Grantee Research Project Results
Point Of Use (POU) Water Treatment Systems For Improving Sustainability And Environmental Justice in Colonias of the Paso del Norte Region
EPA Grant Number: R835179Title: Point Of Use (POU) Water Treatment Systems For Improving Sustainability And Environmental Justice in Colonias of the Paso del Norte Region
Investigators: Walker, W. Shane , Palacios, Rebecca L. , Santiago, Ivonne , Tomaka, Joe , Walton, John
Institution: The University of Texas at El Paso , New Mexico State University - Main Campus
EPA Project Officer: Page, Angela
Project Period: December 1, 2011 through November 30, 2016
Project Amount: $498,906
RFA: Research and Demonstration of Innovative Drinking Water Treatment Technologies in Small Systems (2011) RFA Text | Recipients Lists
Research Category: Drinking Water , Water
Objective:
The goals of this proposed research are to: (1) research the feasibility and sustainability of POU water treatment technologies in small communities, especially colonias, as tools to comply with U.S. Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA) regulations, and (2) to demonstrate implementation of POU water treatment systems for rapidly mitigating environmental, social, and economic challenges faced by colonias due to unsanitary drinking water and violations of environmental justice.
The objectives of this project are to: perform community-based participatory research (CBPR) through Water and POU Perception and Use Inventory surveys of residents in up to twelve colonias of the Paso del Norte region; design and test POU systems for specific water contaminants of these colonias; implement select POU systems in over one hundred homes across at least three colonias: and evaluate the sustainability of the use of me POU technologies with respect to environmental, social/user, and economic metrics.
Approach:
Investigation will include surveys of individuals and focus groups, as well as The proposed research will be conducted in four phases: (I ) water quality evaluations and colonia assessments (Obj. 1-3); (2) water quality analysis and laboratory POU pilot test (Obj. 4); (3) implementation of community pilot test (Obj. 5); and (4) sustainability evaluation (Obj. 6-7).
Expected Results:
The outputs described in the objectives above will result in a better understanding of the perception and sustainability of POU implementation in colonias and the resulting promotion of environmental justice. Thus, we believe that this research project responds to all four research topics listed in the request for proposals.
Publications and Presentations:
Publications have been submitted on this project: View all 10 publications for this projectJournal Articles:
Journal Articles have been submitted on this project: View all 1 journal articles for this projectProgress and Final Reports:
The perspectives, information and conclusions conveyed in research project abstracts, progress reports, final reports, journal abstracts and journal publications convey the viewpoints of the principal investigator and may not represent the views and policies of ORD and EPA. Conclusions drawn by the principal investigators have not been reviewed by the Agency.