Recipient Organization
UNIV OF CONNECTICUT
438 WHITNEY RD EXTENSION UNIT 1133
STORRS,CT 06269
Performing Department
(N/A)
Non Technical Summary
Thisproject seeks to address health of rural residents in Connecticut whose water comes from private wells. Although public water suppliers are required to do extensive routine testing of their product, the only requirement for testing of private wells in Connecticut is when the well is installed.Five initial workshops will be held (5 locations in Connecticut over 2 years) to provide information about private wells, groundwater, and water quality contaminants of concern. Following the first workshops at each location, a sample collection event will be organized, where residents will receive low-cost potability tests of their drinking water. After water samples are analyzed, five follow-up workshops will be held where the project staff will provide the results to the residents, and discuss the implications of their results, answering any specific questions that arise.To determine effectiveness of the educational program, change in knowledge and behavior will be assessed using short online surveys. At the beginning of the first workshop, a voluntary pre-survey will be administered to assess the knowledge that residents have about private wells in general, groundwater, and water quality issues. After the second workshop, a similar online follow-up survey will be administered, which will also include assessment of actions taken.
Animal Health Component
(N/A)
Research Effort Categories
Basic
(N/A)
Applied
(N/A)
Developmental
(N/A)
Goals / Objectives
By August 31, 2024, all rural private well owners in Connecticut who have participated in the proposed program will:Have increased awareness of groundwater, private well function, and water quality concerns by at least 50% Have obtained a reduced-cost water test (target of 1,000 homes) Have demonstrated a change in key actions to manage the safety of their drinking water supply into the future (at least 50% of participants)The objectives of the proposed project will be achieved by performing discrete tasks. The target audience for all objectives/tasks is rural private well owners in Connecticut. The first objective is the following:Objective 1, Task 1: Gather and brand educational resources for the programPreliminary work needs to be performed to gather existing resources from the Connecticut Department of Public Health, the Virginia Private Well Program, and existing material that the PIs have used in past educational settings. These will be combined to create a cohesive program to deliver to residents at the educational workshops.Objective 1, Task 2: Create project website A project web page will be added on the Connecticut Institute of Water Resources website (https://ctiwr.uconn.edu). The website will contain information about upcoming workshops and educational resources.Objective 1, Task 3: Advertise and host educational clinics/workshops Five educational workshops will be hosted in rural areas of Connecticut. They will be advertised through existing Extension outlets, including social media, websites, list-servs, health district offices, and Public Service Announcements on local television media outlets. These workshops may be in person or virtual, depending on COVID status. Project faculty and staff are well versed in providing workshops in either format. Information will be provided on the following topics: how domestic wells work, what is groundwater, common water quality parameters, causes of domestic well pollution, and how to collect a water sample. Workshops will be recorded and links to the content will be posted on the project website, so that those who could not attend have access to the material. After the initial workshop, sample collection and analysis will be performed. (Objective 2).Objective 2, Task 1: Plan sample collection events/collect samplesOnce residents have attended the initial educational workshop, those interested in getting their water tested at a reduced cost ($50/participant) will be directed to collect a water sample at their home and bring it to a central collection point on a specific day. Project staff will collect samples and bring them to the Center for Environmental Sciences and Engineering (CESE) at the University of Connecticut, using appropriate sample transport protocols. Our target is to provide sample results for 1,000 homes.Objective 2, Task 2: Analyze water samplesTwo samples will be collected from each participant. One sample will be delivered to CESE at UConn and analyzed for the following parameters: nitrate+nitrite-nitrogen, chloride, sulfate, fluoride, arsenic, uranium, lead, calcium, magnesium, manganese, iron, sodium, and pH. The other will be delivered to the Department of Natural Resources and the Environment Water Quality Laboratory (overseen by PI Dietz) and analyzed for turbidity, total coliform bacteria, and E. coli bacteria. All samples will be transported and stored at 4oC with appropriate holding times, and analyses will be performed according to U.S. EPA methods. Objective 2, Task 3: Deliver follow-up interpretation workshopsOnce results of well tests are delivered to residents, additional educational materials will be delivered to residents to help them interpret their results. This will be accomplished by project staff hosting a workshop to answer specific questions and disseminate information on specific contaminants. This will include describing what the results mean, what are the specific sources of contamination, and how to remedy pollution. Key behaviors to ensure a safe drinking water supply will be targeted.Objective 3, Task 1: Analyze pre-workshop survey data To assess background knowledge, participants in the preliminary workshops will be given a short online survey. This will be done using their smartphone, in a "low pressure", fun format to reduce potential test anxiety. There will be questions to assess their awareness/knowledge of private well issues such as what type of well they have, where groundwater comes from, when they last sampled their well water, and what potential contaminants might be. A five-point Likert scale will be used where appropriate to aid in assessment of change in knowledge (see Task 3). Demographic data will also be collected (e.g. race, ethnicity, level of education, age and gender). No personally identifiable information will be collected.Objective 3, Task 2: Administer follow-up survey At the end of the interpretation workshop, participants will be given a quick smartphone survey with the same questions to those identified in Obj. 3 Task 1 to assess change in knowledge. In addition to assessing changes in knowledge, we will also assess changes in behavior. Behavior actions targeted will include the following items:1) Treating their well if bacteria contamination is found2) Correcting well head issues that caused well contamination3) Repairing well if necessary4) Installing water treatment (e.g. ultraviolet disinfection, reverse osmosis)5) Performing follow-up testing of specific contaminants6) Performing routine annual follow-up testing on an ongoing basis Participants will be contacted via email within 2 months after the interpretation workshop to assess whether they acted on items 1-5 above. Item #6 will be assessed as an intention to perform annual follow-up.Objective 3, Task 3: Analyze follow-up survey dataThe survey data will be analyzed on an ongoing basis starting in the first quarter of the second year (see Figure 3). Change in response to Likert-scale questions will be assessed by calculating the mode of pre- vs. post-responses.
Project Methods
Objective 1, Task 1: Gather and brand educational resources for the programPreliminary work needs to be performed to gather existing resources from the Connecticut Department of Public Health, the Virginia Private Well Program, and existing material that the PIs have used in past educational settings. These will be combined to create a cohesive program to deliver to residents at the educational workshops.Objective 1, Task 2: Create project website A project web page will be added on the Connecticut Institute of Water Resources website (https://ctiwr.uconn.edu). The website will contain information about upcoming workshops and educational resources.Objective 1, Task 3: Advertise and host educational clinics/workshops Five educational workshops will be hosted in rural areas of Connecticut. They will be advertised through existing Extension outlets, including social media, websites, list-servs, health district offices, and Public Service Announcements on local television media outlets. These workshops may be in person or virtual, depending on COVID status. Information will be provided on the following topics: how domestic wells work, what is groundwater, common water quality parameters, causes of domestic well pollution, and how to collect a water sample. After the initial workshop, sample collection and analysis will be performed.Objective 2, Task 1: Plan sample collection events/collect samplesOnce residents have attended the initial educational workshop, those interested in getting their water tested at a reduced cost ($50/participant) will be directed to collect a water sample at their home and bring it to a central collection point on a specific day. Project staff will collect samples and bring them to the Center for Environmental Sciences and Engineering (CESE) at the University of Connecticut, using appropriate sample transport protocols.Objective 2, Task 2: Analyze water samplesTwo samples will be collected from each participant. One sample will be delivered to CESE at UConn and analyzed for the following parameters: nitrate+nitrite-nitrogen, chloride, sulfate, fluoride, arsenic, uranium, lead, calcium, magnesium, manganese, iron, sodium, and pH. The other will be delivered to the PI's Water Quality Laboratory and analyzed for turbidity, total coliform bacteria, and E. coli bacteria. All samples will be transported and stored at 4oC with appropriate holding times, and analyses will be performed according to U.S. EPA methods. Objective 2, Task 3: Deliver follow-up interpretation workshopsOnce results of well tests are delivered to residents, additional educational materials will be delivered to residents to help them interpret their results. This will be accomplished by project staff hosting a workshop to answer specific questions and disseminate information on specific contaminants. This will include describing what the results mean, what are the specific sources of contamination, and how to remedy pollution. Key behaviors to ensure a safe drinking water supply will be targeted.Objective 3, Task 1: Analyze pre-workshop survey data To assess background knowledge, participants in the preliminary workshops will be given a short online survey. This will be done using their smartphone, in a "low pressure", fun format to reduce potential test anxiety. There will be questions to assess their awareness/knowledge of private well issues such as what type of well they have, where groundwater comes from, when they last sampled their well water, and what potential contaminants might be. A five-point Likert scale will be used where appropriate to aid in assessment of change in knowledge (see Task 3). Demographic data will also be collected (e.g. race, ethnicity, level of education, age and gender). No personally identifiable information will be collected.Objective 3, Task 2: Administer follow-up survey At the end of the interpretation workshop, participants will be given a quick smartphone survey with the same questions to those identified in Obj. 3 Task 1 to assess change in knowledge. In addition to assessing changes in knowledge, we will also assess changes in behavior. Behavior actions targeted will include the following items:1) Treating their well if bacteria contamination is found2) Correcting well head issues that caused well contamination3) Repairing well if necessary4) Installing water treatment (e.g. ultraviolet disinfection, reverse osmosis)5) Performing follow-up testing of specific contaminants6) Performing routine annual follow-up testing on an ongoing basis Participants will be contacted via email within 2 months after the interpretation workshop to assess whether they acted on items 1-5 above. Item #6 will be assessed as an intention to perform annual follow-up.Objective 3, Task 3: Analyze follow-up survey dataThe survey data will be analyzed on an ongoing basis starting in the first quarter of the second year.The outcomes to be tracked and monitored include the following:Change in knowledge/awareness about domestic well water, water quality parameters, and their potential impact on health;Increased knowledge about what to do if an exceedance of a parameter is found;Increased knowledge on the need to test drinking water on a regular basis;Corrective actions initiated if exceedances of water quality parameters are found;Increased frequency of independent follow up testing.Change in knowledge will be assessed using pre/post workshop surveys. Changes in behavior/action will be assessed by follow-up communication with participants via email and online surveys to determine which actions have been performed.Project Performance Assessment PlanThe primary purpose of this project is to improve rural health outcomes through the promotion of routine drinking water quality testing among rural private well owners in Connecticut. These activities, if successfully implemented, will lead to the following outcomes: increased awareness of the proximate source of source of pollution, increased knowledge of water system characteristics and interpretation of testing results, changed perception of water quality, increased motivation to test drinking water quality on regular basis, and potential change of behavior such as increased frequency of drinking water testing and corrective actions as appropriate.Following the completion of the program, the private rural well owners will demonstrate increase in awareness and knowledge about domestic well water, water quality, potential health impact, corrective measures if an exceedance of a parameter is found, and the need to test drinking water on a regular basis. Next, the private well owners will demonstrate perception changes about water quality and increased motivation, which will lead to positive behavior (e.g., routine testing, corrective actions when an exceedance is found in drinking water, and increased frequency of independent follow up testing) and condition changes (reduced incidence of risks from water contamination and improved health status).The program faculty and staff will use the pretest-posttest comparison design to measure the intended program outcomes. A valid and reliable survey will be administered through Qualtrics to both the intervention groups and control groups at the entry and exit of the program. The data collected will be analyzed to determine whether the program is successful in achieving its original objectives or if the outcomes or changes can be attributed to the exposure of the intervention. Further, the demographic characteristics of the private rural well owners as well as the collaborators will be collected to determine if differences across the target population are significant. The program faculty and staff will also conduct annual follow-up surveys to continue monitoring the program participants behaviors following the completion of the project, which may inform the sustainability of the program intervention.