Water
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Water Safety is a critical environmental health issue, necessary to ensure the safety of individuals, families, and communities, eliminate health disparities, and change public health practice. Two out of every five Americans rate their quality of water as poor. A government report shows that within the next 10 years, at least 36 states will face water shortages. Contaminated water kills three million people annually, making it the single leading cause of death. The Model Aquatic Health Code (MAHC) is a collaborative effort of public health, academia, and industry to protect individuals, families, and communities from preventable waterborne diseases and injuries through evidence-based guidance. The Operator Training Module of the MAHC has been reposted after changes were made in response to the first round of public comments. This module will be open again for public comment when the complete MAHC is posted. It is being made available now as a resource for those updating their pool codes in the near future. 
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has launched a newly designed and updated website for the Safe Water System (SWS). The SWS was developed by the CDC and the Pan American Health Organization to address diseases that are attributed to unsafe water. The website houses information on SWS topics, including safe water storage, household water treatment, and resources for public health professionals and organizations to start a new SWS project. Drinking Water NACCHO partnered with George Washington University and the Association of Occupational and Environmental Health Clinics to provide a framework for partnerships among water utilities, local health departments (LHDs), and medical communities. This two-year effort was designed to increase knowledge of the key elements for successful communication collaborations. Water utilities, LHDs, and the medical community learned to pool their resources to address emergent threats to drinking water supplies. Funded by a grant from the American Water Works Association Research Foundation, the program outlined the components of an effective communication strategy. More » Waste Water
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and WaterISAC (Information Sharing and Analysis Center) are pleased to announce a free one year subscription to WaterISAC's Proservice. WaterISAC subscriptions are now available for local or tribal public health officials working on emergency response efforts. More » |
The EPA’s Office of Wastewater Management funded outreach efforts by NACCHO and the National Association of Counties (NACo) to increase county officials’ knowledge of on-site decentralized wastewater systems. The program assessed the need for cities and counties to reduce pollution from on-site decentralized wastewater systems and determined ways to increase their responsibilities in this area. 
