Abstract
Ensuring access to safe drinking water is a challenge in many parts of the world for reasons including, but not limited to, infrastructure age, source water impairment, limited community finances and limitations in Federal water protections. Water quality crises and the prevalence of impaired waters globally highlight the need for investment in the expansion of drinking water testing that includes public and private water systems, as well as community outreach. We provide justification including a case example to argue the merits of developing drinking water testing and community outreach programs that include drinking water testing and non-formal education (i.e., public outreach) regarding the importance of drinking water quality testing for human well-being and security. Organizers of drinking water testing programs should: (1) test drinking water quality; (2) develop drinking water quality databases; (3) increase public awareness of drinking water issues; (4) build platforms for improved community outreach; and (5) publish program results that illustrate successful program models that are spatially and temporally transferrable. We anticipate that short-term and intermediate outcomes of this strategy would improve access to drinking water testing, facilitate greater understanding of water quality and increase security through inclusive and equitable water quality testing and outreach programs.
Highlights
Access to safe drinking water is essential to human health, a basic human right and a critical component of effective public health policy [1]
Drinking water in the United States is often withdrawn from surface waters and groundwater [48]; drinking water sources vary in quantity and quality depending on location [49,50]
The success of any drinking water testing and community outreach program includes the assumption that participants want safe, clean drinking water for themselves and their communities, regardless of socioeconomic status or where they live
Summary
Access to safe drinking water is essential to human health, a basic human right and a critical component of effective public health policy [1]. Drinking water testing can serve as an effective management strategy to ensure access to safe, high quality drinking water from municipal and private systems, thereby providing a mechanism to improve public health while providing direction, by means of stakeholder feedback, for where water infrastructure may be most greatly needed [22,30]. Over 40% of the sampled wells failed at least one health-based drinking water standard and 76% of those well owners took at least one action to correct or manage the problem It follows that, if routine water testing at the point of consumption became more common throughout the United States and elsewhere globally, including developed and developing countries, consumers would be able to make more informed drinking water-related decisions, which would result in increased localized problem mitigation strategies and solutions. Direct outcomes of increased drinking water education and testing include a more informed population that would take preventative actions to decrease the likelihood of future drinking water quality problems and increase the likelihood that drinking water contaminants are mitigated before they can negatively impact public health and result in higher health care costs [22,38,47]
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