Disparities in well water outreach and assistance offered by local health departments: A North Carolina case study.

Drinking water supplied by private wells is a national concern that would benefit from improved outreach and support to ensure safe drinking water quality. In North Carolina (NC), local health departments (LHDs) have private well programs that enforce statewide well construction standards, offer water testing services, and provide well water outreach and assistance. Programs were evaluated to determine their capacity and capability for well water outreach and assistance and identify differences among programs. All LHDs reported overseeing the construction of new wells as required by law. However, services provided to existing well users were offered infrequently and/or inconsistently offered. Lack of uniformity was observed in the number of LHD staff and their assigned responsibilities; the costs and availability of well water testing; and the comfort of LHD staff communicating with well owners. While the total number of staff was lower in LHDs in rural counties, the number of outreach activities and services offered was typically not related to the number of well users served. Variations in structure and capacity of well programs at LHDs have created unequal access to services and information for well users in NC. This research underscores the need to examine infrastructure that supports the well water community on a national scale.

Sequential drinking water sampling as a tool for evaluating lead in flint, Michigan.

Eliminating the sources of human lead exposure is an ongoing public health goal. Identifying the make-up of household plumbing and service line material type is important for many reasons including understanding lead release sources and mechanisms, targeting locations for lead service line (LSL) removal, and assessing the effectiveness of lead remediation strategies. As part of the response to Flint, Michigan's drinking water lead public health crisis, a return to their original drinking water source (Lake Huron) and an increase in orthophosphate dose was implemented in late 2015. In 2016, EPA performed multiple rounds of sequential or "profiling" water sampling to evaluate corrosion control effectiveness and identify lead sources in homes and service lines, as well as to evaluate the effectiveness of corrosion control treatment with time on the different plumbing components. The results showed that lead levels, including high lead levels likely associated with particles, decreased with time in homes sampled during the 11-month evaluation period. Although sequential sampling indicated that brass fittings, brass fixtures, and galvanized pipes were lead sources, LSLs were the greatest source of lead when present. Following the removal of LSLs, the total mass of lead contributed to the drinking water decreased by 86% on average.