Water and Community Development Project
In 2001, as required by the Safe Drinking Water Act, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency issued a rule to decrease the amount of arsenic allowed in drinking water from 50 parts per billion to 10 parts per billion, effective January 2006. The stricter standards for arsenic reflect EPA concern about the relationship between long-term exposure to arsenic in drinking water and increased risk of certain types of cancer and other health problems.
Over 80 public water systems in Nebraska, primarily in small communities, are impacted by the lower arsenic standard. Compliance with the Safe Drinking Water Act will strain the resources of small Nebraska communities (estimated by Nebraska Health and Human services to be over $120 million) and adversely impacting rural sustainability.
Affected communities face several challenges related to the lower arsenic standard, including determining:
- What options are available and feasible to decrease arsenic levels in their drinking water?
- What resources are needed to implement the options?
At the same time that rural communities must weigh arsenic abatement options, many face uncertain futures. Thus, the community decisionmaking process for major instructure investments provides an opportunity to simultaneously identify community enhancement/development and/or economic development possibilities. Can communities turn the “lemon” of the federal mandate to reduce arsenic levels into the “lemonade” of exploring joint community opportunities? That is, how might communities best turn the water quality requirements into additional benefits?
The Community Water & Development Project, coordinated by the University of Nebraska Public Policy Center, brings together University researchers with expertise and extensive experience in water science and technology, community development, consensus facilitation, engineering, and rural assistance to work with non-governmental agencies, local, state, and federal policymakers, and other stakeholders to assist rural communities in complying with changes in permissible water quality levels.
The UNL Arsenic Information System is providing the primary technical assistance related to water quality issues and arsenic abatement strategies. The other University units involved in the project are: the University of Nebraska Rural Initiative; University of Nebraska-Lincoln Water Reserach Initiative; the University of Nebraska Cooperative Extension; and the University of Nebraska at Kearney Department of Political Science with its emphasis in applied opportunities for undergraduate students in rural Nebraska. The targeted communities have also worked with senior level undergraduates from the Civil Engineering Department (capstone Design Class) research with engineering options related to arsenic abatement options and a Rural Sociology class from UNL. The Groundwater Foundation is supplying expertise as an educator about water matters. The Midwest Assistance Program provides water related technical assistance in development and support. NET-Radio is providing media expertise and coverage.
The project also involves other key policymaker and stakeholder partners in the state including: The Nebraska Department of Environmental Quality, Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services,Upper Big Blue Natural Resources District, southeast Development District, Great Plains RC & D, and USDA Rural Development.
For other water policy projects, click here.
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