Collaborative Research: RAPID: Assessment of Water Quality in Puerto Rico after Hurricane Maria

Hurricane Maria made landfall in Puerto Rico on September 20th, 2017. This hurricane has devastated much of the Puerto Rico's water collection, treatment, and supply system. Given this impact, a unique and important opportunity exists to conduct a detailed evaluation of water quality during the restoration of potable water service. There are two main concerns regarding this restoration effort. The first concern is regarding the water quality of the centralized water treatment and distribution system governed by the Puerto Rico Aqueduct and Sewer Authority (PRASA). As the system returns to full operation, there is the potential for human pathogens, disinfection byproducts, and other organic and heavy metal contaminants to be released into the water. Such releases have the potential for wide-spread public health impacts. The second concern is in the restoration of smaller scale community water supply systems that are not associated with PRASA. Here, contamination of the source water to these small-scale distribution systems, could also result public health impacts. The results of this research will help to evaluate potential health impacts, potentially identify sources of contamination, and help communities understand how to better protect the water supply.<br/><br/> <br/>The main objective of this RAPID proposal is to conduct a systematic survey and evaluation of water quality in several Puerto Rican potable water systems, focusing on both chemical and microbiological components. The main outcome from this project will be a point-of-use water quality retrospective of the near-term aftermath of Hurricane Maria, including an analysis of potential relationships between the chemistry and microbiology compromised water treatment and distribution systems. The proposed research will provide information on potential relationships chemical and microbiological agents in a seriously compromised tropical setting. Given the scope of water samples collected, this project will the engineering community to better understand water related exposures relevant to public health.