YESWater In Action:
Championing for Safer, Cleaner Drinking Water in Our Schools
Welcome to our latest update on YESWater’s school’s public drinking water quality assessment project. This project is dedicated to advocating for clean, safe drinking water in schools. We hope to address concerns including mistrust towards school water fountains, the environmental impact of non-reusable plastics, and the need for transparency in water quality data.
Why the Water Quality Assessment?
Many students and staff at schools have raised concerns about hygiene, water quality, and overall cleanliness which led to a growing dependence on single-use plastic water bottles. Unfortunately, the majority of these plastic bottles end up in landfills or oceans, with only a small percentage being recycled. In order to restore trust to the water quality of drinking foundations and to advocate for their use instead of single-use plastic bottles, this project was created. Through this project, we hope to improve the transparency of the water quality data from public drinking systems and in turn promote the use of drinking foundations and reusable water bottles. In addition, this project will raise insights and suggestions to school administration derived from the water quality data to aid schools to better improve the overall hygiene of its drinking systems. Through this project, we hope to offer a unique perspective into prompting the use of drinking fountains by eliminating common concerns that incentivize people to use single-use water bottles.
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YES ACTION!
We first created a comprehensive questionnaire that requires YESWater chapters to complete before performing the water assessment so that they are familiar with the water sources and government policies of the public drinking system in their community, the common health concern of unsafe drinking water, and the conditions of the water fountain system at their own school. Then, we help each chapter to use specialized Tap Score testing kits to conduct extensive water sampling at each of their high schools. The samples were then sent to labs for thorough analysis. These tests included detailed analysis of health-concerning contaminants including heavy metals as well as organic chemistry screenings that identify disinfection byproducts from the sterilization of water using chlorine. After analyzing the results, we held discussions with school management. We presented our findings and proposed solutions for improvement. We first tested the plan at a public high school in the Bay area, which yielded positive results. After this trial run, we codified the procedures for how other chapters should conduct their respective water tests. Below is an example of a report from one of our chapters.
Our Findings
After collecting and analyzing the test reports from each of our chapters, we found that overall the water from school fountains was safe to consume, thanks to the regular water assessments from each school district and the filtration system. Most test scores were around the average marks. However, even with safe scores, we detected trace elements of potentially harmful substances. These substances included chloroform, total trihalomethanes (THMs), arsenic, and lead. While levels of these substances do not pose serious health risks, we still made recommendations to school administration and offered suggestions to improve filtration methods to address this concern.
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Proposed Solution
We propose the following solutions to enhance water quality and fountain cleanliness:
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Regular Cleaning: It is important to regularly sanitize water fountains, especially in areas prone to bacterial growth, such as surfaces, piping, and plumbing systems.
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Terminal Filters: If the water quality is satisfactory, installing terminal filters like reverse osmosis systems can be a cost-effective alternative to completely overhauling filtration systems. There are various brands that offer these solutions at competitive prices.
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Filter Replacement: Implement consistent schedules for replacing water fountain filters to ensure their effectiveness in purifying water.
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Comprehensive Testing: To gather accurate data, we recommend testing multiple water fountains within a school and repeating these tests periodically to maintain consistency.
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Continuing on Our Journey
While we have made some progress in understanding the water quality and fountain system in our schools, this is an ongoing effort. Our findings serve as a first step toward transparency of the safety and cleanliness of public drinking systems at schools and decrease plastic usage. If you are interested in being part of this project, you can find additional details on our website, please don't hesitate to contact us.
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Ellen Fan
Director of YESWater