Journal
AMERICAN JOURNAL OF PUBLIC HEALTH
Volume 112, Issue 1, Pages 88-97Publisher
AMER PUBLIC HEALTH ASSOC INC
DOI: 10.2105/AJPH.2021.306561
Keywords
-
Categories
Funding
- National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences [P42ES004705]
- California Proposition 1 Sustainable Groundwater Planning Grant [4600012684]
Ask authors/readers for more resources
This study evaluates the relationship between sociodemographics and water contaminants in California domestic well areas and community water systems. It is found that poor water quality disproportionately impacts communities of color in the state.
Objectives. To evaluate universal access to clean drinking water by characterizing relationships between community sociodemographics and water contaminants in California domestic well areas (DWAs) and community water systems (CWSs). Methods. We integrated domestic well locations, CWS service boundaries, residential parcels, building footprints, and 2013-2017 American Community Survey data to estimate sociodemographic characteristics for DWAs and CWSs statewide. We derived mean drinking and groundwater contaminant concentrations of arsenic, nitrate, and hexavalent chromium (Cr[VI]) between 2011 and 2019 and used multivariate models to estimate relationships between sociodemographic variables and contaminant concentrations. Results. We estimated that more than 1.3 million Californians (3.4%) use domestic wells and more than 370 000 Californians rely on drinking water with average contaminant concentrations at or above regulatory standards for 1 or more of the contaminants considered. Higher proportions of people of color were associated with greater drinking water contamination. Conclusions. Poor water quality disproportionately impacts communities of color in California, with the highest estimated arsenic, nitrate, and Cr(VI) concentrations in areas of domestic well use. Domestic well communities must be included in efforts to achieve California's Human Right to Water.
Authors
I am an author on this paper
Click your name to claim this paper and add it to your profile.
Reviews
Recommended
No Data Available