An Analysis of Water Quality in Small Water Treatment Plants and Households in the Yucatán Peninsula, Mexico Público

Abstract

Background: With over 884 million people lacking access to safe water, private water
vendors offer drinking water to communities where public utilities do not exist or are
inadequate. Due to the informal nature of many private water vendors, there is often little
regulation of the quality of water they provide or the premium they charge their customers.
Living Waters for the World (LWW) is an organization that establishes small water
treatment plants in developing countries in order to create a sustainable business that
provides communities with safe drinking water at reduced cost.
Objective: This research project examined the quality of the water produced by the LWW
treatment plants to determine if it meets World Health Organization (WHO) guidelines for
drinking water. This study also analyzed household water samples from LWW customers in
order to assess the drinking water quality in the home and determine household risk factors
for recontamination of LWW drinking water.
Methods: LWW water treatment plants in four communities in Mexico were selected for
this study. Water quality at the plant was tested by membrane filtration to measure the
concentration of total coliforms (TC) and E. coli. Households in the study communities were
surveyed, and water samples were collected from home water storage containers and also
tested for TC and E. coli.
Results: LWW water treatment plants produced water that met WHO and national
guidelines for E. coli, but only 48% of the plant samples met the guidelines for TC suggesting
inadequate treatment by some plants. Household samples had higher TC and E. coli
concentrations (31.3 and 2.3 fold, respectively) than plant samples (p<0.0001, p=0.0130).
No household characteristics were significant predictors of household water contamination
with E. coli.
Discussion: The LWW water treatment plants produced water that consistently met WHO
and national standards for E. coli but not TC. Recontamination occurs in stored household
water before it is consumed. Further research is needed to analyze the source of LWW
drinking water contamination. Improved hygiene education for LWW customers may help
reduce in-home contamination and improve the quality of the water at the point of use.

Table of Contents

Objectives ............................................................................................................................................... 1
Introduction .......................................................................................................................................... 3
Background and Significance ................................................................................................... 5
Materials and Methodology ..................................................................................................... 31
Results .................................................................................................................................................... 42
Discussion ............................................................................................................................................ 60
Conclusion ........................................................................................................................................... 71
Recommendations ......................................................................................................................... 73
Future Research ............................................................................................................................... 74
Literature Cited ................................................................................................................................ 76
Appendix A .......................................................................................................................................... 81
Appendix B .......................................................................................................................................... 86

About this Master's Thesis

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• Permission granted by the author to include this thesis or dissertation in this repository. All rights reserved by the author. Please contact the author for information regarding the reproduction and use of this thesis or dissertation.

School	Rollins School of Public Health
Department	Hubert Department of Global Health
Degree	MPH
Submission	Master's Thesis
Language	English
Research Field	Health Sciences, Public Health
Palabra Clave	E. coli Mexico Water quality analysis Water Private Water Vendor
Committee Chair / Thesis Advisor	Moe, Christine L, Emory University
Committee Members	Levy, Karen, Emory University
Partnering Agencies	Emory University schools, faculty or affiliated programs National or regional non-profit organization (e.g., American Cancer Society)

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