An Assessment of Ambient Water Quality and Challenges with Access to Water and Sanitation Services for Individuals Experiencing Homelessness in Riverine Encampments

Abstract

Individuals experiencing unsheltered homelessness face significant barriers to accessing water, sanitation, and hygiene services, but the risks associated with this lack of access and barriers to service provision have been largely understudied. We analyzed water samples upstream and downstream of three homeless encampments in the San Diego River watershed and interviewed service providers from public and nonprofit sectors to assess local perceptions about challenges and potential solutions for water and sanitation service provision in this context. Water upstream from encampments contained detectable levels of caffeine and sucralose. Escherichia coli concentrations downstream of the encampments were significantly greater than concentrations upstream, but there was no significant change in the concentrations of other pollutants, including caffeine and sucralose. The HF183 marker of Bacteroides was only detected in one sample upstream of an encampment and was not detected downstream. Overall, there was insufficient evidence to suggest that the encampments studied here were responsible for contributing pollution to the river. Nevertheless, the presence of caffeine, sucralose, and HF183 indicated that there are anthropogenic sources of contamination in the river during dry weather and potential risks associated with the use of this water by encampment residents. Interviews with service providers revealed perceptions that the provision of water and sanitation services for this population would be prohibitively expensive. Interviewees also reported perceptions that most riverbank residents avoided contact with service providers, which may present challenges for the provision of water and sanitation service unless trust is first built between service providers and residents of riverine encampments.

Chemical and Microbial Markers for Discriminating Sanitary Sewer Contamination in Coastal, Urban Streams

“…A portion of the extracted RNA was reverse transcribed with the SuperScript IV First-Strand Synthesis System (Invitrogen) using random hexamers to produce cDNA, which was used to quantify targets on viruses with RNA genomes (PMMoV, HAV, and NoVGI). Primers, probes, and cycling conditions used for the ddPCR assays are described in Calderon et al 44 and Verbyla et al, 26 and are also summarized in Table S3. Quality assurance and quality control protocols are reported as recommended by Huggett et al 45 (see Table S4).…”

“…25 However, there is insufficient evidence to suggest that encampments are responsible for contributing pollution to the river during dry weather conditions, yet there are potential risks associated with the use of this water by encampment residents. 26 The relative contributions of these diverse human-associated microbial pollution sources to coastal urban waterways still elude water managers, and the uncertainty can lead to misidentifying the source of contamination, resulting in misdirected policies and efforts.…”

“…Homeless encampments have been considered to be another potential surface contributor of microbial contamination in urban streams due to the lack of sanitation systems available to people experiencing homelessness, which often leads to open defecation in river margins . However, there is insufficient evidence to suggest that encampments are responsible for contributing pollution to the river during dry weather conditions, yet there are potential risks associated with the use of this water by encampment residents . The relative contributions of these diverse human-associated microbial pollution sources to coastal urban waterways still elude water managers, and the uncertainty can lead to misidentifying the source of contamination, resulting in misdirected policies and efforts.…”

Role of Financial Resource Mobilization in Enhancing Sustainable Access to Water in Arid and Semi Arid Areas in Kenya

“…In most cases, families live in areas where this water is not available and even if it is available, it is not viable for consumption. Therefore, to ensure access to this precious commodity to the households, financial resources would be an integral input (Verbyla et al, 2021).…”

Exploring the invisible water insecurity of water utility shutoffs in Detroit, Michigan

“…To alleviate these issues, many ad-hoc encampments exist along rivers and canals, which then serve as water sources. However, this type of untreated surface water is often unsafe for drinking, with Verbyla et al ( 2021 ) finding that bacterial contamination increases as one moves downstream along the San Diego River. In addition, many purpose-built homeless encampments have inadequate or no sanitation infrastructure, contributing to the spread of disease within the tent cities.…”