Rapid: Impact of Hurricane Florence on Drinking Water Safety in Eastern and Central North Carolina: Rapid Assessment and Recommendations for Recovery and Resilience

飓风及其引发的洪水会对饮用水供应和服务产生负面影响。这些影响包括从服务中断到微生物和化学污染物的污染。飓风“佛罗伦萨”导致北卡罗来纳州养猪场和家禽养殖场密集的地区发生大面积洪水，导致人类和动物排泄物以及相关病原体释放到环境中。这些排放有可能污染附近的社区饮用水系统和私人水井，但这些影响的程度和持续时间尚不清楚。该项目的目的是评估佛罗伦萨飓风在北卡罗来纳州农场和化粪池系统密度高的地区造成的病原体释放的程度。本研究的更广泛目标是通过公民科学方法让当地居民参与监测受影响地区的水系统，并提出建议，以确定和解决水系统和畜牧业经营的脆弱性，以帮助改善针对极端天气事件的基础设施决策。飓风和其他极端天气事件可损害饮用水服务的安全性和连续性，并带来相关的不良健康后果。飓风佛罗伦萨严重影响了北卡罗莱纳州各县的养猪场和家禽养殖场，以及私人水井和化粪池系统，导致人类和动物排泄物（以及相关病原体）释放到环境中，有可能渗入并污染附近的社区饮用水系统和私人水井。在以前的飓风之后，已经观察到饮用水污染和疾病暴发的发生率增加，但这种污染和暴发事件的程度、持续时间和决定因素尚未得到很好的了解。我们建议评估受影响地区不同类型供水系统中多种健康问题病原体的程度和持续时间。这项工作将阐明极端天气事件对细菌的发生和持续的影响，重点是病原体和抗生素耐药细菌或（arb），病毒和原生动物在供水网络和私人水井附近的联合饲养动物（cafo），化粪池和污水系统，以及其他粪便废物来源。这些结果将用于提出初步建议，以解决已确定的脆弱性，改善易受灾地区人口的水质和相关健康结果，改善美国各种易受极端天气事件影响的环境中的基础设施和决策。这项工作的更广泛影响还将包括通过公民科学方法让当地居民参与监测受影响地区的供水系统，通过交流这项工作的结果，向社区成员通报受影响的公共和私人供水系统的相关风险，并向受影响地区的社区成员、公用事业公司、卫生部门和农业综合企业提供加强公共和私人供水系统弹性的建议。该奖项反映了美国国家科学基金会的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

Hurricanes and resulting flooding can negatively impact drinking water supplies and services. These impacts include everything from service disruptions to contamination by microbial and chemical pollutants. Hurricane Florence resulted in extensive flooding in areas of North Carolina with high densities of hog and poultry farms, resulting in the release of human and animal excreta and associated pathogens to the environment. These releases have the potential to contaminate nearby community drinking water systems and private wells, but the extent and duration of these impacts are not well understood. The objective of this project is to assess the extent of pathogen releases resulting from Hurricane Florence in areas of North Carolina with high densities of farms and septic systems. The broader goals of this research are to engage local residents in the monitoring water systems in impacted areas through a citizen science approach, and produce recommendations to identify and address vulnerabilities of water systems and animal agricultural operations to help improve infrastructure decision-making for extreme weather events. Hurricanes and other extreme weather events can impair the safety and continuity of drinking water services, with associated adverse health outcomes. Hurricane Florence severely impacted North Carolina counties with high densities of hog and poultry farms, as well as of private wells and septic systems, resulting in the release of human and animal excreta (and associated pathogens) to the environment, with the potential to infiltrate and contaminate nearby community drinking water systems and private wells. Increased occurrence of drinking water contamination and disease outbreaks has been observed following previous hurricanes, but the extent, duration, and determinants of such contamination and outbreak events are not well understood. We propose to assess the extent and persistence of multiple pathogens of health concern in different types of water supplies in impacted areas. This work will elucidate impacts of extreme weather events on occurrence and persistence of bacteria focusing on pathogens and antibiotic resistant bacteria or (ARBs), viruses, and protozoa in water supply networks and private wells near combined animal feeding operations (CAFOs), septic and sewage systems, and other fecal waste sources. These results will be used to produce preliminary recommendations to address identified vulnerabilities, to improve water quality and associated health outcomes for populations in disaster-prone areas to improve infrastructure and decision-making in a variety of US settings vulnerable to extreme weather events. The broader impacts of this work will also include engaging local residents in monitoring water systems in impacted areas through a citizen science approach, informing community members of risks associated with impacted public and private water systems through communication of the results of this work, and contributing recommendations for enhancing the resilience of public and private water systems to community members, utilities, health departments and agribusinesses in impacted areas.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.