Collaborative Research: RAPID: Assessment of Water Quality in Puerto Rico after Hurricane Maria

PI：Fernando L. Rosario-Ortiz合作研究：快速：飓风玛丽亚之后的波多黎各水质评估飓风玛丽亚于2017年9月20日在波多黎各（PR）登陆。这场飓风的后果继续伤害许多波多黎各公民，因为该岛的基础设施受到破坏性影响，重建工作仍在继续，鉴于飓风玛丽亚对供水基础设施的影响，现在有一个独特而重要的机会，可以对与恢复饮用水服务有关的水质问题进行详细评价。 主要有两个问题。第一个问题是与波多黎各水道和下水道管理局（PRASA）管理的集中水处理和分配有关的水质。在这些系统中，与启动和恢复正常状态相关的处理问题可能会导致不可预测的水质，表现为通过水分配的更高水平的潜在病原体，消毒副产物和其他有机污染物。此外，供水系统的完整性可能会因水质变化而受到损害，因为水质变化会调动金属和潜在的泄漏点。这些情况导致人口接触潜在有毒或致病物质的风险增加，有可能对公共卫生产生广泛影响。还有一个问题是与PRASA无关的较小社区系统。在这里，地表水的污染，加上基础设施的崩溃，可能会产生破坏性影响。这一快速发展方案的主要目标是对波多黎各几个饮用水系统的水质进行系统调查和评价，重点是化学和微生物组成部分。该项目的主要成果将是回顾飓风玛丽亚近期后果的使用点水质，包括分析化学和微生物学受损水处理和分配系统之间的潜在关系。拟议的研究将提供关于化学物剂和微生物剂在严重受损的热带环境中的潜在关系的信息。 鉴于所收集水样的范围，本项目将有助于工程界更好地了解与公共卫生有关的水暴露。

PI: Fernando L. Rosario-OrtizCollaborative Research: RAPID: Assessment of Water Quality in Puerto Rico After Hurricane MariaHurricane Maria made landfall in Puerto Rico (PR) on September 20th, 2017. This hurricane's legacy continues to harm many Puerto Rican citizens because of the devastating impact to this Island's infrastructure and the continuing struggle to rebuild it. Given the impacts that Hurricane Maria had on the water infrastructure, a unique and important opportunity exists to conduct a detailed evaluation of water quality issues related to the restoration of potable water service. There are two main concerns. The first concern is regarding the water quality associated with centralized water treatment and distribution that is governed by the Puerto Rico Aqueduct and Sewer Authority (PRASA). In these systems, treatment issues associated with start-up and return to normalcy will likely cause unpredictable water quality that manifest itself in higher levels of potential pathogens, disinfection byproducts and other organic contaminants through water distribution. In addition, the integrity of the distribution system could be compromised by changes in water quality that mobilize metals and potential leakage points. These conditions result in an increased population exposure risk to potentially toxic or pathogenic agents, with potential for wide spread public health impacts. There is also the concern with the smaller community systems, that are not associated with PRASA. Here, contamination of surface water, combined with the collapse of the infrastructure, could have damaging effects. The main objective of this RAPID proposal is to conduct a systematic survey and evaluation of water quality in several Puerto Rican potable water systems, focusing on both chemical and microbiological components. The main outcome from this project will be a point-of-use water quality retrospective of the near-term aftermath of Hurricane Maria, including an analysis of potential relationships between the chemistry and microbiology compromised water treatment and distribution systems. The proposed research will provide information on potential relationships chemical and microbiological agents in a seriously compromised tropical setting. Given the scope of water samples collected, this project will the engineering community to better understand water related exposures relevant to public health.