Beyond the Pipes: How User Perceptions Influence Their Water and Wastewater Infrastructure Interactions in Texas Colonias
Publication: Journal of Sustainable Water in the Built Environment
Volume 9, Issue 1
Abstract
Informal settlements known as colonias in the US often lack access to infrastructure services or receive subpar services. Existing literature has focused on the dilapidated state of the physical infrastructure with less attention paid to how residents interact with their available systems while facing unreliable services. Using a survey carried out in 2018, this study explores the human–infrastructure interactions in residents of a non-border colonia in central Texas. Qualitative content analysis was used to explore how residents interact with their water and wastewater infrastructure within their household. Our study shows that residents’ perceptions of water safety influenced how residents used their household’s water infrastructure. Residents preferred alternative drinking water sources, seeking out bottled water. They also modified their services received via filtering and boiled drinking water from the tap. Importantly, the household income level was significantly associated with how residents interacted with water infrastructure, raising equity and cost issues. Regarding wastewater infrastructure, operational problems with septic tanks were the most pressing problems for residents. Maintenance costs were found to represent a barrier for residents precluding the sustainable operation of septic tanks in the long-term. Understanding how colonia residents respond to infrastructure challenges can enable policymakers to develop more effective and efficient policies for built-environment interventions. These findings should also prompt policymakers to assess state and local institutions’ roles as providers and enforcers of Texas water and environmental quality.
Get full access to this article
View all available purchase options and get full access to this article.
Data Availability Statement
Data used during the study are available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request.
References
Adams, E. A. 2018. “Thirsty slums in African cities: Household water insecurity in urban informal settlements of Lilongwe, Malawi.” Int. J. Water Resour. Dev. 34 (6): 869–887. https://doi.org/10.1080/07900627.2017.1322941.
Agbim, C., F. Araya, K. M. Faust, and D. Harmon. 2020. “Subjective versus objective energy burden: A look at drivers of different metrics and regional variation of energy poor populations.” Energy Policy 144 (Sep): 111616. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.enpol.2020.111616.
Alvarez-Smith, A. 2009. “Politics and the perpetuation of poverty in Arizona colonias.” J. Borderlands Stud. 24 (1): 51–61. https://doi.org/10.1080/08865655.2009.9695718.
Anders, R. L., T. Olson, K. Robinson, J. Wiebe, R. DiGregorio, M. Guillermina, J. Albrechtsen, N. H. Bean, and M. Ortiz. 2010. “A health survey of a Colonia located on the west Texas, US/Mexico border.” J. Immigrant Minority Health 12 (3): 361–369. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10903-008-9186-7.
Arasteh, R., R. A. Abbaspour, and A. Salmanmahiny. 2019. “A modeling approach to path dependent and non-path dependent urban allocation in a rapidly growing region.” Sustainable Cities Soc. 44 (Jan): 378–394. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scs.2018.10.029.
Araya, F., K. Faust, and J. A. Kaminsky. 2020. “Understanding hosting communities as a stakeholder in the provision of water and wastewater services to displaced persons.” Sustainable Cities Soc. 57 (Jun): 102114. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scs.2020.102114.
Araya, F., K. Faust, and K. Osman. 2019. “Assessment of water infrastructure interactions in US informal settlements.” In Proc., Int. Construction Specialty Conf. at the Canadian Society for Civil Engineering (CSCE) Annual Conf. Quebec: Canadian Society for Civil Engineering.
Bogolasky, F., and P. Ward. 2018. “Housing, health, and ageing in Texas colonias and informal subdivisions.” Curr. Urban Stud. 6 (1): 70–394. https://doi.org/10.4236/cus.2018.61004.
Chan, A. Y., and K. G. Hopkins. 2017. “Associations between sociodemographics and green infrastructure placement in Portland, Oregon.” J. Sustainable Water Built Environ. 3 (3): 05017002. https://doi.org/10.1061/JSWBAY.0000827.
Chini, C. M., and A. S. Stillwell. 2020. “One model does not fit all: Bottom-up indicators of residential water use provide limited explanation of urban water fluxes.” J. Sustainable Water Built Environ. 6 (3): 04020011. https://doi.org/10.1061/JSWBAY.0000916.
Cisneros, A. 2001. “Texas colonias, housing infrastructure issues.” Accessed November 1, 2019. https://www.dallasfed.org/-/media/Documents/research/border/tbecisneros.pdf?la=en.
Cox, A. H., M. J. Dowling, G. W. Loomis, S. E. Engelhart, and J. A. Amador. 2020. “Geospatial modeling suggests threats from stormy seas to Rhode Island’s coastal septic systems.” J. Sustainable Water Built Environ. 6 (3): 04020012. https://doi.org/10.1061/JSWBAY.0000917.
DelGrosso, Z. L., C. C. Hodges, and R. L. Dymond. 2019. “Identifying key factors for implementation and maintenance of green stormwater infrastructure.” J. Sustainable Water Built Environ. 5 (3): 05019002. https://doi.org/10.1061/JSWBAY.0000878.
Drinking Water Quality Report. 2014. “Drinking water quality report from the city of San Marcos.” Accessed February 28, 2022. https://www.sanmarcostx.gov/ArchiveCenter/ViewFile/Item/134.
Drinking Water Quality Report. 2015. “Drinking water quality report from the city of San Marcos.” Accessed February 28, 2022. https://www.sanmarcostx.gov/ArchiveCenter/ViewFile/Item/135.
Drinking Water Quality Report. 2016. “Drinking water quality report from the City of San Marcos.” Accessed February 28, 2022. https://www.sanmarcostx.gov/DocumentCenter/View/5927/COSM-CCR-2016?bidId=.
Durst, N. J. 2014. “Municipal annexation and the selective underbounding of colonias in Texas’ Lower Rio Grande Valley.” Environ. Plann. A 46 (7): 1699–1715. https://doi.org/10.1068/a130038p.
Durst, N. J., and P. Ward. 2014. “Measuring self-help home improvements in Texas colonias: A ten year ‘snapshot’study.” Urban Stud. 51 (10): 2143–2159. https://doi.org/10.1177/0042098013506062.
Durst, N. J., and J. Wegmann. 2017. “Informal housing in the United States.” Int. J. Urban Reg. Res. 41 (2): 282–297. https://doi.org/10.1111/1468-2427.12444.
Eisenhardt, K. M. 1989. “Building theories from case study research.” Acad. Manage. Rev. 14 (4): 532–550. https://doi.org/10.2307/258557.
EPA. 1999. “Decentralized systems technology fact sheet: Septic tank—Soil absorption systems.” Accessed March 12, 2020. https://nepis.epa.gov/Exe/ZyPDF.cgi/P1007ZQR.PDF?Dockey=P1007ZQR.PDF.
EPA. 2005. “Handbook for managing onsite and clustered (decentralized) wastewater treatment system.” Accessed March 12, 2020. https://nepis.epa.gov/Exe/ZyPDF.cgi/20017K2G.PDF?Dockey=20017K2G.PD.
EPA. 2017. “Why maintain your septic system.” Accessed March 12, 2020. https://www.epa.gov/septic/why-maintain-your-septic-system.
Faust, K. M., D. M. Abraham, and S. P. McElmurry. 2016. “Water and wastewater infrastructure management in shrinking cities.” Public Works Manage. Policy 21 (2): 128–156. https://doi.org/10.1177/1087724X15606737.
Faust, K. M., and J. A. Kaminsky. 2017. “Building water and wastewater system resilience to disaster migration: Utility perspectives.” J. Constr. Eng. Manage. 143 (8): 04017058. https://doi.org/10.1061/(ASCE)CO.1943-7862.0001352.
Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas. 2015. “Background | Las Colonias in the 21st century: Progress along the Texas-Mexico border.” Accessed April 9, 2018. https://www.dallasfed.org/∼/media/micrositefs/cd/colonias/background.html.
Flyvbjerg, B. 2006. “Five misunderstandings about case-study research.” Qual. Inq. 12 (2): 219–245. https://doi.org/10.1177/1077800405284363.
Furlong, C., S. De Silva, L. Guthrie, and R. Considine. 2016. “Developing a water infrastructure planning framework for the complex modern planning environment.” Util. Policy 38 (Feb): 1–10. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jup.2015.11.002.
Galaitsi, S. E., R. Russell, A. Bishara, J. L. Durant, J. Bogle, and A. Huber-Lee. 2016. “Intermittent domestic water supply: A critical review and analysis of causal-consequential pathways.” Water 8 (7): 274. https://doi.org/10.3390/w8070274.
Galvin, G. 2018. “On the border, out of the shadows.” Accessed July 23, 2020. https://www.usnews.com/news/healthiest-communities/articles/2018-05-16/americas-third-world-border-colonias-in-texas-struggle-to-attain-services.
Garcia, B., and M. Hernandez. 2011. “Water commodification in the lower Rio Grande Valley, Texas.” Accessed November 1, 201. https://oaktrust.library.tamu.edu/bitstream/handle/1969.1/148795/Garcia.pdf?sequence=1&isAllowed=y.
Garcia, L. B., C. Sobin, J. Tomaka, I. Santiago, R. Palacios, and W. S. Walker. 2016. “A comparison of water-related perceptions and practices among West Texas and South New Mexico Colonia residents using hauled-stored and private well water.” J. Environ. Health 79 (2): 14–21.
Gharaibeh, N. G., B. Valenzuela, J. Machado, and S. Cook. 2009. “Green approach for coping with the high cost of infrastructure services in US colonias.” J. Infrastruct. Syst. 15 (4): 417–424. https://doi.org/10.1061/(ASCE)1076-0342(2009)15:4(417).
Habitat, U. N. 2013. State of world’s cities 2012/13: Prosperity of cities. New York: United Nations.
Habitat, U. N. 2016. Slum Almanac 2015-2016: Tracking improvement in the lives of slum dwellers. Nairobi: United Nations Office at Nairobi.
Hernández, D., and S. Bird. 2010. “Energy burden and the need for integrated low-income housing and energy policy.” Poverty Public Policy 2 (4): 5–25. https://doi.org/10.2202/1944-2858.1095.
Hoornweg, D., and M. Freire. 2013. Building sustainability in an urbanizing world: A partnership report. Washington, DC: Urban Development & Resilience Unit.
Huo, T., X. Li, W. Cai, J. Zuo, F. Jia, and H. Wei. 2020. “Exploring the impact of urbanization on urban building carbon emissions in China: Evidence from a provincial panel data model.” Sustainable Cities Soc. 56 (May): 102068. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scs.2020.102068.
Jepson, W. 2014. “Measuring ‘no-win’ waterscapes: Experience-based scales and classification approaches to assess household water security in colonias on the US–Mexico border.” Geoforum 51 (Jan): 107–120. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.geoforum.2013.10.002.
Jepson, W., and H. Brown. 2014. “‘If no gasoline, no water’: Privatizing drinking water quality in South Texas colonias.” Environ. Plann. 46 (5): 1032–1048. https://doi.org/10.1068/a46170.
Jepson, W., and E. Vandewalle. 2016. “Household water insecurity in the Global North: A study of rural and periurban settlements on the Texas–Mexico Border.” Prof. Geogr. 68 (1): 66–81. https://doi.org/10.1080/00330124.2015.1028324.
Jorgensen, B., M. Graymore, and K. O’Toole. 2009. “Household water use behavior: An integrated model.” J. Environ. Manage. 91 (1): 227–236. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvman.2009.08.009.
Kaminsky, J., and E. Kumpel. 2018. “Dry pipes: Associations between utility performance and intermittent piped water supply in low and middle income countries.” Water 10 (8): 1032. https://doi.org/10.3390/w10081032.
Kin, B., S. Verlinde, and C. Macharis. 2017. “Sustainable urban freight transport in megacities in emerging markets.” Sustainable Cities Soc. 32 (Jul): 31–41. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scs.2017.03.011.
Kohler, L. E., J. Silverstein, and B. Rajagopalan. 2020. “Resilience of on-site wastewater treatment systems after extreme storm event.” J. Sustainable Water Built Environ. 6 (2): 04020008. https://doi.org/10.1061/JSWBAY.0000909.
Larson, J. E. 1995. “Free markets deep in the heart of Texas.” Geol. J. 84 (2): 179–260.
Madlener, R., and Y. Sunak. 2011. “Impacts of urbanization on urban structures and energy demand: What can we learn for urban energy planning and urbanization management?” Sustainable Cities Soc. 1 (1): 45–53. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scs.2010.08.006.
Marquez-Velarde, G., S. Grineski, and K. Staudt. 2015. “Mental health disparities among low-income US Hispanic residents of a US-Mexico border colonia.” J. Racial Ethnic Health Disparities 2 (4): 445–456. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40615-015-0091-1.
Martins, R., C. Quintal, L. Cruz, and E. Barata. 2016. “Water affordability issues in developed countries—The relevance of micro approaches.” Util. Policy 43 (Dec): 117–123. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jup.2016.04.012.
Montoya, J., I. Cartes, and A. Zumelzu. 2020. “Indicators for evaluating sustainability in Bogota’s informal settlements: Definition and validation.” Sustainable Cities Soc. 53 (Feb): 101896. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scs.2019.101896.
Morckel, V., and K. Terzano. 2019. “Legacy city residents’ lack of trust in their governments: An examination of Flint, Michigan residents’ trust at the height of the water crisis.” J. Urban Affairs 41 (5): 585–601. https://doi.org/10.1080/07352166.2018.1499415.
Mukhija, V., and P. Monkkonen. 2006. “Federal colonias policy in California: Too broad and too narrow.” Hous. Policy Debate 17 (4): 755–780. https://doi.org/10.1080/10511482.2006.9521589.
Mullen, J. D., K. C. Calhoun, and G. J. Colson. 2017. “Preferences for policy attributes and willingness to pay for water quality improvements under uncertainty.” Water Resour. Res. 53 (4): 2627–2642. https://doi.org/10.1002/2016WR019397.
Narayanan, S., A. T. Rajan, P. Jebaraj, and M. S. Elayaraja. 2017. “Delivering basic infrastructure services to the urban poor: A meta-analysis of the effectiveness of bottom-up approaches.” Util. Policy 44 (Feb): 50–62. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jup.2017.01.002.
Olmstead, S. 2004. “Thirsty colonias: Rate regulation and the provision of water service.” Land Econ. 80 (1): 136–150. https://doi.org/10.2307/3147149.
Pierce, G., and S. Jimenez. 2015. “Unreliable water access in US mobile homes: Evidence from the American housing survey.” Hous. Policy Debate 25 (4): 739–753. https://doi.org/10.1080/10511482.2014.999815.
Ramos, I. N., L. B. Davis, Q. He, M. May, and K. S. Ramos. 2008. “Environmental risk factors of disease in the Cameron Park Colonia, a Hispanic community along the Texas–Mexico border.” J. Immigrant Minority Health 10 (4): 345–351. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10903-007-9087-1.
Rowles, L. S., III, A. I. Hossain, I. Ramirez, N. J. Durst, P. M. Ward, M. J. Kirisits, I. Araiza, D. F. Lawler, and N. B. Saleh. 2020. “Seasonal contamination of well-water in flood-prone colonias and other unincorporated US communities.” Sci. Total Environ. 740 (Oct): 140111. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2020.140111.
Saldaña, J. 2009. The coding manual for qualitative researchers. London: SAGE.
Singer, R., T. H. Xu, L. N. S. Herrera, M. J. Villar, K. M. Faust, P. J. Hotez, A. R. A. Aiken, and R. Mejia. 2020. “Prevalence of intestinal parasites in a low-income Texas community.” Am. J. Trop. Med. Hyg. 102 (6): 1386–1395. https://doi.org/10.4269/ajtmh.19-0915.
Sobeck, J., J. Smith-Darden, M. Hicks, P. Kernsmith, P. E. Kilgore, L. Treemore-Spears, and S. McElmurry. 2020. “Stress, coping, resilience and trust during the Flint water crisis.” Behav. Med. 46 (3–4): 202–216. https://doi.org/10.1080/08964289.2020.1729085.
Sullivan, E., and C. Olmedo. 2015. “Informality on the urban periphery: Housing conditions and self-help strategies in Texas informal subdivisions.” Urban Stud. 52 (6): 1037–1053. https://doi.org/10.1177/0042098014533733.
TCEQ (Texas Commission on Environmental Quality). 2010. “Colonias.” Accessed July 23, 2020. https://www.tceq.texas.gov/.
Texas Department of Agriculture. 2019. “Colonia fund- construction (CFC).” Accessed January 24, 2020. https://texasagriculture.gov/GrantsServices/RuralEconomicDevelopment/RuralCommunityDevelopmentBlockGrant(CDBG)/CDBGResources/Applications/ColoniaConstructionFundApplicationandGuide.aspx.
Texas DOT. 2020. “County transportation infrastructure fund grant program (CTIF).” Accessed July 2, 2021. https://www.txdot.gov/government/funding/county-fund.html.
Texas Law Help. 2019. “Colonias in Texas.” Accessed September 30, 2020. https://texaslawhelp.org/article/colonias-texas#:∼:text=There%20are%20more%20than%202%2C294,the%20Texas%20Secretary%20of%20State.
The Attorney General of Texas. 2008. “Colonias.” Accessed July 23, 2020. https://www.texasattorneygeneral.gov/divisions/colonias.
TWDB (Texas Water Development Board). 2020. “Economically distressed areas program.” Accessed August 16, 2021. https://www.twdb.texas.gov/financial/programs/EDAP/index.asp.
UN DESA (United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs). 2018. World urbanization prospects, the 2018 revision. New York: UN DESA.
United Nations. 2014. “World urbanization prospects: The 2014 revision-highlights.” Accessed November 1, 2019. https://www.compassion.com/multimedia/world-urbanization-prospects.pdf.
Uribe, M. G., K. M. Faust, and J. Charnitski. 2019. “Policy driven water sector and energy dependencies in Texas border Colonias.” Sustainable Cities Soc. 48 (Jul): 101568. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scs.2019.101568.
US Census Bureau. 2019. “Quick facts Texas: United States.” Accessed February 24, 2022. https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/fact/table/TX,US/INC110219.
USDA. 2018. “Web soil survey.” Accessed March 11, 2020. https://websoilsurvey.sc.egov.usda.gov/App/HomePage.htm.
Ward, P. 2010. Colonias and public policy in Texas and Mexico: Urbanization by stealth. Austin, TX: University of Texas Press.
Ward, P., and J. Carew. 2000. “Absentee lot owners in Texas colonias: Who are they, and what do they want?” Habitat Int. 24 (3): 327–345. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0197-3975(99)00047-8.
Ward, P. M. 2019. “Learning from Latin America’s informal sector.” Latin Am. Res. Rev. 54 (1): 277–285. https://doi.org/10.25222/larr.589.
Ward, P. M., C. Olmedo, D. Rojas, and E. Sullivan. 2010. Housing conditions, sustainability and self help in rancho vista and redwood informal homestead subdivisions in central Texas. Austin, TX: Univ. of Texas.
Ward, P. M., and P. A. Peters. 2007. “Self-help housing and informal homesteading in peri-urban America: Settlement identification using digital imagery and GIS.” Habitat Int. 31 (2): 205–218. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.habitatint.2007.02.001.
Washington, S., M. Karlaftis, and F. Mannering. 2011. Statistical and econometric methods for transportation data analysis. 2nd ed. Boca Raton, FL: Chapman & Hall/CRC.
Withers, P. J., P. Jordan, L. May, H. P. Jarvie, and N. E. Deal. 2014. “Do septic tank systems pose a hidden threat to water quality?” Front. Ecol. Environ. 12 (2): 123–130. https://doi.org/10.1890/130131.
World Bank. 2015. “Urbanization in Africa: Trends, promises, and challenges.” Accessed May 21, 2020. https://www.worldbank.org/en/events/2015/06/01/urbanization-in-africa-trends-promises-and-challenges.
Yang, E., and K. M. Faust. 2019. “Human–water infrastructure interactions: Substituting services received for bottled and filtered water in US shrinking cities.” J. Water Resour. Plann. Manage. 145 (12): 04019056. https://doi.org/10.1061/(ASCE)WR.1943-5452.0001126.
Information & Authors
Information
Published In
Journal of Sustainable Water in the Built Environment
Volume 9 • Issue 1 • February 2023
Copyright
© 2022 American Society of Civil Engineers.
History
Received: Aug 31, 2021
Accepted: May 20, 2022
Published online: Sep 16, 2022
Published in print: Feb 1, 2023
Discussion open until: Feb 16, 2023
Authors
Metrics & Citations
Metrics
Citations
Download citation
If you have the appropriate software installed, you can download article citation data to the citation manager of your choice. Simply select your manager software from the list below and click Download.
Cited by
- María-Elena Giner, Santiago A. Tellez-Cañas, Cassandra L. Giner, Assessing the impact of wastewater infrastructure along the Texas-Mexico Border: Did we make a difference on contagious diseases?, Environmental Science & Policy, 10.1016/j.envsci.2022.12.008, 141, (126-137), (2023).