AWWA Water Science Author Spotlight

Abstract

Having recently published an article in AWWA Water Science, Caroline E. Scruggs answered questions from the publication's editor-in-chief, Kenneth L. Mercer, about the research. Mapping Potable Reuse Survey Data Using Spatial Statistics to Inform Tailored Education and Outreach Maurice P. Cruz, Caroline E. Scruggs, and Lauren N. Distler Caroline and her son ski in Santa Fe, N.M. I went to Virginia Tech for a mechanical engineering degree, thinking I would work on innovations in wind and solar energy. However, I changed majors a few times and was ultimately drawn to civil engineering because of concerns about environmental degradation, and eventually I decided to pursue a master's degree in environmental engineering. From there it was a bit serendipitous—Professor Clifford Randall was looking for a research assistant for an interesting wastewater treatment project, which became my thesis project. I think my superpower is being organized. I was also raised with a strong work ethic, which has served me well. Perhaps most importantly, I'm fortunate to get to work on problems that I'm genuinely interested in; the great thing about academia is that I'm more or less free to pursue thought-provoking research questions that I enjoy digging into. The hills are lit with the gold of aspen in Angel Fire, N.M. My coauthors and I noticed that the water reuse literature did a good job of describing the reasons that residents in some communities have opposed potable water reuse projects, and some studies even included an investigation into the demographic characteristics of those who are opposed to (or accepting of) water reuse. While this information might be generally useful, it is not necessarily user friendly; it doesn't help water planners and utilities figure out how to tailor their programming to the segments of the population that need particular kinds of education, outreach, and trust-building to allow residents to make informed decisions about water resources and reuse. We were aiming to develop an approach that would enable targeted public engagement and input on future water resource planning. The Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta started in 1972. It is scheduled each year for the first week in October. Broadly, I care deeply about passing down a healthy planet to future generations. More specifically, with my water research I hope to contribute toward allowing communities in arid areas, such as the one in which I live, to continue to thrive in the face of climate change. With my chemicals research, I want to minimize people's exposure to hazardous chemicals, and I hope to contribute toward common-sense chemical-related policies that better prioritize health and the environment. I see two challenges as research at this intersection progresses. First, people don't want to give up conveniences that they currently enjoy. Whether we're thinking about moving away from flush toilets to alternatives that save water, or removing chemicals from consumer products that are found to be hazardous, there will be resistance to change. Second, as we move toward direct potable reuse of wastewater in more communities, we will need to consider whether and how current drinking water standards should be modified to account for potentially hazardous chemicals and/or if their upstream uses should be reduced or restricted through chemical policy changes. I moved a lot growing up, so I don't really have deep roots in one place. Perhaps a benefit was getting exposure to so many different parts of the United States, each with its own unique natural environment, water challenges, pollution issues, and other inspiration for a budding environmentalist. I spend as much time with my kids as possible, and in New Mexico we're lucky to have amazing outdoor activities at our doorstep—we take advantage of the skiing, walking in the bosque (river forest), and everything in between. I also enjoy painting and music, and recently started drum lessons with my older son. To learn more about Caroline's research, read the article, available online at https://doi.org/10.1002/aws2.1197. This article is part of the Topical Collection on Potable Reuse. Visit https://news.awwa.org/reuse-collection to learn more about this collection.