Water sustainability, Water contamination, real-time data collection
~ Jasper Cerone
Description: My project is a website that advertises and provides information about a hypothetical ballot measure to make water quality testing a state responsibility. NYC drinking water often becomes contaminated with lead absorbed from old lead service lines that supply water to many buildings, leading to a variety of public health problems. My proposed ballot measure would make water quality score a section in real estate full disclosure requirements. Mandatory water contaminate tests are required to be conducted and disclosed in the sale of a single unit home, and publicly available annual water contaminate tests are required to be conducted in each unit of multi unit residencies. Additionally, water quality data collected from tests would be sent to a communal database that gathers these test results. Trends could be identified , studied, and shared so that proactive steps can be taken by scientists and the EPA to combat contamination and protect public health.
NYC’s water is always contaminate free after it leaves upstate distribution centers. But water oftentimes becomes contaminated with lead and other harmful contaminants after it leaves the reservoir system. Water is distributed from the upstate centers through pipes that supply homes and apartments. However, oftentimes water absorbs lead from fixtures and pipes, especially in older buildings. Roughly 256,000 adult deaths from heart disease per year in the United States can be attributed to low-level lead exposure. Lead contamination in tap water is a major public health issue that is almost completely ignored on a public policy level. Despite the requirement to replace broken lead pipes with lead-free pipes, there is no legal mandate that requires a city or landowner to remove a working lead pipe. There is a clear need for well-founded legislation to address to protect NYC residents from drinking lead contaminated water. It’s time to Rethink Your Drink!
Bio – Jasper Cerone
My name is Jasper Cerone and I am a freshman from Los Angeles at NYU Gallatin. I am interested in studying urban planning, public policy, and sustainable development.