Point-of-Entry Ultraviolet Water Treatment Program in the US Virgin Islands: Final Program Results
Publication: Journal of Environmental Engineering
Volume 149, Issue 10
Abstract
US small islands are at increased risk of water insecurity due to climate change compared to mainland communities. Utilizing multiple water sources can provide improved climate change resilience but may increase a household’s water management burden and risk of exposure to poorer quality water. In the US Virgin Islands, the majority of households rely on roof-harvested rainwater while supplementing with desalinated water provided by trucks or the municipal system. Given this potential managerial burden, Love City Strong conducted a 2.5-year water management pilot program to provide participants with an ultraviolet (UV) water treatment system, replacement parts, operational training, and water testing for one year. Preliminary data were reported previously; however, the program was completed in October 2021 having served 66 households and provided post-treatment water tests. The final data suggested 7.7% of post-treatment tap samples (5.8% without outliers) and 66% of cistern samples had detectable levels of E. coli. This data provides further evidence of the success of this water management pilot program and, along with previously published program component data, can be used to craft an island- or territory-wide water treatment and management program to support household access to potable water.
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Data Availability Statement
All data, models, or code that support the findings of this study are available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request.
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Information & Authors
Information
Published In
Journal of Environmental Engineering
Volume 149 • Issue 10 • October 2023
Copyright
© 2023 American Society of Civil Engineers.
History
Received: Mar 16, 2023
Accepted: May 26, 2023
Published online: Jul 25, 2023
Published in print: Oct 1, 2023
Discussion open until: Dec 25, 2023
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