Drinking water quality in rural Alaska: Addressing socioeconomic challenges from molecular level insights

Professor and Hussein M. Alharthy Centennial Chair, Department of Civil Engineering 

Director, Center for Water and the Environment

University of Texas at Austin 

Providing water services in rural communities is a complex endeavor. Intertwined environmental, economic, and social factors can create barriers to reliable water services in communities. For instance, melting permafrost can threaten the structural integrity of infrastructure, or a lack of trained workforce can lead to system neglect. Geographic isolation of communities can lead to extreme challenges for construction and maintenance.

As a result, water utilities serving these communities often incur violations either due to water quality or insufficient monitoring. This presentation focuses on water quality results from a recent study of drinking water in homes that receive hauled water from a groundwater sourced water treatment system in the Yukon-Kuskokwim region of Alaska. 

Katz has over thirty years of experience examining the application of aquatic surface chemistry to understanding the fate and transport of contaminants in the environment and toward the development of treatment technologies for contaminated water and soil. Her current research has a strong focus on improving water treatment for underserved communities.