EAGER: PPER: Enable Crowdsourcing in Microbial Water Quality Monitoring in Water Distribution Networks

EAGER：PPER：在配水网络中实现微生物水质监测的众包

• 批准号: 1743816
• 负责人: Tao Yan
• 金额: $ 10万
• 依托单位: University of Hawaii
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2017
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2017-09-01 至 2020-08-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=1743816&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: EAGER; PPER; Enable; Crowdsourcing; Microbial

Microbial contamination of drinking water within the distribution networks can occur at unspecified locations, at unspecified times, and due to diverse reasons, causing significant public health problems and uncertainties. The final critical control point against microbial contamination within the water distribution networks is at the tap where human water consumption occurs, yet water quality monitoring at the tap represents a major operational challenge to water utilities. This challenging problem, however, is an excellent opportunity for involving and motivating the public in water quality engineering research, as water customers are perfectly situated and often interested and motivated in knowing water microbial quality at their own homes. If enabling, low-cost tools are available to water customers, this could become an excellent example of how citizen science can be cultivated and harnessed to solve a complex and otherwise intractable water quality engineering problem. Two major technology gaps for involving citizens in this crowdsourcing approach include: (1) collecting reliable water microbial quality data within households and low-cost tools, and (2) encouraging and facilitating voluntary and efficient data sharing. The research goal of this project is to enable crowdsourcing by specifically and effectively addressing these two technology gaps. This project uses an iterative citizen consultation process to optimize a crowdsourcing approach that enables low-cost and high-quality measurements of total coliform and E. coli in drinking water samples by water consumers. Specifically, a commonly used EPA method is being adopted and modified for home implementation using commonly available household tools. The two research objectives are (1) to define, test, and optimize the proposed crowdsourcing approach, and (2) to investigate the feasibility of using an integrated device for one-step water sample collection and subsequent processing. The project involves a large group of undergraduate students at a largely commuter campus with diverse backgrounds as citizen scientists. Their participation not only provides feedback to the design, test, and optimization of the crowdsourcing approach, but also provides the participants with a great opportunity to understand the importance and complexity of water quality data collection in the distribution networks.

由于各种原因，供水管网中的饮用水可能在不特定的地点、不特定的时间受到微生物污染，从而造成重大的公共卫生问题和不确定性。供水管网中微生物污染的最终关键控制点是人类用水发生的水龙头，但水龙头的水质监测对供水公司来说是一个重大的运营挑战。然而，这个具有挑战性的问题是一个很好的机会，参与和激励公众在水质工程研究，因为水的客户是完美的位置，往往有兴趣和动机，在自己的家中了解水的微生物质量。如果水务客户可以使用低成本的工具，这可能成为一个很好的例子，说明如何培养和利用公民科学来解决复杂而棘手的水质工程问题。让公民参与这种众包方法的两个主要技术差距包括：（1）在家庭和低成本工具中收集可靠的水微生物质量数据;（2）鼓励和促进自愿和有效的数据共享。该项目的研究目标是通过具体有效地解决这两个技术差距来实现众包。该项目使用迭代的公民咨询过程来优化众包方法，从而实现低成本和高质量的总大肠菌群和大肠杆菌的测量。食水用户在食水样本中发现大肠杆菌。具体而言，正在采用和修改常用的EPA方法，以便使用常用的家用工具进行家庭实施。两个研究目标是（1）定义，测试和优化所提出的众包方法，以及（2）调查使用集成设备进行一步水样收集和后续处理的可行性。该项目涉及一个大的本科生群体在一个主要通勤校园不同背景的公民科学家。他们的参与不仅为众包方法的设计、测试和优化提供了反馈，还为参与者提供了一个很好的机会，让他们了解供水网络中水质数据收集的重要性和复杂性。

项目成果

Understanding the Microbiological Quality of Drinking Water at the Point of Consumption with Citizen Science

• DOI: 10.1021/acsestwater.3c00184
• 发表时间: 2023-07
• 期刊: ACS ES&T Water
• 作者: Bo Li;Xingnan Li;Prakit Saingam;T. Yan