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Abstract
This study seeks to investigate historical drinking water contamination events that reported by news media to find the key determinants of their outcomes, including the duration and economic cost, and to quantitatively describe the characteristics of past contamination events. ProQuest Global Newsstream and Regional Business News were used to identify an initial list of events and supplemented by additional search on specific information including the response actions, economic cost, and more. These events were analyzed using descriptive statistics, correlation analysis, and regression modeling. Smaller community water systems were found to be more frequently impacted by contamination events. Use restrictions, except for system shutdowns, are associated with shorter event duration and response time, indicating the importance of taking such actions. Involving more stakeholders in response tends to extend the duration and increase cost; however, these events are more likely to receive financial aids and more thorough response.
Date Created
10/03/2023
Department
Civil and Environmental Engineering
Publication Date
Summer 8-14-2025
Grant/Award Number and Agency
National Science Foundation Grant #2047199
Document Type
Article
Recommended Citation
Yu, Victor; Wang, Haiying; and Mo, Weiwei, "A Meta-Analysis of Historic Drinking Water Emergency Events Reported in News Articles" (2025). Faculty Publications. 2414.
https://scholars.unh.edu/faculty_pubs/2414