The Organization of Peace Tree has hired researchers in efforts to determine the water
contamination crisis in New Harbor City. There are growing concerns as to what is in the water
and how it is affecting its residents. To examine these findings they will analyze statistical data
and surveys giving clues to what has happened in Delaware. Peace Tree is an international nonprofit organization, which was established in 2011. The
main headquarters is based in Washington, D.C., and currently has “200 chapters around the
world.” Peace Tree’s primary focus is the environment, and how the environment has been
affected throughout the years from different sources of pollutants. The Delaware Chapter in New
Harbor City, has seen a growing problem of pollution caused by waste within recent years. Since
these events, the Executive Director for the New Harbor Chapter, Susan McDonald, continues to
advocate for change, ensuring the safety of the biodiversity and providing stability for the
environment.
In assessing the possible sources of pollutants, there are several areas for concern for
Peace Tree. Although biodegradable materials decompose naturally, effects from the natural
process can create pollutants in the environment. In recent years, concerns have especially grown
over non-degradable materials that contain compounds such as dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane
(DDT), and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), which cannot be removed from the environment
once it is there. These compounds produce dangerous levels of radioactive materials that can
spread into the water supply, food sources, livestock and other animals. Water pollution cases
have seen a spike in part due to industrial waste, agricultural chemicals, and other negligent
practices that affect water in its natural resources. Pesticides is a good example of what can cause
water contamination. Aside from the industrial usage, pesticides are used by many, such as
homeowners, farmers, and in open fields. During the use of these chemicals, they can eventually
seep into streams and rivers, leading into different geographic locations and local community
water systems, resulting in the contamination of fresh drinking water used for human
consumption. According to the Environmental Protection Agency, the farming industry has also had an
impact on water contamination. EPA has asserted that, “because ground water generally moves
slowly, contamination often remains undetected for long periods of time.”(epa.gov) This
particular statement by the EPA is alarming, because health issues may not be correlated to water
contaminants until it is too late. Environmental changes, such as global warming can also
become a factor in increasing the possibilities of water contamination. An altered water cycle can
raise levels of damage to the ecosystem and to environmental degradation. These changes in the
water cycle can result in changes within the farming industry; practices can have harmful effects
to crops, thus making drinking water unsafe for consumption. Providing funding and educational
services can help bring awareness to safe practices in avoiding contamination in the water system
because of climate change. (PrüssÜstün, 2006).
Peace Tree is primarily concerned with the local water system, because of the possible
outbreaks of diseases that can be propagated through bacteria and viruses in a failing farming
industry that is unsustainable. Bacterial growth is directly correlated with health concerns
regarding ground water; this natural resource has been in a steep decline and has been depleting
throughout the years. The surrounding environment around ground water has suffered because of
its growing depletion and scarcity. As stated by Cork, water contamination has been a major
contributor of human morbidity which leads to major outbreaks in diseases (Cork, 2010).
Improper waste disposal has a tremendous negative impact on the environment and
society, creating negative long-term effects. Communities produce waste by the products they
consume in their homes and businesses. Products today, contain chemicals such as mercury, and
flame retardant chemicals that can cause health issues such as birth defects and carcinogenic
properties. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), protects all aspects of the environment such as water, land, and air; they work closely together with other departmental agencies and
local governments regarding these issues. The EPA has pushed stakeholders to pass laws on the
state and local levels protecting the environment. These policies ensure that all parties involved
remain in compliance with these mandates. Peace Tree is collaborating with Alec Coppel, who is
a Democratic Councilman who is running for Mayor of New Harbor City. By pushing for
tougher laws and stricter guidelines, this will force corporations and businesses to diminish waste
products released into the environment. Additionally, Mr. Coppel can use the environment as his
political platform to demonstrate how to minimize waste, and create a task force of inspectors to
enforce proposed legislation.
The study conducted by Peace Tree will evaluate and develop ways to continue to
regulate the water system. Peace Tree will use the data for the implementation of compliance,
policy and regulatory analysis that will come from the collected surveys. This survey can assist
in the implementation of the financial need and capacity to improve the water system, water
infrastructure, and compliance. The survey conducted in New Harbor City, Delaware, had a
response rate of 72 percent; 95 percent of the respondents were New Harbor City residents who
volunteered to take part in the survey.
The survey conducted was based on the random sampling of 1,527 residents from the
town of New Harbor who were of 21 years and older. Each sampling includes a quota of 65% of
survey responses, and 35% of face-to-face interviews. By including open-ended questions
regarding party affiliations, in recent years, the data showed more Democrats have taken notice
of the environmental issues, but are the current political minority in New Harbor City. This is
instrumental information for the Peace Tree organization, and Councilman Alec Coppel in
strategizing for a non-partisan presentation. It is essential that the Peace Tree organization and Mr. Coppel maintain this strategy in order to garner support across party lines, and regard the
environment as a unifying issue for all residents.
Water quality issues can affect residents differently; these issues can be categorized into
varied groups that share similarities, which in turn can be expanded into sub categories. Subcategories can be broken down through affordability of clean water distribution, neighborhoods,
accessibility, and other concerns brought about open-ended questions in the survey. By
separating and collecting similar water quality issues arrived from the latter, these can serve as
thematic templates, and can make it easier to develop managerial tools for its residents and
provide resolutions. This strategy can assist Peace Tree, scientists, policy makers, and other
experts on how to provide better water quality for New Harbor City. In this regard, using
statistical information is beneficial for qualitative decisions in reference to the overall effects on
the water quality solutions. Developing chronological base lines can also help to determine
percentages of contaminants either in ascending or descending amounts, highlighting the
different times of the year. If a policy or procedure is explored, such as a water treatment, the
information gathered in a thematic sub-category can facilitate in determining if such a strategy
will yield the desired results. In addition, the data can be composed in a format that is relatable to
the public. This can be done in a simplistic form of “mean and median.” (Demayo and Steel,
1996).
Statistical methods can serve as a reference for classification of what is causing the
pollutants and the estimation of how long it has been taking place. The data can link the impact it
has had on the water system, the kinds of pollutants such as pesticides, chemicals from factories,
and waste management, which are a few of the contributing factors to this issue. The information
gathered from said research can be used for policy analysis that can inform local and state government of the early warning signs. However, additional information should be included in a
survey, which can be obtained for future links in the biological degradation and side effects,
which can also occur from hazardous waste exposure and consumption.
In addressing these issues, researchers will interview participants and collect water
samples to determine the source of the contamination. In assessing this data, the determination
will be to narrow down the culprits, and see if it’s being carried out by farmers within the area or
a direct result of mismanaged waste of its own citizens. The number of people who have fallen ill
can also be projected by the exact location they reside in, and determining the distance from the
pollution source. According to the Center for Disease Control (CDC), millions of Americans fall
ill as a result of contaminated water, and it is occurring in more rural areas of the United States.
The CDC reports that a water systems that provides for less than 500 residents, usually
has 50 or more health violations within the US since 2015. The data in the New Harbor City’s
case, demonstrated that health officials and elected officials did see a major need for stronger
regulations for their town’s water system. Additionally, financing these efforts to further research
for the effects of contaminated water would create a financial burden on the town that can result
in diminishing the emphasis of the overall health issues and benefits to extend awareness. This
has led Councilman Alec Coppel to advocate on behalf of the Peace Tree organization, and
influencing the decision making process to overcome the disparities in the community of New
Harbor City, and improving the quality of water. The table created throughout the research
process can gives insights to the some of the demographics in New Harbor.
The secondary data used will be the quasi-experiment, this data design will help
determine if the contamination issues has been seen in the past by the Department of Public works in the town, or if it comes from a private source being used by the residents of New
Harbor City. Although there have been issues with the public water system, previous testing of
water levels in the private sector can provide specific results. The results can determine if this
issue results from social economic differences between neighborhoods and water companies used
for water sources. Is there a difference between companies obtaining water from upper stream
areas vs lower stream areas within the town? This experiment will be conducted in the event the
survey lacks the degree of control needed to obtain accurate results. The researcher can study the
effects of water contamination, and can study the surrounding towns that would consist of the
same similarities. The group being taken into account would be a mere comparison since it will
not be a controlled group making it a nonequivalent group design. The combination of multiple
sources can help ultimately monitor the researcher’s own data, based on the findings of other
similar data. The negative aspects of using secondary data is that it can become time consuming
and expensive.
The data will be collected from National Water data bases, that monitors the quality of
water in the United States called the National Water Quality for the Natation (NWIS) and the
Storage and Retrieval and Water Quality Exchange (STORET), combining the data from the two
largest databases known will provide information from multiple organizations. Below is an
example of a table that represents the number of organizations based on data from STORET.
Table 1. The numerous organizations surveyed and the % surveyed data associated with the EPA.
Organizational group Number of individual Percent of surveyed organizations data Federal 19 33 Regional 6 0.71 Organizational group Number of individual Percent of surveyed organizations data State 100 50 County 130 0.77 Non-governmental 108 11 24 2.7 organization
Private
Residents 17
0.13
https://www.epa.gov/waterdata/storage-and-retrieval-and-water-quality-exchange Based on the organizations in the table collected Peace Tree along with other organizations can
determine the current and future laws affiliated with water contamination, providing a more
effective way to enforce regulations. Since Peace Tree opened seven years ago, there have been
legislative efforts put in place to regulate the release of toxins in the water in the surrounding
waters of New Harbor City. By collecting sources and data from the EPA, one can determine
what changes if any have been made to continue to preserve the water quality. Independent
variables can influence the dependent variables. The researchers in the case of New Harbor City,
can conclude that the independent variable is defined by the water contamination the town has
been facing from 2011-2017. The specific pollutants are agricultural waste, pesticides and
plastics. This research will follow the possible causes of pollution such as its residents,
businesses, and neighboring towns.
Water quality has become a global issue and the effects have been increasing in the
United States. Water is an important resource used in the United States for farmers, vegetation,
and varying fish species and for drinkable use. Throughout the years, the attention to this
problem has shifted to the United States. In recent years, various pollutants are affecting many of our lakes, rivers, and oceans. According to the United Nations by the year 2025, there will be
billions of people living in areas where the water supply will become scarce and with little to no
fresh drinkable water. (UNEP, 2007) The issue in New Harbor City can be seen in other states
and cities, such as Jacksonville, Florida, where 23 distinctive chemicals were located in recent
water tests.
According to the Center for Disease Control, the toxins found can cause irrevocable
organ damage and brain damage. In Pensacola, Florida, water waste from factories from nearby
farms has been seeping into the water systems, including the issue with the recent oil spill in the
Gulf of Mexico. In this case, the EPA located 45 pollutes that contained dangerous levels of
chloroform and cyanide. In a final example, in Houston, Texas, water supply has been affected
by the surrounding nuclear power plants and factories, which have raised grave concerns. The
chemicals found in the water, have been known to produce radioactive waste from Alpha
particles, which have been known to cause bone cancers and severe birth defects. According to
sources, the Delaware creeks and streams are 94 percent contaminated. Delaware is at risk for
endangering their state’s water supply if it is not corrected. (Montgomery, Murray, 2014)
Therefore, all data in reference to water pollutants collected can provide Peace Tree with insights
to avoid further water contamination.
Although today there are many resources and data on biodiversity, it can be difficult to
quantify all of these issues, which will continue to evolve over time. These changes, can be the
direct result on the influence people have on the ecosystem as a whole, and has been attributed to
human survival. Biological diversity consists of many aspects of everyday life. The monetary
value has been increasing economic costs, including examples such as irrigation, soil treatment,
and pollination that requires funding in order to treat and execute. There is also an increased risk for diseases that can affect a person’s health from the interactions between animals and humans.
Unpredictable weather can also have an impact on creating destruction and drought, which
directly affects the environment.
Another issue that can be looked at is how Waste Management (WM) regulates codes and
ordinances throughout Delaware. Although practices can vary from state to state, they are
responsible for the disposal of waste from industrial, commercial, and collection of residential
waste. The issues that can arise are the collection methods used, based on their waste collection
system and disposal of solid waste transported to landfills. The chart below from the EPA.org
website, demonstrates an example of a implemented waste system, and projections throughout
the years What role has WM played in facilitating a comprehensive plan to ensure that the community they
serve are discarding materials accordingly? Waste Management is instrumental in addressing
issues that are in violation of current policies, resulting in contamination. According to an article
for CNN, Gutierrez and Webster, expressed that “in 2010, Americans accumulated 250 million tons of garbage, and it is no longer sustainable in the United States.” (Gutierrez and Webster,
2012) The environment clearly has felt the impact landfills have made, and how they are now
being managed throughout the country. Consumer products that Americans utilize, are also
affecting the environment, due to a lax approach in regulations. Companies that are producing
these toxic products within our environment which result in contamination are not being held
accountable. According to an organization called Toxics Action Center.org, “industry lobbyists,
regulation… currently make it difficult for communities or states to effectively regulate waste
management facilities, and difficult to devote resources to recycling or waste reduction
programs.” (toxicsaction.org) 2013
2014
2015
2016
2017 17%
10%
24%
25%
41% 10%
40%
15%
20%
28% Mercury vs Lead
New Habor City
45%
40%
35%
30%
25%
20%
15%
10%
5%
0%
2013 2014 2015
Mercury 2016 2017 Lead The Peace Tree affiliates and scientists, who are leading the investigation, developed the above
graphs. As you can see, they have determined that the water in New Harbor City has had past
issues with contamination of Mercury (Hg), and Lead (Pb). As demonstrated in the chart, you
can see there was a spike in Lead during the year 2013-2014, while it suddenly declined towards the year 2015, and steadily rising once again. The interesting aspect of this data is that during the
year 2013-2015, you see a sudden spike in Mercury levels and it is steadily rising. Mercury can
occur when particles are released in the air and fall into areas of water. Mercury has bacteria that
then becomes absorbed in the water by organism. Mercury gets into the environment by fires,
soil, medical waste, and industrial waste from companies. However, according to the EPA
citizens are the cause of at least 50% of the exposure to Mercury; in addition to residential
building that provides incinerators that dispose of waste, burn mercury-containing products
during the processing phase. Under the Clean Air Act Amendment: Section 112, The United
States Environmental Protection Agency listed Mercury as one of several air pollutants. Current
Mercury level is number two on the EPA list for water impairment in the U.S, the estimated
amounts are in the thousands since 2009. (iaspub.epa.gov) Below is current list provided by the
EPA of Delaware, showing the probable cause of contamination in the overall water system for
the State of Delaware. Probable Source
Agriculture
Natural Sources
Source Unknown
On-Site
Treatment
Systems (Septic
Systems And
Similar Dedecentralized
Systems)
Municipal Point
Source
Discharges
Industrial Point
Source Discharge
Rcra Hazardous
Waste Sites Probable Source
Group
Agriculture
Natural/Wildlife
Unknown % Threated/impaired
847.9
423.5
247.5 Municipal
Discharges/Sewag
e 172.1 Municipal
Discharges/Sewag
e 118.4 Industrial 105 Industrial 10 Combined Sewer
Overflows
Site Clearance
(Land
Development Or
Redevelopment)
Construction
Stormwater
Discharge
(Permitted) Municipal
Discharges/Sewag
e 9.3 Construction 8.2 Construction 8.2 Landfills
https://iaspub.epa.gov/waters10/attains_state.control?p_state=DE&p_cycle=2006#total_assessed_waters Another contaminating source located in the water was Lead. This contaminant was at an alltime high between the years 2013-2015, and has diminished slightly 2015-2017. Lead can come
from everyday products used, such as lead-based paint, batteries, and metal products. This has
raised health concerns throughout the United States, and has been detected in the human body,
specifically in its blood stream. Unlike Mercury that is released in the air, Lead does not occur in
natural water. Lead tends to come from pipes that contain corrosion and as a result, produces
high lead levels in the tap water people drink. Old water wells can contain Lead, creating a
chemical reaction and seeping into the water. With the information discovered by the researchers
so far, they now have to determine the source that is causing it. This can be done by surveying
the area, and what their process is for waste disposal. There are currently four refineries, one
hospital and two farms within the town of New Harbor City, in addition to a known local wishing
well.
The Peace Tree organization has a good chance to prove that the local water is being
contaminated, but needs to pinpoint where the pollutants derive from. In order to do so,
Councilman Alec Coppel, along with Peace Tree, and its leading scientists need to present their
findings in a clear and concise way, to make the residents of New Harbor City participate. In creating this experiment and breaking down the surveys and qualitative data, along with the other
sources of data, through the quasi-experimental design, this will yield the ammunition for a solid
presentation. By comparing and contrasting the findings at New Harbor City and the national
averages, it brings this issue closer to the impact pollution has to humans, biodiversity and the
world at large. Appendix – Survey 10-Question Survey
1. Which of the age categories include your age?
a. 55 or older
b. 45-54
c. 35-44
d. 25-34
e. 18-24
2. Are you a
a) Male
b )Female
3. How long have you resided in New Harbor City, Delaware?
a. Less than 12 months
b. 5 to 10 years
c. More than 10 years 4. What level of concern do you have regarding the impacts of the water quality in New Harbor
City, Delaware?
a. Very concerned
b. Somewhat concerned
c. Not at all concerned
d. Undecided
5. What aspect of water pollution most concerns you?
a. Possible diseases
b. Damage to water quality
c. Damage to bio-diversity
d. Not at all concerned
6. How often do you recycle?
a. Always
b. Most of the time
c. Once in a while
d. Never
7. How strict should government policies be implemented regarding water quality?
a. Much more strict
b. Somewhat strict
c. More lenient
d. No change
8. Are you aware of current health issues regarding water quality?
a. Yes
b. No
c. Don’t Know
d. Somewhat 9. Would you be interested in attending a town hall meeting regarding water pollution?
a. Yes
b. No
c. Undecided
d. Not interested 10. What is the source of the water supply you consume?
a. Public water
b. Well water
c. Bottled water
11. What are you concerns about most in New Harbor City? Reference:
Journal of Environmental Engineering. (n.d.). Retrieved June 7, 2017, from
http://ascelibrary.org/doi/abs/10.1061/%28ASCE%29EE.1943-7870.0000968
Cork, C. S. (2010). Epidemiology of Pathogens in the Food Supply. In Krause, D. O., &
Hendrick, S. (Eds.), Zoonotic pathogens in the food chain (pp. 2158). Cambridge, MA: CAB
International
Gutierrez, T. (2012, April 28). Trash city: Inside America’s largest landfill site. Retrieved July 26,
2017, from http://www.cnn.com/2012/04/26/us/la-trash-puente-landfill/index.html
https://iaspub.epa.gov/waters10/attains_nation_cy.control?p_report_type=T#causes_303d
PrüssÜstün, A., & Corvalán, C. (2006). Preventing disease through healthy environments.
Geneva, Switzerland: World Health Organization. Montgomery, J., & Murray, M. (2014, April 17). Delaware’s dirty water. Retrieved July 26, 2017,
from http://www.delawareonline.com/story/tech/science/environment/2014/02/28/sundaypreview-delawares-dirty-water/5903237/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17999155
Perlman, U. H. (n.d.). Contamination in U.S. Private Wells. Retrieved July 26, 2017, from
https://water.usgs.gov/edu/gw-well-contamination.html
(n.d.). Retrieved July 26, 2017, from http://www.edurite.com/kbase/effects-of-improper-wastedisposalVasa
nthi, P., Kaliappan, S., & Srinivasaraghavan, R. (2008, August). Impact of poor solid waste
management on ground water. Retrieved July 26, 2017, from
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17999155
An explanation of whether OLS regression or binary logistic regression is more appropriate to evaluate the water contamination for your evaluation Design. Explain how you would use the selected analysis, and justify why this type of regression analysis is most appropriate.
