UC San Diego

Contamination of drinking, domestic, and irrigation water poses serious health risks for residents and workers in the Imperial Valley, a region in which the majority of individuals identify as Hispanic or Latinx. While current literature on water source quality in the Imperial Valley exists, there is a lack of research on specific water access, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) challenges faced by those living in this region. This multi-methods study aims to fill the literature gap through independent quantitative and qualitative analysis. Quantitative data was collected from three government databases and analyzed to assess the health risks and drinking water violations made by community water systems in the Imperial Valley and qualitative interviews with nine WASH key informants were conducted to inform future interventions. Interviews were transcribed and analyzed using the software programs Otter.ai and Delve.

Quantitative and qualitative results suggest that chemical and microbiological contamination is present in irrigation and potable water in the Imperial Valley. Multi-method analyses also showed that pollution by wastewater treatment systems and septic tanks could be possible causes of microbiological contamination. Quantitative data and key informant interviews reported that low-income and rural communities were at a greater risk of facing these water quality challenges. Knowledge by key informants on the specific WASH challenges faced by agricultural workers in the workplace was limited. Future research should therefore be dedicated towards understanding the inequities low-income, rural, and agricultural worker communities face so that solutions aimed at lessening these disparities can be developed.