Last summer, Clean Water for NC collaborated with the Research and Engagement for Action on Climate and Health (REACH) Center at George Washington University, working with on a pilot project (led by Dr. Xindi Hu) aiming to safeguard private well water quality and mitigate the impacts of hurricanes in North Carolina.  

We led the development of an equitable outreach strategy for post-hurricane private well stewardship, leveraging our mission of Environmental Justice, knowledge on well construction requirements, and local community expectations. 

Read the full technical report from the project team here! 

George Washington University developed Risks Maps, compromised of a hazard index (quantifies how a region is vulnerable to pollution sources), vulnerability index (measures how a region is vulnerable to groundwater contaminants), and a capacity index (captures the ability of a region to gather individual and collective resources to adapt to extreme climate events). Our mission at Clean Water for NC is to protect Environmental Justice by prioritizing our efforts to organize, educate and advocate with disproportionately impacted communities, leading our team to be particularly attentive to the information provided by the capacity index. 

Based on the risk maps developed by GWU and our engagement with all 26 Environmental Health Departments in Western NC, we selected Avery and Henderson Counties to prioritize our work. Our selection was based on the expressed interest of the Environmental Health Directors, the number of post-Helene well samples reported, and the severity of local flooding impacts.  

Through meetings with Mason Gardener, Toe River District Health Director, we were able to get a clear sense of where the most vulnerable communities were located. Utilizing his knowledge of flooding impacts and demographic characteristics of the county, and studying the risks maps developed by GWU, we were able to tailor our outreach to areas of highest concern for well contamination and lowest ability to respond to a contamination problem.  

We met with 17 households, conducted free well testing using kits available from the EHD, left educational flyers around homes and community center, and held a community event where residents came out to learn more about the importance of post-hurricane well testing and collect a free sample kit to test their water quality.

Relying mainly on the risks maps to identify areas of highest concern, we conducted extensive windshield surveying of the area, analyzed the county’s public water system maps, and were able to narrow down our outreach to the same parameters as in Avery County. In Henderson, the county had a very limited supply of free DHHS well testing kits.

We were able to connect with the nonprofit Wine to Water, a group continuously providing free well testing support post-Helene. We connected with residents in 18 homes and left flyers around community centers, using our collaboration with Wine to Water to provide residents with free well testing access. Most residents were unaware of the importance of well testing, and the availability of free access. 

Through this collaboration, we gathered valuable insight from well-owners and residents that faced the brunt of Hurricane Helene. This study increased our understanding of how the mapping of risk factors can aid in prioritizing disproportionately impacted areas for outreach and education. By using the risks maps, we were able to connect with and provide support to residents that had faced impacts from Helene but had not yet secured the safety of their drinking water.

Read the full technical report from the project team here!