Community Drinking Water Supplies Research Articles

History of the Sole Source Aquifer Program: A Community‐Based Approach for Protecting Aquifers Used for Drinking Water Supply

AbstractThe Sole Source Aquifer Program has helped prevent contamination of many community drinking water supplies. If an aquifer supplies the sole or principal source of a community's drinking water, a local ground water user may petition the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) under the Safe Drinking Water Act for its designation and protection as a “sole source aquifer.” Since 1974, residents and officials of 65 communities and multi‐community areas have petitioned and received assistance from the EPA to prevent contamination of their local ground water source of drinking water. This designation means that EPA may review federal financially assisted projects to determine if they would contaminate the aquifer and cause a public health hazard. If they could cause contamination, EPA can request that the project be modified or stopped. The significance of this program in terms of population served and funds affected has been substantial, indicating the Sole Source Aquifer Program has been an important local tool for protecting ground water used as a source of drinking water. Information is given on three different examples of sole source aquifer designations protected under this program: the New Jersey Coastal Plain Aquifer System, the Great Miami River Buried Valley Aquifer System (Ohio), and the Eastern Snake River Plain Aquifer (Idaho), serving populations of 543,000, 921,000, and 275,000, respectively. In all three examples, preventing ground water contamination through the Sole Source Aquifer Program has protected the community drinking water supply.

Longitudinal studies of Giardia contamination in two community drinking water supplies: cyst levels, parasite viability, and health impact.

Giardia cyst concentrations were determined in an inventory of 153 raw and 91 chlorinated drinking water samples collected at 86 sites from throughout the western Canadian province of British Columbia. Sixty-four percent of raw water samples were cyst positive (69% of sites). Cyst concentrations were lower in chlorinated than in raw water. The viability of cysts in drinking water samples assessed by infectivity in Mongolian gerbils (Meriones unguiculatus) was decreased in chlorinated water. Two rural communities using Giardia-contaminated surface drinking water sources were selected for longitudinal studies including drinking water testing and serological studies of residents. Three hundred thirty-six raw and treated samples from these communities were collected over 24 months. Cyst concentrations and viability were assessed in a 12-month study of each community. Parasite concentrations were lower in chlorinated water than in raw water in both communities. Cyst concentrations were lower in reservoir-settled water than in raw water. Viability, assessed by animal infectivity and corrected for inoculum, decreased following reservoir settling as well as after chlorination. A bolus or spiking phenomenon of cysts was observed in both community drinking water systems and deserves further study. A striking seasonal pattern was seen in one community but not in the second. The seroprevalence data and number of laboratory-confirmed cases identified in each year-long community study are consistent with the possibility that low-level endemic transmission is occurring.

Effects of fluoridated drinking water on bone mass and fractures: the study of osteoporotic fractures.

To determine if optimal fluoridation of public water supplies influences bone mass and fractures, we studied 2076 non-black women, all aged > or = 65 years recruited into the Study of Osteoporotic Fractures at the Pittsburgh clinic. Information on fluoride exposure was limited to community water supplies. The variable used in the analysis was years of exposure to fluoridated water in community drinking water supplies. Bone mineral density (BMD) was measured at the spine and hip using dual energy X-ray absorptiometry and at the midpoint and ultradistal radius and calcaneus using single photon absorptiometry. Prevalent and incident vertebral fractures were determined by morphometry. Incident nonspine fractures were ascertained every 4 months and confirmed by radiographic report. Exposure to residential fluoridated water had no effect on bone mass. Women exposed to fluoride for > 20 years had similar axial and appendicular bone mass to women not exposed or women exposed for < or = 20 years. There was some suggestion that women exposed to fluoride for > 20 years had a lower relative risk of nonspine fractures (relative risk, RR, = 0.73; 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.48-1.12), osteoporotic fractures, RR = 0.74 (CI 0.46-1.19), and hip fractures, RR = 0.44 (CI 0.10-1.86), compared with women not exposed, but none of these relative risks was statistically significant. There was no association with wrist or spinal fractures. Our results do not support the findings from recent ecological studies which showed an increased risk of hip fracture among individuals exposed to fluoridated public water.

Causes of waterborne outbreaks in community water systems in Finland: 1980-1992

Finland is known as a country with thousands of unpolluted lakes and pristine groundwaters. For this reason treatment processes applied in the drinking-water industry are quite simple. These kinds of water supplies, as well as private wells, are vulnerable for accidental pollution, leading to twenty-four reported waterborne epidemics outbreaks in Finland in 1980-1992. About 40 per cent of these outbreaks were due to contaminated water from community drinking-water supplies. The number of people affected in these outbreaks was around 7 700. Contaminated groundwater was a more common cause than surface water. The majority of Finnish groundwater supplies distribute water without any treatment or only with alkalization. In most outbreaks leakage and blockage of a sewage pipe in the vicinity of a groundwater well resulted in the contamination of drinking-water. The largest of these outbreaks affected some 5 000 people. The etiologic agents in these epidemics were most probably viruses; faecal indicator bacteria and enteric viruses were detected in water samples during the epidemics. Contamination of water distribution networks due to cross-connection caused two restricted epidemics. Inadequate disinfection of surface water was the reason for three outbreaks. Two of these were caused by the same water supply in subsequent years. The raw water source for this supply was of quite a high quality, for which reason the treatment consisted only of rapid sand filtration and chlorination. For fear of the chlorinated organic compounds formed during disinfection the amount of chlorine in water treatment was reduced to a level where disinfection was inadequate, and some hundred people became ill. The etiologic agent in these outbreaks remained unknown.

Causes of waterborne outbreaks in community water systems in Finland: 1980–1992

Finland is known as a country with thousands of unpolluted lakes and pristine groundwaters. For this reason treatment processes applied in the drinking-water industry are quite simple. These kinds of water supplies, as well as private wells, are vulnerable for accidental pollution, leading to twenty-four reported waterborne epidemics outbreaks in Finland in 1980–1992. About 40 per cent of these outbreaks were due to contaminated water from community drinking-water supplies. The number of people affected in these outbreaks was around 7 700. Contaminated groundwater was a more common cause than surface water. The majority of Finnish groundwater supplies distribute water without any treatment or only with alkalization. In most outbreaks leakage and blockage of a sewage pipe in the vicinity of a groundwater well resulted in the contamination of drinking-water. The largest of these outbreaks affected some 5 000 people. The etiologic agents in these epidemics were most probably viruses; faecal indicator bacteria and enteric viruses were detected in water samples during the epidemics. Contamination of water distribution networks due to cross-connection caused two restricted epidemics. Inadequate disinfection of surface water was the reason for three outbreaks. Two of these were caused by the same water supply in subsequent years. The raw water source for this supply was of quite a high quality, for which reason the treatment consisted only of rapid sand filtration and chlorination. For fear of the chlorinated organic compounds formed during disinfection the amount of chlorine in water treatment was reduced to a level where disinfection was inadequate, and some hundred people became ill. The etiologic agent in these outbreaks remained unknown.

A Longitudinal Study of Rainfall and Coliform Contamination in Small Community Drinking Water Supplies

ADVERTISEMENT RETURN TO ISSUEPREVArticleNEXTA Longitudinal Study of Rainfall and Coliform Contamination in Small Community Drinking Water SuppliesTherese Stukel, E Greenberg, Bradley Dain, Frank Reed, and Nicholas JacobsCite this: Environ. Sci. Technol. 1990, 24, 4, 571–575Publication Date (Print):April 1, 1990Publication History Published online28 July 2003Published inissue 1 April 1990https://doi.org/10.1021/es00074a610RIGHTS & PERMISSIONSArticle Views265Altmetric-Citations24LEARN ABOUT THESE METRICSArticle Views are the COUNTER-compliant sum of full text article downloads since November 2008 (both PDF and HTML) across all institutions and individuals. These metrics are regularly updated to reflect usage leading up to the last few days.Citations are the number of other articles citing this article, calculated by Crossref and updated daily. Find more information about Crossref citation counts.The Altmetric Attention Score is a quantitative measure of the attention that a research article has received online. Clicking on the donut icon will load a page at altmetric.com with additional details about the score and the social media presence for the given article. Find more information on the Altmetric Attention Score and how the score is calculated. Share Add toView InAdd Full Text with ReferenceAdd Description ExportRISCitationCitation and abstractCitation and referencesMore Options Share onFacebookTwitterWechatLinked InReddit PDF (676 KB) Get e-Alerts Get e-Alerts

GROUND WATER MONITORING FOR TEMIK (ALDICARB) IN FLORIDA1

ABSTRACT: Over 700 community drinking water supplies were sampled for the pesticide Temik (aldicarb and its oxidative metabolites aldicarb sulfoxide and aldicarb sulfone) in Florida. All community supply wells sampled for Temik were located in counties where Temik was reported to have been used and approximately one‐half of the wells were located in counties where ground water was determined to be highly susceptible to contamination by Temik. Susceptibility was determined using ranking criteria that incorporated ground water recharge characteristics, water use, and Temik use patterns.Temik was not detected in any of the community supply wells sampled during the study. However, Temik was detected in shallow, private wells, as was the pesticide ethylene dibromide in counties with ground water characterized as highly susceptible to contamination.

Drinking-water contribution to natural background radiation.

The average concentrations of naturally occurring radionuclides in drinking water are estimated from recent measurements and are used to estimate the annual effective dose equivalent associated with drinking water due to the different radionuclides. The annual effective dose equivalents are determined from the annual intake of these radionuclides using dosimetric information based on ICRP Publication 30 dosimetric models and cohort analysis considering risk coefficients developed by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency using data from the report of the Biological Effects of Ionizing Radiation Committee (BEIR III) of the National Academy of Sciences. The resulting contribution from drinking water sources to the annual effective dose equivalent is in the range of 0.002 to 0.05 mSv/y (0.2-5 mrem/yr) for those using community drinking water supplies (approximately 216 million people in the United States). The contribution to the annual effective dose equivalent from 222Rn dissolved in water is in the range of 0.8-30 mu Sv/y (0.08-3 mrem/yr) based on the inhalation pathway following the release of 222Rn from drinking water.

The effects of di- and trichloroacetic acid on sheep erythrocytes: An animal model with a glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase deficiency

Erythrocytes of Dorset sheep, an animal model with an erythrocyte glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G-6-PD) deficiency, responded in a dose-dependent manner to the oxidant stress of di- and trichloroacetic acids (DCA and TCA) as measured by increases in methemoglobin (METHB) and decreases in glutathione (GSH). Given the fact that TCA and DCA are now being found in community drinking water supplies at levels greater than 100 μg/liter, there is a need to further investigate their effects on biological systems, including those with a compromised ability to deal with oxidant stress (e.g., G-6-PD-deficient erythrocytes).

Occurrence of uranium in drinking water in the U.S.

Uranium is found in ground and surface waters due to its natural occurrence. In some cases, its presence is due to human activities such as mining and milling uranium. Thus, it is also found in drinking water. The range of concentrations existing in drinking water supplies in the U.S. is tabulated and examined. The range of isotopic abundances are also listed. Projections from the available data lead to estimates that of the 59,812 community drinking water supplies in the U.S., 25-650 would exceed a uranium concentration of 20 pCi/l., 100-2000 would exceed 10 pCi/l. and 2500-5000 would exceed 5 pCi/l.