Seasonal contamination of well-water in flood-prone colonias and other unincorporated U.S. communities.

Many of the six million residents of unincorporated communities in the United States depend on well-water to meet their needs. One group of unincorporated communities is the colonias, located primarily in several southwestern U.S.

Microplastic particle versus fiber generation during photo-transformation in simulated seawater.

Microplastic particles and fibers are increasingly being detected in our surface and ground waters as well as within a wide range of aquatic species. Their presence in the environment is largely due to in situ generation from physical and chemical weathering of larger plastics, and thus has left environmental community concerned in the post-banned era of microbead use in personal care products through the passage of Microbead-Free Waters Act in the United States. To improve understanding of secondary microplastic formation, accelerated weathering has been conducted on four materials (high-density polyethylene, high impact polystyrene, nylon 6, and polypropylene) under ultraviolet radiation (equivalent to 44 days in full sun) in simulated seawater.

Water quality and associated microbial ecology in selected Alaska Native communities: Challenges in off-the-grid water supplies.

The availability of safe water for potable purposes in Alaska Native communities is limited due to naturally occurring metals and contaminants released from anthropogenic activities, such as drilling and mining. The impacts of climate change are magnified in the arctic and sub-arctic regions and thus have the potential to mobilize contaminants and exacerbate the water contamination problem. Alaska Native communities are vulnerable to such changes in their water quality because of their remote location and limited access to resources.