Water Quality at California Universities

Presenter: Wendy St. John

Co-Presenter(s):
Lily Alvarez, Paige Ragsdale, Hunter Santsche, Madison Templeton

Presenter Status: Faculty

Academic Year: 19-20

Semester: Spring

Department: Biology

Screenshot URL: https://drive.google.com/uc?id=1A50vHkFfVgSs13l-NQ0GeGRFAq1Z2UuB

Abstract:
We compared drinking water quality parameters and source/delivery infrastructures for five California universities in order to synthesize reported data that are publicly available. Two of the universities rely on well systems, whereas the remaining three draw on municipal sources. We found similar levels of dissolved lead, copper and chloride across the different schools. Data revealed that tap water at all universities met the federal maximum contaminant levels, however, some schools exceeded California’s public health standards for copper and lead. Our results indicate that the universities that utilize well water tend to have lower contaminant levels than those that draw on common municipal sources. These results improve our understanding of water quality as it relates to water source management across the state of California.