Jun 2, 2016

What Does a Scientist Look Like?

Drinking Water Act, Education, Public Water Systems, STEM 3 Comments

by Lisa Donahue

Thirstin’s water cycle

Recently, I had the opportunity to be the introductory speaker for Girls in Science Day at a local public elementary school. As the auditorium filled with a diverse group of girls and boys in kindergarten through fourth grades, I asked them to think, “What does a scientist look like? What does a scientist do?” The young students shared their ideas: wears a white lab coat, works with chemicals, wears safety goggles, blows things up. All good answers! I have no lab coat, but I have goggles, a hard hat, and safety shoes for field work. I don’t, however, blow things up.

The goal of the students’ day was science exposure, so I talked about all the different disciplines I’ve studied and used in my job as an environmental scientist here in EPA’s mid-Atlantic drinking water enforcement program. We talked about all of those “ologies” – biology, meteorology, toxicology, geology – and chemistry – and why you need to know about all of them to understand the water cycle and how contaminants move through the environment.

We also talked about where and how environmental scientists work: we work inside and outside; using computers and our scientific knowledge to ask questions and make good decisions about the environment. I even talked about the data we gather from public water systems to find out if they meet drinking water standards.

During my career as a scientist, I have spoken in classrooms countless times, and participated in events designed to foster girls’ interests in STEM topics. The organizers always thank me for my time, emphasizing the importance of having a “real scientist” talk to the students. Still, I always wonder: Will they remember anything about water pollution? Will they absorb my enthusiasm for my work?

During this presentation, I was asked a question I wasn’t expecting: “At your work, who does the most important science, boys or girls?” What a question! For me, the answer was easy: I said that we all work together, because I work with so many men and women who do the important work of protecting human health and the environment. I hope both the girls and boys remember that.

About the author: Lisa Donahue is an environmental scientist in EPA’s regional office in Philadelphia, and has degrees in biology and environmental education. In addition to her work in the Water Protection Division, she chairs EPA’s Federal Women’s Program National Council. She’s proud to be one of the many men and women scientists in public service.

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Feb 16, 2012

Your Comments Sought on Drinking Water Quality Report

drinking water, Drinking Water Use, In Your Backyard, Local Community, Partnership, Public Participation, Public Water Systems, Water Quality, What you can do 0 Comments

By Christina Catanese

WaterSupply_029

Each year by July 1^st, you should receive a short report (called a consumer confidence report or drinking water quality report) in the mail from your public water supplier that tells you two main things: where your water comes from and what’s in it. It’s an annual water quality report that a community water system is required to provide to its customers each year. The report lists the regulated contaminants found in your drinking water, as well as health effects information related to any violations of the drinking water standards.

If you’ve looked at these reports in the past, have you ever felt like there was information that wasn’t in them that you wished there was? Or you wished you could read the report online instead of in print? How could these reports be more valuable to you?

EPA will be holding an online public meeting on Thursday, February 23, 2012, to get your thoughts on these reports. EPA periodically reviews its existing regulations, and is right now seeking public input on the consumer confidence report rule.

Topics on the agenda include:

electronic delivery of the reports,
resource implications for implementing report delivery certification,
use of reports to meet public notification requirements,
how contaminant levels are reported in the consumer confidence reports,
and more!

YOU are invited to participate in this information exchange on the consumer confidence report rule and make your voice heard!

To participate in this listening session, you can register here. Can’t participate in the live meeting? You can also join the web dialogue discussions community. You can share and post comments on the dialogue in this online forum from February 23, 2012, to March 9, 2012.

For more information, please email CCRRetrospectiveReview@epa.gov.

About the Author: Christina Catanese has worked at EPA since 2010, and her work focuses on data analysis and management, GIS mapping and tools, communications, and other tasks that support the work of Regional water programs. Originally from Pittsburgh, Christina has lived in Philadelphia since attending the University of Pennsylvania, where she earned a B.A. in Environmental Studies and Political Science and an M.S. in Applied Geosciences with a Hydrogeology concentration. Trained in dance (ballet, modern, and other styles) from a young age, Christina continues to perform, choreograph and teach in the Philadelphia area.

Jun 9, 2011

Maintaining Healthy Waters in Emergencies

CDC, Drinking Water Use, Emergencies, In Your Backyard, Natural Disasters, Preparedness, Private Wells, Public Water Systems, Septic Systems, Water Quality, Water Security, water supply 0 Comments

By Christina Catanese

The CDC’s recent blog about emergency preparedness for the zombie apocalypse got us thinking about Healthy Waters in emergency situations, undead or otherwise. How can the safety of water and the health of people be maintained during an emergency, and what preparations can be taken in advance to be ready for any issues you may face before, during and after an event? Whether you are a citizen trying to protect your own health or a facility operator responsible for protecting the health of many others in your community, the best time to plan to protect your source of water is before an emergency. And whether the emergency involves zombies, a hurricane, or floods, preparedness for water emergencies is key.

Everyone depends on a safe supply of water to operate their business, a hospital or school. Water is needed to fight fires and it restores hope in communities hit hard by natural disasters. But natural disasters or other emergencies can disrupt drinking water supplies and wastewater disposal systems. Conservation or emergency disinfection orders can be issued to affected water system consumers in the aftermath of an event, if the safety of water supplies cannot be immediately ensured.

The tornado outbreak at the end of April 2011 hit states in the southeast the hardest, but in Region 3, storms in Virginia resulted in damage to a number of water systems in the southwestern part of the state, mainly because of power being knocked out by high winds. In some areas, boil water advisories were issued because the water was not safe to drink. Water systems and water treatment plants need power to treat and distribute water, so it’s important to restore power as soon as possible, either through emergency generators or priority restoration of service. This protects health of people (by ensuring that affected populations have access to safe drinking water), pets and water bodies (by making sure that waste gets treated before it is discharged to rivers).

Have your own septic system? Be aware of actions you need to take to protect you and your family if your system becomes flooded. Have a private well for your drinking water? Check out our blog “Is your well well?” for information about how to maintain the quality of your private well or disinfect it if necessary.

There are both planning and recovery efforts in any emergency event. That’s why EPA has provided resources on suggested pre- and post- disaster event activities to water facilities, like tabletop exercises, staff training, and facility evaluation. EPA has also provided grants to purchase emergency generators so they have a backup source of power in case of an outage. To learn more about emergency generators see our regional factsheet.

There’s also the Water/Wastewater Agencies Response Network, a network that lets water utilities in an emergency situation request the help of other utilities, which can provide emergency assistance, from people to equipment. It can also be used for smaller, non-disaster emergencies, as it was recently during a water main break in Harrisburg, when nearby water companies responded to the PaWARN activation to assist with the repairs. If your utility is not a member, contact your WARN Chair.

Have more questions about water security in the Mid Atlantic Region? Find out who to ask at EPA.

Have you assembled an emergency kit in your house, or taken any other preparatory measures for an emergency? Do you know of any preparations being done in your community? Get involved with community based resiliency!