Disparities in well water outreach and assistance offered by local health departments: A North Carolina case study

Wait, Kory; Katner, Adrienne; Gallagher, Daniel L.; Edwards, Marc; Mize, Wilson; Jackson, Crystal Lee Pow; Pieper, Kelsey J.

doi:10.1016/j.scitotenv.2020.141173

Cited by 14 publications

(20 citation statements)

References 24 publications

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“…Private wells are often thought of as rural drinking water systems, likely attributed to the high percentage of residents in rural counties reliant on well water; however, urban counties often have substantially larger numbers of well users but well users are a smaller percentage of the total population. 43 In the 41 disaster-declared counties designed for individual assistance after Hurricane Harvey, the average percent of the total population reliant on well water in rural counties was 24.5% compared to 16.1% in urban counties (Figure 4A and Table S4). However, the average percent of well users with potentially inundated systems was more similar3.1% of wells was inundated in rural counties vs 3.6% in urban counties.…”

Section: ■ Results and Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Programs like the Private Well Class () and the New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services Be Well Inform Guide () are examples of programs that provide such opportunities. State and federal resources are urgently needed to ensure uniform dissemination of protective public health procedures and protocols …”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…State and federal resources are urgently needed to ensure uniform dissemination of protective public health procedures and protocols. 43 ■ ASSOCIATED CONTENT * sı Supporting Information…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

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Microbial Contamination of Drinking Water Supplied by Private Wells after Hurricane Harvey

Pieper

Jones

Rhoads

et al. 2021

Environ. Sci. Technol.

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Hurricane Harvey made landfall on the Texas Gulf Coast on August 25, 2017, as a Category 4 hurricane and caused widespread flooding. We explored spatial and temporal distributions of well testing and contamination rates; relationships between contamination and system characteristics and recovery behaviors; and efficacy of mitigation strategies. We estimated that over 500 000 well users (∼130 000 to 260 000 wells) may have been affected, but only around 15 000 well users (∼3800 to 7500 wells) had inundated systems based on inundation maps. Local health departments and our team sampled 8822 wells in 44 counties in the 10 months that followed. Total coliform occurrence was 1.5 times and Escherichia coli was 2.8 times higher after Hurricane Harvey compared to baseline levels. Microbial contamination was more likely (1.7–2.5 times higher) when wells were inundated and/or residents felt their water was unsafe. Although more wells in urban counties were affected, E. coli rates were higher in wells in rural counties. Disinfection did not always eliminate contamination, highlighting concerns about the implementation and efficacy of chlorination procedures. Despite this extensive well testing conducted after Hurricane Harvey, we estimate that only 4.1% of potentially affected wells were tested, underscoring the magnitude of recovery assistance needed to assist well users after flooding events.

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Section: ■ Results and Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Microbial Contamination of Drinking Water Supplied by Private Wells after Hurricane Harvey

Pieper

Jones

Rhoads

et al. 2021

Environ. Sci. Technol.

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“…3−9 The population reliant on private wells is often largest and most concentrated in urban fringe settings bordering municipal water service, presenting the possibility of regulated service extension. 10,11 Given the high costs of service extension, financing is often a predominant driver that influences decisions to extend regulated water service into well communities, not improvements in health. 12 However, there are increasing discussions about the need to consolidate struggling and failing private well and small drinking water systems to improve water quality and infrastructure resilience and to streamline operations and maintenance for affordability.…”

Section: ■ Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The population reliant on private wells is often largest and most concentrated in urban fringe settings bordering municipal water service, presenting the possibility of regulated service extension. , Given the high costs of service extension, financing is often a predominant driver that influences decisions to extend regulated water service into well communities, not improvements in health . However, there are increasing discussions about the need to consolidate struggling and failing private well and small drinking water systems to improve water quality and infrastructure resilience and to streamline operations and maintenance for affordability. , In New York, road salt contamination of groundwater supplies has increased awareness of private well issues and sparked interest in municipal water service extensions. − However, little is known about trade-offs between water quality and affordability or how these factors are perceived and experienced by residents.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Impacts of Regulated Water Service Extension on Water Quality, Perception, and Affordability in Orleans, NY

Pieper

Pierce

Dobbin

et al. 2022

Environ. Sci. Technol. Lett.

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There are increasing advocacy and policy efforts to consolidate private wells and other small systems into larger regulated systems to address water quality-related public health and climate resilience challenges. However, little is known about how trade-offs between water quality and affordability implications of these consolidation efforts are experienced and perceived by residents. Here, we analyzed changes in water quality, affordability, and perception associated with a groundwater contamination-motivated transition from private well to regulated municipal water. We conducted water quality samplings and household surveys pre- and post-municipal service extension in the Town of Orleans, NY. Our findings illustrate that water quality improved due the connection to municipal service, resulting in increased consumption of tap water, improved perception of water quality and reliability, and decreased use of household treatment, but with a much higher monthly expenditure. Residents reported general satisfaction with their new municipal water service; however, the cost of service was more than expected, and some were dissatisfied with the taste of chlorine in the municipal supply. Despite the positive public health implications, it is important to consider the trade-offs in regulated water transitions and the perceptions of residents to foster successful, sustainable solutions.

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Wildfire damage and contamination to private drinking water wells

et al. 2023

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Following the 2021 Marshall Fire in Colorado, this study was conducted to better understand private well and plumbing damage and to develop public health guidance. More than 20 post‐fire drinking water well guidance documents with varied recommendations were found. Approximately 227 wells were located in the fire footprint. Seventeen properties were visited, and a subset of wells were sampled for organic and inorganic contaminants. Property debris was also collected. Benzene, toluene, and 19 semi‐volatile organic compounds (SVOCs) were detected in water extracts of property debris. No wells contained volatile organic compound contamination. Two shallow wells (12 and 15 ft) had debris contamination; one well contained notable SVOC contamination. One multi‐home unregulated well system was extensively damaged, lost pressure, and had not been repressurized 11 months after the fire due to financial and technical challenges. Study results highlight the need for follow‐up work to understand well system damage and household response.

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Disparities in well water outreach and assistance offered by local health departments: A North Carolina case study

Cited by 14 publications

References 24 publications

Microbial Contamination of Drinking Water Supplied by Private Wells after Hurricane Harvey

Microbial Contamination of Drinking Water Supplied by Private Wells after Hurricane Harvey

Impacts of Regulated Water Service Extension on Water Quality, Perception, and Affordability in Orleans, NY

Wildfire damage and contamination to private drinking water wells

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