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WATER ASSIGNMENT This assignment has two parts: For the first activity you will look at several aspects of the drinking water problem in Flint, Michigan. To prepare to start work, familiarize yourselves with these Flint Background Resources. This information will be necessary for your successful completion of the assignment. Next, answer the remaining questions. Assignment instructions: This does not have to be a formal research paper, and for many questions a short paragraph will be sufficient. Remember to reference your sources properly. For writing tips and proper referencing of your sources, please visit these resources: Part 1: As you probably have already learned, all of the SPH core classes are devoting some time to the Flint water problem. This issue is especially pertinent to this course. For this assignment you will be asked to examine several aspects of the Flint problem, including water treatment, regulations of certain contaminant levels in public drinking water, sources for lead in drinking water, how lead is removed from drinking water and the responsibilities of water treatment facilities when lead levels exceed allowable levels. In addition to the corrective measures you will also look specifically into what occurred in Flint’s water. To prepare to start work, familiarize yourselves with the Flint Background Resources page, linked on the Water Assignment page. This information will be necessary for your successful completion of the assignment. 1. Describe the difference between public and private drinking water. (1 point) 2. Describe the water treatment process that prevents lead leachates in public drinking water. (1 point) 3. Are there safe lead levels in public drinking water? (1 point) 4. What is the difference between detectable level and actionable level of lead (or any other contaminant) in water? (1 point) 5. Why might children generally be at higher risk from lead than most adults? (1 point) 6. Was there a social determinant for exposure to lead in the Flint water problem? Why/why not? (1.5 points) 7. What, if any, is the environmental justice issue in the Flint water problem? (1.5 points) 8. Diagram a standard water treatment facility, highlighting where corrosion prevention against lead should be added to the system. (5 points) Feel free to create your diagram here, or using any alternate method of your choice (PowerPoint, a drawing program, etc.) but be sure to save it as a PDF prior to submission. Part 2: Please write one separate paragraph addressing each of the following questions: 1. How does water availability affect agriculture within various countries? In other words, access to water may vary because of whether you are close to lakes, rivers, ocean. How might that affect food access? (Of course there might be other factors such as climate, geography, political borders, etc. that may be taken into consideration). (2 points) 2. Describe the burden on children and women to obtain potable water in areas/countries where availability is a challenge. (1 point) 3. What are the political roles of women, youth and men in improving water access? (1 point) 4. How might education be impacted where water access is low? (1 point) 5. Do you think that lack of adequate access to water affects the economy of a community or country? (1 point) 6. Should we be concerned about water access outside of our own political borders? (1 point)