Environmental justice and drinking water quality: are there socioeconomic disparities in nitrate levels in U.S. drinking water?

Springer Nature | January 17th, 2019

Environmental Justice in California Government

State of California | October 1st, 2003

In California, we have spent over a century and billions of dollars to preserve and protect the environment for current and future generations. The EJ movement asks us to

In California, we have spent over a century and billions of dollars to preserve and protect the environment for current and future generations. The EJ movement asks us to put real people in that environment, particularly the most vulnerable populations such as ethnic minorities, low-income persons, the young and the elderly. In a nutshell, EJ can be said to be the vision and process of creating socially just, sustainable human and ecological systems, where all participate fully in decisions affecting their lives. The Governor’s Office of Planning & Research (OPR) assists the Governor and the Administration in land use planning, research, liaison with local government, small business advocacy, rural policy, and various interagency taskforces. 1999 legislation defined EJ in California law and also established OPR as the coordinating agency in state government for environmental justice (EJ) efforts. The placement of the central EJ program within OPR demonstrates the Legislature’s understanding that EJ efforts require coordination at the highest level of state government.  Indeed, California is the only state that has placed its EJ effort within the Chief Executive’s Office. The legislation establishing OPR as the “coordinating agency in state government for environmental justice programs” (California Government Code § 65040.12) directs the OPR director to consult with state agencies and interested members of the public and private sectors in this state, coordinate its efforts and share information regarding EJ programs with federal agencies, and review and evaluate any information from federal agencies that is obtained as a result of their respective regulatory activities. This policy report is intended to provide a brief history of EJ, report on the status of OPR's efforts, and provide an outline of EJ findings, goals and policies for future EJ efforts within state government. Much work remains to ensure that the most vulnerable of Californians, including people of color and low-income persons, are treated with dignity and respect regarding environmental decisions. OPR views its work thus far as a modest, although significant beginning.

Estimating domestic well locations and populations served in the contiguous U.S. for years 2000 and 2010

Science of the Total Environment (Elsevier) | October 15th, 2019

Domestic wells provide drinking water supply for approximately 40 million people in the United States. Knowing the location of these wells, and the populations they serve

Domestic wells provide drinking water supply for approximately 40 million people in the United States. Knowing the location of these wells, and the populations they serve, is important for identifying heavily used aquifers, locations susceptible to contamination, and populations potentially impacted by poor-quality groundwater. The 1990 census was the last nationally consistent survey of a home’s source of water, and has not been surveyed since. This paper presents a method for projecting the population dependent on domestic wells for years after 1990, using information from the 1990 census along with population data from subsequent censuses. The method is based on the “domestic ratio” at the census block-group level, defined here as the number of households dependent on domestic wells divided by the total population. Analysis of 1990 data (>220,000 block-groups) indicates that the domestic ratio is a function of the household density. As household density increases, the domestic ratio decreases, once a household density threshold is met. The 1990 data were used to develop a relationship between household density and the domestic ratio. The fitted model, along with household density data from 2000 and 2010, was used to estimate domestic ratios for each decadal year. In turn, the number of households dependent on domestic wells was estimated at the block-group level for 2000 and 2010. High-resolution census-block population data were used to refine the spatial distribution of domestic-well usage and to convert the data into population numbers. The results are presented in two downloadable raster datasets for each decadal year. It is estimated that the total population using domestic-well water in the contiguous U.S. increased 1.5% from 1990 to 2000 to a total of 37.25 million people and increased slightly from 2000 to 2010 to 37.29 million people.

Estimating Lithium Concentrations in Groundwater Used as Drinking Water for the Conterminous United States

American Chemical Society (ACS) | January 2nd, 2024

Estimating perchlorate exposure from food and tap water based on U.S. biomonitoring and occurrence data

Journal of Exposure Science & Environmental Epidemiology (Springer) | June 23rd, 2010

Human biomonitoring data show that exposure to perchlorate is widespread in the United States. The predominant source of intake is food, whereas drinking water is

Human biomonitoring data show that exposure to perchlorate is widespread in the United States. The predominant source of intake is food, whereas drinking water is a less frequent and far smaller contributor. We used spot urine samples for over 2700 subjects and estimated 24 h intake using new creatinine adjustment equations. Merging data from surveys of national health (NHANES) with drinking water monitoring (UCMR), we categorized survey participants according to their potential exposure through drinking water or food. By subtracting daily food doses of perchlorate from the oral reference dose (RfD), we derive an allowances for perchlorate in tap water for several populations. The calculated mean food perchlorate dose in the United States was 0.081 μg/kg/day compared to 0.101 μg/kg/day for those who also had a potential drinking water component. The calculated 95th percentile doses, typically falling between 0.2 and 0.4 μg/kg/day, were well below the RfD (0.7 μg/kg/day) in all populations analyzed. Children aged 6–11 years had the highest mean perchlorate doses in food (0.147 μg/kg/day), with an additional water contribution of only 0.003 μg/kg/day representing just 2% of exposure. Pregnant women had a mean food dose of 0.093 vs 0.071 μg/kg/day for all women of reproductive age. At the 95th percentile intake for both the total population and women of child-bearing age (15–44), the perchlorate contribution from food was 86% and from drinking water 14% (respectively, 30% and 5% of the RfD). At the mean for the same groups, the food to water contribution ratio is approximately 80:20. We calculate that an average 66 kg pregnant woman consuming a 90th percentile food dose (0.198 μg/kg/day) could also drink the 90th percentile of community water for pregnant women (0.033 l/kg/day) containing 15 μg/l perchlorate without exceeding the 0.7 μg/kg/day reference dose.

Evaluating the hidden costs of drinking water treatment technologies

Nature Portfolio (Springer Nature) | April 3rd, 2023

Drinking water treatment technologies are largely evaluated on the basis of metrics such as contaminant removal efficiency, capital costs and health impacts. However, the

Drinking water treatment technologies are largely evaluated on the basis of metrics such as contaminant removal efficiency, capital costs and health impacts. However, the potential for safe water technologies to lead to positive health outcomes depends greatly on user satisfaction, consistent and sustained operation, and financial viability. In this Perspective, we argue for the importance for engineering, public health and economics researchers to assess the ‘hidden’ costs of drinking water treatment technologies, including affordability, labour burden, user acceptance, and the (often) gendered nature of these. Neglecting these factors results in an underestimation of the full costs of drinking water treatment technologies and an overestimation of the potential for treatment options that require substantial behaviour change and time to succeed. Here we present a set of user-centric evaluation criteria for water service providers, practitioners, governments and other stakeholders to consider when deciding which drinking water treatment technologies to implement, scale up or take to market.

Final Environmental Impact Report for Adoption of a Regulation for the Hexavalent Chromium Maximum Contaminant Level

California State Water Resources Control Board (SWRCB) | April 17th, 2024

As the lead agency in accordance with sections 15089 and 15132 of the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) Guidelines (Cal. Code Regs., tit. 14, § 15000 et seq.),

As the lead agency in accordance with sections 15089 and 15132 of the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) Guidelines (Cal. Code Regs., tit. 14, § 15000 et seq.), this document is the Final Environmental Impact Report (Final EIR) for the adoption of statewide regulations setting the maximum contaminant level (MCL) for hexavalent chromium (Proposed Regulations). The Proposed Regulations include a maximum contaminant level (MCL) of 10 μg/L for hexavalent chromium. (Cal. Code Regs. tit. 22, § 64431 Table 64431-A.) The Proposed Regulations also include a compliance schedule based on public water system size, by adding subdivision (p) and Table 64432-B to section 64432 of title 22 of the California Code of Regulations, identifies a detection limit for purposes of reporting, sets monitoring and reporting requirements and public notice requirements for violations of the MCL, and establishes the Best Available Technologies (BAT) for treating hexavalent chromium in drinking water. California State Water Resources Control Board (SWRCB) Chrom VI MCL rulemaking chronology.

Financing Water Supply and Sanitation in a Changing Climate

Pacific Institute | October 22nd, 2020

Human-caused climate change is real and accelerating, creating new challenges for all aspects of freshwater management. Important gaps in our understanding of these chall

Human-caused climate change is real and accelerating, creating new challenges for all aspects of freshwater management. Important gaps in our understanding of these challenges include both the complications climate change poses for planning, implementing, and sustaining water supply and sanitation (WSS) systems, especially for the poor; and the links between these systems and the emissions of greenhouse gases that worsen the overall climate problem. This paper addresses these gaps. 

Fire and Water: Assessing Drinking Water Contamination After a Major Wildfire

American Chemical Society (ACS) | August 2nd, 2021

We investigated patterns of volatile organic compound (VOC) contamination in drinking water systems affected by the California 2018 Camp Fire. We performed spatial analys

We investigated patterns of volatile organic compound (VOC) contamination in drinking water systems affected by the California 2018 Camp Fire. We performed spatial analysis of over 5000 water samples collected over a 17 month period by a local water utility, sampled tap water for VOCs in approximately 10% (N = 136) of standing homes, and conducted additional nontargeted chemical analysis of 10 samples. Benzene contamination was present in 29% of service connections to destroyed structures and 2% of service connections to standing homes. A spatial pattern was apparent. Tap water in standing homes 11 months after the fire contained low concentrations of benzene in 1% of samples, but methylene chloride was present in 19% of samples, including several above regulatory limits. Elevated methylene chloride was associated with greater distance from the water meter to the tap, longer stagnation time, and the presence of a destroyed structure on the service connection; it was inversely associated with certain trihalomethanes. Nontargeted analysis identified multiple combustion byproducts in the water at 2/10 homes. Our findings support the hypothesis that pyrolysis and smoke intrusion from depressurization contributed to the benzene contamination. Further research is needed to test the hypothesis that methylene chloride may be generated from the dehalogenation of disinfection byproducts stagnating in galvanized iron pipes.

Fourth Five Year Review Report for the San Gabriel Valley Area 2 Superfund Site, Los Angeles, California

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) | September 15th, 2022

This is the fourth Five-Year Review of the San Gabriel Valley Area 2 (Site) located in the San Gabriel Valley in Los Angeles County, California. The purpose of this Five-

This is the fourth Five-Year Review of the San Gabriel Valley Area 2 (Site) located in the San Gabriel Valley in Los Angeles County, California. The purpose of this Five-Year Review is to review information to determine if the remedy is and will continue to be protective of human health and the environment. The Site addresses approximately 10 square miles of groundwater contamination in eastern Los Angeles County within the San Gabriel Valley. Groundwater contamination is believed to result from the cumulative impact of decades of improper chemical handling and disposal practices at numerous industrial operations in the Valley. The Site contamination originates at current and former industrial facilities in and near Azusa, California and extends to the southwest through portions of the cities of Irwindale, Baldwin Park, West Covina, and Industry. The most prevalent contaminants in groundwater are trichloroethylene, tetrachloroethylene, carbon tetrachloride, perchlorate, n-nitrosodimethylamine (NDMA), and 1,4-dioxane.