Team

Principal Investigator: Aletheia Ida 

 

Project Details

Award: $1,200

Dates: June 2021

 

Project Summary 

 

Related Research Project: In collaboration with funding sponsors the NSF’s WET Center IUCRC and Tucson Water, the study on integrated sensing for premise plumbing is providing insight to the relations between piping material types and modified water flow conditions (i.e. during building closures and reduced occupancy re-openings). The residual contaminants and pathogens that develop under low water flow-rates for piping that was sized for higher and more regular flow-rates is a by-product of the pandemic and can lead to additional human health impacts due to poor water quality. The study is revealing a need to better understand existing plumbing stock in our built environment to make determinations of potentially underserved communities with higher impacts of poor quality due aging and/or inappropriate plumbing infrastructure materials.  Goals: Identify age, material types, and sizing of existing premise plumbing infrastructure in select City of Tucson properties. Build GIS database of existing infrastructure for premise plumbing. Establish partnership with City of Tucson Building Department for building permit documentation archives. Set study model area for future translation to South Tucson and Nogales, e.g.