Untapped: Who Lacks Access to Basic Water Services in the United States

• In Event: 089 - Regular Session. Multiple Facets of the Social and Physical Environment on Health

Abstract

Environmental equity refers not only to protection from environmental bads, but also access to environmental goods. While for most Americans, water for consumption and sanitation is simply a matter of turning on the tap, 2013 Census data indicates that approximately 540,000 households (or up to 1.8 million Americans) claim not to have access to complete plumbing facilities. This paper uses theories of spatial and structural inequality to frame analysis of who these people are, and where they live. Preliminary results indicate that lack of access to complete plumbing is both spatially and socioeconomically clustered. Alaska, “the Borderlands” with Mexico, and the “Four Corners” region of the Southwest, and American Indian and Alaska Natives and Hispanic/Latinos and “some other race,” have greater statistically significant probability of not having complete plumbing. Further, there is evidence that the available data does not capture the numbers struggling with access to potable water and sanitation or the public health consequences. The presentation will discuss implications for research and policy.

Authors

• Stephen Philip Gasteyer, Michigan State University

• Jennifer Lai, Michigan State University

• Julius Moss, Michigan State University