A new study has identified U.S. hotspots for drinking water quality violations and water injustice, revealing the critical need for policy reform to ensure safe and clean water access for all.
An alarming number of Americans are grappling with unsafe drinking water or even a lack of access to running water and indoor plumbing, according to a new study published in the journal Risk Analysis.
Around 2 million people in the United States lack basic indoor plumbing, while 30 million live in areas where drinking water systems do not meet safety standards.
The study, led by Alex Segrè Cohen, an assistant professor of science and risk communication at the University of Oregon, provides critical insights into the ongoing debate over water privatization versus public management with respect to water quality and access to safe, clean drinking water.
The researchers conducted their investigation by mapping the distribution of water system ownership (private vs. public), water system violations and water injustice nationwide.
The study is the first to combine geospatial mapping of water quality violations, social vulnerability and perceptions of water access in relation to water system ownership on a national scale.
“Policymakers can use our findings to identify and prioritize enforcement efforts in hotspots, make improvements in infrastructure and implement policies that ensure affordable and safe drinking water — particularly for socially vulnerable communities,” Segrè Cohen said in a news release. “We found that violations and risks of water injustice tend to cluster in specific areas or hotspots across the country.”
Key findings include:
- The top 10 counties with the most water violations are in West Virginia, Pennsylvania, North Carolina and Oklahoma.
- The highest number of violations reported by a single water system was a public system in Wyoming County, West Virginia.
- Eight out of the top 10 counties for water injustice are in Mississippi, with others in South Dakota and Texas.
- Water injustice hotspots often coincide with areas of lower private water system ownership, suggesting that public systems are not uniformly better at preventing violations.
Notably, privatized water systems in areas with high water injustice also saw increased public concern about water access, safety and reliability.
“Our results suggest that privatization alone is not a solution,” added Segrè Cohen. “The local context, such as regulatory enforcement, community vulnerability and community priorities, matters in determining outcomes.”
Water system violations include failures to comply with the Safe Drinking Water Act regulations. These violations range from exceeding maximum contaminant levels to failing to follow proper water treatment techniques, and not adhering to monitoring schedules or communicating required information to customers.
The study quantifies water injustice, defining it as the unequal access to clean water that disproportionately impacts low-income households and people of color. The researchers created a county-level score based on EPA data and CDC’s Environmental Justice Index, combined with a 2019 national survey on public perceptions of water access and quality.
Source: Society for Risk Analysis