Clean Water, Clean Life: Promoting Healthier, Accessible Water in Rural Appalachia

Abstract

Abstract:In the rural Appalachian region of the United States, thousands of residents struggle with issues of water quality and accessibility. Vulnerabilities of poverty, isolation, and rough geographical terrain complicate life for Appalachians who need access to adequate water supply and septic systems. In 2013, an inter-professional team of nursing, architecture, engineering, and law enforcement faculty and students developed a water-focused collaboration with community members in southeastern Kentucky. Greater accessibility to clean drinking water is a critical need in the area. Collaborative community engagement yielded effective and sustainable interventions. Inter-professional teams completed N=30 comprehensive home assessments examining factors such as water source utilization, septic system management, health status, and disaster preparedness. While the majority of homes evaluated had functional water supply and septic systems, the team observed straight piping as a means of waste disposal for several homes. Homeowners who did not have a residential water supply identified common gathering places where they typically obtain drinking water. To expand environmental assessment, the team collected water samples at 16 different sites where residents obtain drinking water or use it for recreational purposes. Testing of collected samples revealed 15 of 16 sites contained fecal coliforms, Escherichia coli, or both. Because of the findings, the team and community key informants collaboratively developed interventions, such as relaying findings to community leaders, developing a WASH (Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene)-related education program, and improving access to clean, safe water through the design and construction of a water kiosk. Outcome of interventions included greater awareness and knowledge of WASH related topics, improved access to clean water sources, and sustainable solutions to enhance overall quality of life, health and well-being. Keywords: Appalachia, community-based inter-professional research, environment, health UCOWR Journal of Contemporary Water Research & EducationClean Water, Clean Life: Promoting Healthier, Accessible Water in Rural Appalachia alternative is to drink sugary substitutes such as sodas or energy drinks, leading to further financial and medical consequences.Several sampling events took place from 2012-2014 in the Red Bird River Watershed, including Clay, Leslie, and Bell County, KY. Samples from as many as 64% of testing sites exceeded the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) threshold for Escherichia coli (E.coli), a contaminant known to cause mild to severe human illness (Red Bird River Watershed Plan [RBRWP] 2014). Microbial source tracking is necessary to determine actual causality; however, invasion of human waste into surface and/or groundwater is the presumed issue. Poor sanitation practices can, unfortunately, release contaminants into nearby watersheds that can lead to adverse health when humans contact affected streams. This makes the water unsafe for recreation...

Quantifying Escherichia coli and Suspended Particulate Matter Concentrations in a Mixed-Land Use Appalachian Watershed

“…For example, the Central Appalachian region, encompassing a temperate climate, distinct winter and summer periods, and a precipitation regime that is nearly evenly distributed throughout the year is comparable to similarly temperate locations comprising year round precipitation (e.g., Northern Honshu in Japan [31,32]). In rural areas of Appalachia, thousands of residents are exposed to water security issues, in particular microbial contamination [33]. The vulnerabilities of rural Appalachia to decreased water quality due to microbial contamination is exacerbated by some of the greatest levels of poverty, isolation, rough geographical terrain, and inadequate septic treatment systems in the USA [33].…”

Killing Martin county : resiliency in a central Appalachian community.

“…Poor water quality is also an environmental stressor in Central Appalachia (Arcipowski et al 2017). Many Central Appalachian communities Figure 1.…”

“…Through coal extraction practices, coal companies have historically placed environmental stressors in Central Appalachia (Caudill 1963;Bridford et al 1979;Gaventa 1980;Salstrom 1994;Whisnant 1994;Eller 1995). The creation and practice of MTR mining produces more environmental stressors causing water contamination Kaneva 2011;Marrian et al 2011;Arcipowski et. al.…”

“…Literature suggests poor water quality is normal for many in Central Appalachia (Arcipowski et al 2017 Rowan's adaptive technique to haul 75 gallons of water from a secret spring was the most extreme adaptive quality of any respondent. As respondents spoke about buying, budgeting, and traveling out of the county for bottled water as tiresome, they all knew what they had to do to survive.…”

“…Access to clean water is a documented problem in poor Central Appalachian communities (Arcipowski et al 2017) because they lack funds needed to improve water infrastructure (McSpirit & Reid 2010). This research studied both the spill and the water quality crisis of Martin County using a framework of resiliency, which looks at the human response to recovery following disasters and crises (Gilbert 2010;Hargrow 2013).…”