Water and poverty in the United States |
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| Authors: | James L Wescoat Jr Lisa Headington |
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| Institution: | a Department of Landscape Architecture, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 611 Taft Drive, MC 620, Champaign, IL 61820, USA
b Department of Geography, University of Colorado at Boulder, 110 Guggenheim, CO 80309, USA |
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| Abstract: | Contrary to reports of 100% access to safe water and sanitation in international surveys, the United States (US) has a complex landscape of low-income water problems. This paper begins with a critical international perspective on water and poverty in the US. It shows that the US had a declining role in international water programs during the late-20th century, which contributed to limited international awareness of low-income water programs in the US, and limited US awareness of low-income water issues. To address the first problem, we provide an overview of low-income water programs in the US with an emphasis on those that serve small communities. We then examine census data on inadequate water systems in Colorado, which indicate that severe plumbing deficiencies persist despite these public water programs. Inadequate plumbing rates are lower than income poverty rates, however, which indicate partially successful strategies for achieving low-income water services. Analysis of local data in urban, rural, and mountainous areas of the state shows that poverty and water problems are correlated in complex ways, which has implications for all nations striving for universal access to safe water and sanitation. |
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| Keywords: | Poverty Low-income water problems Colorado |
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