The EPA Has a New Policy for Water Pollution. How Can We Ensure It Is a Solution Rather Than a Setback for Marginalized Communities?

Clean drinking water is a human right. But chemical contaminants present a hidden danger, and they disproportionately impact socioeconomically marginalized communities. Working at the crossroads of policy and environmental justice, this study aims to uncover how these invisible threats navigate from human-made sources into our taps – and the challenges faced by communities across the country to come into compliance with a necessary but costly new EPA regulation.

sewage pipe emptying into river
Tihitina Andarge, Sean McBeath, and Mohammad (Kiron) Shakhawat

From left: Tihitina Andarge (Resource Economics), Sean McBeath (Civil & Environmental Engineering), and Mohammad (Kiron) Shakhawat (Civili & Environmental Engineering)

Everyone needs to drink, but not all taps are created equal. Some water smells strange, some tastes bad, and some is even discolored. For thousands of communities across the U.S., tap water contains serious chemical pollution – pollution so serious that, in many cases, the taps fail to comply with Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) pollution standards.

This vital research project hopes to address a pressing environmental and public health challenge: the contamination of community water systems by a class of chemical pollutants called PFAS, also described as ‘forever chemicals.’ Understanding the correlation between community characteristics and wellness in social justice issues, this study zeroes in on the intricate relationship between drinking water safety and demographic and socioeconomic factors, such as rurality, poverty, race, ethnicity, and education levels.

The implications of this project are profound and urgent, especially under the looming shadow of the National Primary Drinking Water Regulation, a new EPA regulation that will mandate water treatment process upgrades to reduce PFAS contamination in drinking water to parts per trillion levels across the country. Though much-needed, this policy may prove burdensome for those communities most impacted by the pollution, as they often lack the resources to comply.

Employing innovative citizen science and advanced water sampling techniques, the team aims to unravel the complexities of PFAS contamination. This multifaceted approach not only seeks to map out PFAS levels in water sources, but also to shed light on the socio-economic vulnerabilities that amplify both the risks associated with these toxic contaminants and the costs of treating them under regulatory frameworks that do not always account for disparities.

By identifying the gaps in current water testing treatment methodologies and the disproportionate burden of the impending regulation on disadvantaged communities, the study hopes to inform future policy and engineering solutions that ensure the equitable achievement of clean and safe water for all, irrespective of socio-economic status.