtain updated perchlorate data for the majority of large PWSs with perchlorate detections under UCMR 1. Comparison of the updated and UCMR 1 perchlorate datasets shows that the UCMR 1 dataset is no longer representative because the extent and degree of occurrence has decreased since implementation of UCMR 1. Given this finding, it seems appropriate for regulatory bodies engaged in decision-making processes over several years to periodically re-evaluate the conditions that prompted the regulatory effort, thereby ensuring that rules and regulations address actual conditions of concern.

Design considerations for in-situ capping of contaminated sediments

1998 ◽  
Vol 37 (6-7) ◽  
pp. 315-321 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael R. Palermo
Keyword(s):  
Environmental Protection Agency ◽  
The United States ◽  
Army Corps ◽  
Army Corps Of Engineers ◽  
Contaminated Sediment ◽  
Protection Agency ◽  
Paper Briefly ◽  
Design Considerations ◽  
In Situ Capping

In-Situ Capping (ISC) is defined as the placement of a subaqueous covering or cap of clean or suitable isolating material over an in-situ deposit of contaminated sediment. ISC is a potentially economical and effective approach for remediation of contaminated sediment. A number of sites have been remediated by in-situ capping operations worldwide. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) has developed detailed guidelines for planning, designing, constructing, and monitoring in-situ capping projects for the United States Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA). This paper briefly describes the major aspects of in-situ capping as an option and provides a summary of recent case studies.

scholarly journals Incidence of waterborne lead in private drinking water systems in Virginia

2015 ◽  
Vol 13 (3) ◽  
pp. 897-908 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kelsey J. Pieper ◽  
Leigh-Anne H. Krometis ◽  
Daniel L. Gallagher ◽  
Brian L. Benham ◽  
Marc Edwards
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Drinking Water ◽  
Environmental Protection Agency ◽  
Public Health Problem ◽  
Blood Lead ◽  
The United States ◽  
Water Systems ◽  
National Public Health ◽  
Lead Source ◽  
Drinking Water Systems

Although recent studies suggest contamination by bacteria and nitrate in private drinking water systems is of increasing concern, data describing contaminants associated with the corrosion of onsite plumbing are scarce. This study reports on the analysis of 2,146 samples submitted by private system homeowners. Almost 20% of first draw samples submitted contained lead concentrations above the United States Environmental Protection Agency action level of 15 μg/L, suggesting that corrosion may be a significant public health problem. Correlations between lead, copper, and zinc suggested brass components as a likely lead source, and dug/bored wells had significantly higher lead concentrations as compared to drilled wells. A random subset of samples selected to quantify particulate lead indicated that, on average, 47% of lead in the first draws was in the particulate form, although the occurrence was highly variable. While flushing the tap reduced lead below 15 μg/L for most systems, some systems experienced an increase, perhaps attributable to particulate lead or lead-bearing components upstream of the faucet (e.g., valves, pumps). Results suggest that without including a focus on private as well as municipal systems it will be very difficult to meet the existing national public health goal to eliminate elevated blood lead levels in children.

TRANGUCH GASOLINE SITE CASE HISTORY

2003 ◽  
Vol 2003 (1) ◽  
pp. 637-642
Author(s):  
Stephen Jarvela ◽  
Kevin Boyd ◽  
Robert Gadinski
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Ground Water ◽  
Environmental Protection ◽  
Environmental Protection Agency ◽  
Health Agency ◽  
The United States ◽  
Coast Guard ◽  
Army Corps ◽  
Toxic Substances ◽  
The Impact

ABSTRACT A team, consisting of the United States Environmental Protection Agency; Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection; Pennsylvania Department of Health; Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry; United States Coast Guard and United States Army Corps of Engineers, has completed major steps to provide a safe and healthy environment for the residents of Laurel Gardens, Hazleton, PA. What started as a simple underground gasoline leak took on more serious dimensions when gasoline vapors were found in nearby homes. The investigation and mitigation expanded to include over 400 properties. The remediation consists of a ground water treatment system and a soil vapor extraction system. This paper and its presenters look at the critical aspects of this case as the investigation went from subsurface soil and ground water contamination impacting surface water to the contamination of indoor air. It examines the impact of preferential pathways that include sanitary and storm sewers as well as a 19th century abandoned coal mine. In addition to the technical aspects, this examination looks at the public health and community issues that have surrounded this case.

scholarly journals Co-Occurrence of Metal Contaminants in United States Public Water Systems in 2013–2015

2021 ◽  
Vol 18 (15) ◽  
pp. 7884
Author(s):  
Alesha K. Thompson ◽  
Michele M. Monti ◽  
Matthew O. Gribble
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Drinking Water ◽  
Water System ◽  
The United States ◽  
Water Systems ◽  
System Level ◽  
Metal Contaminants ◽  
Total Chromium ◽  
Geometric Means ◽  
Public Water Systems

The United States Environmental Protection Agency monitors contaminants in drinking water and consolidates these results in the National Contaminant Occurrence Database. Our objective was to assess the co-occurrence of metal contaminants (total chromium, hexavalent chromium, molybdenum, vanadium, cobalt, and strontium) over the years 2013–2015. We used multilevel Tobit regression models with state and water system-level random intercepts to predict the geometric mean of each contaminant occurring in each public water system, and estimated the pairwise correlations of predicted water system-specific geometric means across contaminants. We found that the geometric means of vanadium and total chromium were positively correlated both in large public water systems (r = 0.45, p < 0.01) and in small public water systems (r = 0.47, p < 0.01). Further research may address the cumulative human health impacts of ingesting more than one contaminant in drinking water.

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