Grantee Research Project Results
2017 Progress Report: Water, Our Voice to the Future: Climate change adaptation and waterborne disease prevention on the Crow Reservation
EPA Grant Number: R835594Title: Water, Our Voice to the Future: Climate change adaptation and waterborne disease prevention on the Crow Reservation
Investigators: Doyle, John , Camper, Anne
Current Investigators: Doyle, John , Eggers, Margaret J.
Institution: Little Big Horn College , Montana State University
EPA Project Officer: Hahn, Intaek
Project Period: August 1, 2014 through July 31, 2017 (Extended to July 31, 2019)
Project Period Covered by this Report: August 1, 2016 through July 31,2017
Project Amount: $914,466
RFA: Science for Sustainable and Healthy Tribes (2013) RFA Text | Recipients Lists
Research Category: Tribal Environmental Health Research , Human Health
Objective:
Integrate traditional ecological and community knowledge, scientific data and climate models to produce a cohesive document which describes existing and projected local climate, hydrologic and microbial water quality changes and their impacts on resources, Crow traditions, ecosystems and community health.
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Hypothesis I: Traditional ecological and community knowledge of Tribal Elders, scientific data and modeling will effectively complement one other, to produce a more comprehensive assessment of existing and projected climate, hydrologic and microbial water quality changes and their impacts on resources, Crow traditions, ecosystems and community health.
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Hypothesis II: Future climate change impacts will be profound in the Northern Plains Crow Reservation, with climate and hydrologic changes exceeding current and historical observations.
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Hypothesis III: Local microbial water quality is influenced by climate driven spring flooding and late summer drought.
Progress Summary:
Objective 1: RESEARCH
(a) Community interviews (Doyle, Martin, LaFrance & others)
The initial results from our community interviews were presented at conferences in the fall of 2016.
By summer 2017, John Doyle and Project Coordinator Christine Martin had completed 27 interviews with Crow Tribal members on the impacts of climate change on local water resources, plants, animals and people’s lives. These interviews were transcribed, with help from Crow post-bac intern JoRee LaFrance. The transcripts were analyzed by Doyle, Martin, LaFrance, Eggers, and long time Crow Environmental Health Steering Committee members Sara Young and Myra Lefthand. Martin, a Crow Tribal member who has a Master’s degree in Community Health and training and experience in qualitative research methods, led the analysis. Crow Tribal members Young and Lefthand also have Master’s degrees (in education and social work, respectively), so are similarly versed in qualitative research.
Conference presentations incorporating this qualitative analysis into the earlier presentation are scheduled for the fall of 2017.
(b) Western science knowledge of local climate change (Eggers, Doyle, Whitlock)
Western science data available from local weather stations and from Montana Climate District 5 were already identified and compared to results from Tribal Elder interviews, above. The interviews and recorded data report the same trends in decreasing winter snowpack, later onset of fall, milder winters, earlier onset of spring weather, increasing severity of spring flooding, hotter summers and increasingly severe late summer wildfires. Each source also provides additional unique data. See Section 5 below, “Results to Date.”
(c) Well water testing (Doyle, Three Irons, Eggers)
One hundred wells in the Little Bighorn River valley (LBR) and about 15 in the Bighorn River (BR) valley were re-tested for metals, nitrate, coliform and E. coli in May-June (LBR) and July (BR) 2017. Due to the widespread uranium contamination of home wells in the Big Horn River Valley, those wells were also tested for strontium and selenium, at the advice of collaborating geochemist, Dr. Stephanie Ewing. Both elements were detected in nearly all those wells, sometimes at levels of concern. With other funding, intern LaFrance worked with Dr. Ewing to process the water samples for Sr and Se isotope analyses, and Dr. Ewing has nearly completed conducting those analyses.
A cumulative risk assessment was completed on the 2011-13 well water data and a manuscript was prepared for publication. It was submitted to IJERPH for review.
(d) Research impacts of climate change on microbial river water quality (Brame, Camper)
Target Organism Partitioning: In compliance with Objective #1(c) to “collect water quality data from the Little Bighorn River to include an assessment of key bacterial loads present in the River at crucial sites and monitor for indicator bacteria”, sampling and processing for the persistence of Escherichia coli and coliforms in suspension and attached to particles in river water were completed by Brame for 5 dates across 6 sites along the river as of July 31, 2017 (September 6, 2016; November 1, 2016; March 3, 2017; April 18, 2017; June 9, 2017), with one final sampling trip planned for August 31, 2017. The September, November and March dates complete the second monitoring year of indicator organisms detailed in the previous report. The April, June and August dates correspond to the final monitoring year of indicator organism collection. Each date specifically corresponds to river levels (pre-runoff, peak-runoff, low flows, high and low temperatures) as well as recreation levels in the River. For 2017, runoff appeared to be consistent with historic levels.
Data from the 6 sites will be compared against the same sites across the entirety of the sampling regime. Along with target organism data, total suspended solids (TSS) analyses were completed for each site and date for comparison with E. coli and coliform counts. Environmental variables were also collected for each site and date including pH, temperature, conductivity, total dissolved solids (TDS), and dissolved oxygen (DO). The sampling and post-sampling processing has remained consistent from the previous reports. Data from the environmental sampling has been processed, with continuing progress to better visualize the data output. Statistical analyses for the total data set of both E. coli and coliform has been completed for comparison between sampling dates and sampling sites from the same sampling date. Regression analysis using a mixed effects model is being conducted to understand the environmental variables that may be using as predictors of indicator organism counts.
Future: Data will continue to be processed and analysis will be finalized in the coming months for the entirety of the data set. There are trends in the data that require more exploration with various statistical analysis and interpretation for the different river conditions.
Molecular Processing: In deference to Objective #1(c) to “monitor for enteropathogenic E. coli in water, suspended sediments, and stream bottom sediments”, during sampling trips, water and stream bed sediments were collected for molecular work involving DNA extraction. Samples from all dates and sites were collected and stored in -80°C freezer until DNA extraction, prior to sequencing and downstream analysis. DNA was extracted from all samples using Qiagen extraction kits then stored at -80°C.
Future: The DNA will be shipped to Argonne National Laboratories (Illinois, USA) for 16s rRNA gene sequencing. Sequencing data will be processed with QIIME and R software packages, as graduate student Brame has experience in processing and analyzing Bacterial and Archaeal DNA sequence data. These data will be used to compare the changes in microbial community structure between dates, sites, and environments. Environmental DNA has been used in laboratory experiments in attempts to amplify specific organisms of interest including those of host specific fecal contamination (enteropathogenic, enterohemorrhagic, enteroaggregative, and enterotoxigenic E. coli). These analyses will be conducted using a multiplex PCR approach to provide evidence of presence or absence of diarrheagenic E. coli in waters exposed to humans.
Climate Change and Microbial River Water Quality: In compliance with Objective #1(c) to “obtain the response of key microbial constituents to projected changes in river water due to climate change by exposing sediment associated microbes to seasonal in situ conditions and controlled laboratory experiments”, river water microcosm experiments have been developed and explored. These microcosm experiments follow the same protocol as specified in previous reports. Experiments have been conducted for 5°C, 15°C, and 25°C water temperatures for both planktonic and sediment associated pathogenic E. coli. Data have been recorded and statistical analysis is currently being completed for both colony forming units and qPCR gene copy number counts for the organism being used in the experiments. The final analyses comparing differences cell counts over time between treatments and temperatures is currently being processed with noticeable trends between both temperatures and treatments.
Objective 2: COMMUNITY ADAPTATION
(a) Well water testing and outreach (Doyle, Martin, Three Irons, LaFrance, Eggers)
After the 2016 testing and again after the 2017 repeat testing, Eggers prepared a spreadsheet with results and a letter comparing and explaining both years’ testing results, along with any health risks and mitigation options. Martin sent these to families and she and Doyle discuss results with families. Doyle and Martin continue to do outreach with well owners and visit with about ten families a week regarding their well water quality and safety. Participant compensation in the form of a home water cooler was provided to families with unsafe water in 2016, and to those few families whose wells tested unsafe for the first time in 2017. Doyle and Martin also presented and explained our Reservation-wide well testing results at a local health fair, using a poster that displayed GIS-generated maps of each contaminant of concern, with explanations of the health risks.
The Crow Environmental Health Steering Committee (CEHSC) met almost every month this fiscal year. We continue to discuss project progress, results, priorities and future plans at these meetings. Tribal Senator Birdinground was not re-elected, so no longer represents the Crow Legislature on the CEHSC. Rancher and agricultural extension agent Gail Whiteman has joined the Committee.
Doyle and Eggers worked with a bilingual Tribal well owner, a plumber and a videographer to prepare a bilingual video (in Crow and English) demonstrating and explaining how to shock chlorinate a well and posted it on our Project’s Facebook page. Project Coordinator Martin maintains and continues to develop our Facebook page titled Crow Water Quality Project. The aim of this Facebook page is to provide access to current information on water that is available for drinking and domestic uses, impacts of climate change on those resources and associated health risks, as previously described.
Doyle and Martin are seeing that participants are using the water coolers previously distributed (as compensation for their time to complete the survey and testing protocol with us). Overall, with the downturn in the local economy resulting from drastically diminished coal mining revenues, poverty is worsening across the Reservation. This is being reflected in more families with unaddressed plumbing issues, even lack of running water altogether. Improving access to safe drinking water for these rural families is even more imperative.
We continue to see that it is repeated contact and availability that builds trust – we have to be a resource to the community, and open to discussions about water and health at any time or place we meet folks. Second, for this project to be sustainable, we have to continue to build community capacity, including Crow students, to create a network of people who will sustain one another in this ongoing work.
(b) Student Interns (Three Irons, Stone, Bear Below, LaFrance)
Three Irons is conducting his graduate research on factors increasing risk of microbial contamination of home well water in Crow, and on how that correlates with metals contamination. This is a collaborative effort with our project, and Three Irons serves as the student representative on our Project’s local Steering Committee. We were able to obtain an NIH Minority Supplement for him for his graduate education. Three Irons has completed all of his coursework, and has begun compiling his data for analyses. He has presented on his research at an MSU seminar and at four different conferences in the past fiscal year.
We were able to secure funding from the American Indian College Fund for two Little Big Horn College students to intern with us during the summer of 2017, Rachel Stone and Jaricka Bear Below. Bear Below graduated from LBHC and transferred to Salish Kootenai College in Pablo, Montana to earn her bachelor’s degree in community health. She has completed her junior year, plans to graduate with her bachelor’s degree in 2019 and has set her sights on going on to earn a Master’s degree in Community Health. Stone graduated from LBHC, had a baby and took a year off. She has just been accepted into the (highly competitive) nursing program at MSU Bozeman and will begin her junior year in fall 2018.
An additional Crow intern, JoRee LaFrance, joined us for the school year after graduating in geosciences from Dartmouth College. We referred her to the BIA Water Technician’s internship program, which she applied for and was awarded. This provided her with a month’s intensive training at University of Arizona, followed by about 10 weeks of funding to intern with us during the rest of the 2017 summer/early fall.
(c) Other adaptation measures
The following climate adaptation measures were identified and described in the last annual report, and bulleted updates are provided below.
- Eggers and Doyle have submitted a grant proposal to another funding source to be able to purchase and install sanitary (i.e. watertight) well caps for project participants with unprotected well heads. This was an objective of our original EPA grant proposal, but we understand permission to purchase well caps could not be granted through this award. Funding was awarded from USDA-NIFA, to begin September 1, 2017.
- Survey results have demonstrated widespread interest among well owners in learning how to shock chlorinate their well. This is already a stated objective of our grant, with outreach funded in the budget.
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This objective is currently being addressed through discussions with homeowners about the shock chlorination process, provision of explanatory handouts, and referral to the demonstration video on our Facebook page.
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The town of Crow Agency needs an alternate, groundwater source for the municipal water supply. There is a deep, decommissioned well in Crow Agency which could serve as this source. Doyle has been investigating it, and recently learned that the Bureau of Indian Affairs did water quality tests on this well while it was in service.
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The well is from the 1960s, and the BIA no longer have any data on record for it. Doyle has learned that there is another well which was drilled to 4200' for oil exploration. The company found water (from the Madison formation) but no oil and capped the well before testing its water quality. This is a possibility for public drinking water for Crow Agency, including the IHS Hospital. We will be consulting with geologists as to what is known about Madison formation water quality as a first step, before considering whether to pursue sampling and testing the well’s water.
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Doyle and Eggers are looking into whether the wastewater generated by the Crow Agency treatment plant is legally available, of suitable quality and sufficiently socially acceptable to market it to local users.
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We found a water rights attorney with the requisite expertise to address this issue. She informed us that this would be legally complicated, given the language of the current Water Compact. We would need to find funding to pursue this legally before we could do anything else, so are not pursuing it further at this time.
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Understanding and communicating to Tribal members how spring runoff affects metals contamination of home wells: Retesting of participants’ home wells for this purpose is planned for May and June 2017, as described in our grant proposal and below under plans for fiscal year three.
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Retesting of 115+ wells has been completed and the results returned to and explained to participants. See Objective 2(a) above.
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Re-instating at least one weather station for the Reservation, located in Crow Agency, so that the Tribe has data on which to base adaptation planning. Through the American Water Resources Association, Montana Chapter, Doyle and Eggers learned that a weather station network is being developed through the Montana Climate Office, and we can purchase a weather station, including a soil moisture probe, for $3000 plus a $500 annual maintenance fee. These stations do not need to be maintained on a daily or even weekly basis; they transmit weather data automatically, which makes them ideal for our project. By participating in their network, we would have 24/7 access to data from not only our weather station, but others in the statewide network as well.
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This funding request was approved. The weather station was installed by the Montana Climate Office (MCO) and went live in April 2017. As of the annual report from MCO in early June 2017, the station was functioning at 100% and had already collected more than 30,000 data points. In addition to re-establishing data collection on temperature, precipitation and other weather variables for the Crow Reservation, soil moisture data is being recorded for the first time. The initial annual report from MCO is available here:
http://climate.umt.edu/files/170606%20Mesonet%20Progress%20Report%20June%202017.pdf.
Objective 3: DISSEMINATE PROJECT RESULTS
See publicationssection
II. Results To Date and Significance of Work
(a) Well water quality testing and climate change adaptation
As 15% of the US population - and about 50% of the Crow Reservation community - rely on home well water, contamination of home well water is a widespread and significant environmental public health issue (see DeSimone 2009, referenced in original proposal). If spring flooding, exacerbated by climate change, increases microbial and/or inorganic contamination of home wells, this will be a significant environmental public health impact of climate change. Initial research by the USGS in both Montana and Wyoming indicate seasonality of inorganic contaminant levels (Caldwell 2011a & b; Dam 2014), hence our concern. The results will inform public education as to time of year homeowners should test their well water quality to detect maximum contamination levels. Impacts on the levels of anthropogenic nitrate and uranium contamination may have particular relevance to EPA’s regulatory responsibilities.
200 wells plus many of the springs used collectively and regularly by Crow Tribal members for drinking water sources, have been tested to date. 100 of these wells in the LBHR valley were re-tested during May-June 2017, when there was significant snowmelt and runoff. These data have just been compiled, along with earlier well water testing from 2011-13. Collectively, about 150 wells were tested in two different years, in different seasons. Manganese, uranium, nitrate and microbial contamination continue to be the analytes most frequently exceeding EPA MCLs/Health Advisories. Low level arsenic is also a health concern, based on calculating the Hazard Index for a lifetime of exposure. Our primary research question with these data is whether high spring runoff is correlated with significant changes in levels of Mn, U, As, nitrate and/or coliform bacteria in home well water.
Colleague Dr. Joseph Hoover showed us how to “geomask” the exact locations of wells in a GIS-generated map, to protect the identities of individual well owners. This technique was used in maps included in our recent manuscript submitted to the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health (as noted above).
New testing in July 2017 showed for the first time that strontium and selenium are also groundwater contaminants of concern in the BHR valley, which has the highest levels of uranium in home wells.
(b) Climate change science
There is increasing interest nationally in what Tribal environmental knowledge (both passed down through the generations and from the lived experience of today’s Tribal members), in combination with Western science data on and models for climate change, can contribute to our collective understanding of climate change impacts and projected effects. We are researching this through a case study: The Crow Reservation. The Crow Tribe is in a particularly strong position to conduct this research, as they still live in their original homelands, the Crow language is widely spoken, and many traditions including subsistence hunting and gathering continue to be practiced. MSU Bozeman is an exceptionally strong partner for this work due to the climate science expertise of the Institute on Ecosystems (on campus), the USGS expertise in Montana and regionally, as well as the innovative work being conducted by the Montana Climate Office.
Climate change predictions for southcentral Montana largely continue or even accelerate changes documented in the local Western science record over the past 100 years as well as through interviews with Crow Tribal Elders. Increased frequency of severe spring floods and water shortages/low river flows/drought and more severe wildfires in August are our primary concerns in relation to public environmental health and hence adaptation planning. Increasing summer heat stress is also a concern. Interviews with Tribal Elders capture additional ecosystem changes not recorded by Western science in our region, particularly with regards to plants, animals and springs which are important subsistence and cultural resources. For instance, climate changes are already affecting quantity and quality of wild berry resources. Further, many Elders commented on unusual and increasingly unpredictable weather patterns, an observation not yet elucidated from the western science data.
Western science data indicate a pattern of earlier and generally lower spring runoff in the Little Big Horn River, which flows through the Reservation from south to north and hosts the majority of the Tribal population in the communities of Wyola, Lodge Grass and Crow Agency. This is apparently somewhat masked to the community by two recent, severe spring floods, which had direct and major impacts on families.
Some of the results and conclusions from this aspect of our project were published in a four-page section of the 2017 Montana Climate Assessment, cited above. An additional, more comprehensive publication is planned.
(c) Impacts of climate change on microbial river water quality (Brame, Camper)
Microbial River Water Quality
Target Organism Partitioning: Understanding when and what proportion of target organisms partition between suspended sediment and water is of importance to the field of microbial water quality. Sediment may act as a reservoir for microbial cells and prolong their survivability and transport in a river system, therefore increasing the possibility of human exposure. Increased sediment and microbial loading in a river can also put stress on water treatment systems, which can lead to possible outbreak in municipal systems. The outcomes of this section of the project are directly related to the EPA’s mission of protecting human health and the environment.
Data has and will continue to be processed for indicator organism numbers along the Little Bighorn River. Trends in the data suggest that E. coli levels are elevated well above the EPA recommend limit for recreation of a most probable number (MPN) of 126 E. coli cells/100mL of water during spring runoff. There have been other time points where specific sites have elevated values above those of the recommended EPA limit. These data combined with molecular work, should provide inference for potential sources of these elevated levels. There are noticeable differences for MPN counts for indicator organisms between sites of the same sampling date and between sampling dates. These data will be explored in depth with emphasis on statistical analyses, using USGS watershed hydrology data, and environmental data collected at each sampling site to draw inference for why differences might be occurring. Currently, regression analysis is being completed on indicator organism data in hopes to provide inference on what environmental variables act as drivers in indicator counts and changes across different river conditions. This is important for the Crow community, considering the expense of testing for indicator organisms. If environmental variables can be measured with the assurance of E. coli levels being above the limit for recreation, there is potential to cheaply and quickly test for safeness prior to exposure to water.
Molecular Processing: The significance of this portion of research is to further understand total microbial community differences between sediment-associated, planktonic habitats, and riverbed sediment, particularly those microorganisms that can cause human health problems. Utilizing qPCR to quantify gene copy numbers of organisms of interest will allow for understanding of how microbial numbers change over a temporal and spatial scale along the Little Bighorn River. These outcomes will provide a study that researchers in the field can use to identify specific sources of harmful microorganisms and their partitioning between habitats within a river system. A total microbial community analysis of each microhabitat along a temporal and spatial scale will provide a unique study understanding how the dynamics of a microbial community change over the course of a year in a river system. Brame has developed a DNA extraction protocol which has been tested on river water samples and proven to be successful in amplifying extracted DNA in PCR and qPCR. Samples have been extracted and sent for DNA sequencing at Argonne National Laboratory. Excess DNA was retained at the lab for analysis involving PCR and qPCR looking for specific organisms of interest. These data show the presence or absence of particular organisms that have the potential to negatively affect human health.
Climate Change and Microbial River Water Quality
This topic of the study has vital importance for not only the Crow community, but the changing world as the climate continues to change. Understanding how microorganisms adapt to a changing climate, especially those in a river system which can cause human health problems, is an outcome that is beneficial to the field of microbial river water quality and climate science. Understanding how microbes will partition themselves between sediment and water under changing climate scenarios, will allow for projections in microbial survivability and could have implications that provide insight on how this might affect human health due to microbial contaminated water in the future. This is a direct relation to the EPA’s mission, especially in efforts to reduce environmental risk in the future.
Early research and results show that enteropathogenic E. coli used in these experiments have remained viable in planktonic form longer than the water retention time on the Little Bighorn River. This has two possible implications. One, E. coli introduced into the Little Bighorn River system have the potential to survive and travel over the entire river, passing through at least 2 frequently used swim holes and by the water treatment plant intake, and into the Bighorn River, causing a downstream effect outside of the Crow Reservation. The other is the potential for the organisms to survive when attached to sediment, either in suspension or on the riverbed, for extended periods of time, increasing the potential for human contact and stress on the municipal water treatment system. Data show that there are differences in length of cellular viability at different temperatures, with low water temperatures supporting pathogenic cells for the most extended periods of time. Data also show that sediment associated microbes remain viable for longer periods than their planktonic counterparts.
Future Activities:
III. Planned Activities for Fiscal Year Four
Objective 1: RESEARCH
a) Climate change interviews
As noted above, the interviews have been completed, transcribed and a qualitative analysis done by five Crow Tribal members and Eggers. We will be presenting a poster on these project results at the Tribal Environmental Health Summit in Corvallis, OR in June 2018. Martin, our qualitative researcher on staff, will lead the work of preparing a manuscript for publication from these results.
(b) Western science knowledge of local climate change
Eggers will compare project work to date compiling historical local climate data and the results of interviews with Tribal Elders, with the climate data and modelled forecasts for our region of Montana as published in the Montana Climate Assessment.
Impacts of spring high water on home well water contamination
The potential impacts of increased spring flooding on home well water quality will be investigated by conducting temporal analyses of our 2011-13, 2015-16, 2017 and 2018 home well water data, as well as additional spatial analyses in GIS. Dr. Eggers with collaborator Dr. Joseph Hoover are taking the lead role on this.
With our new USDA-NIFA funded testing for biomarkers of human wastewater in well water, Doyle and Martin are revisiting families whose wells previously tested positive for coliform bacteria. Well water samples are being analyzed (in triplicate) for coliform and E. coli using IDEXX’s Colilert Quantitray 2000 ® method at their lab at Little Big Horn College, and results show considerable seasonal variability in coliform presence (measured as most probable number, “MPN”)/absence. These new data are mentioned here as they will be integrated into the temporal analyses described above. (The USDA funds are being used to cover local travel costs, some of the staff time involved, analyses of the samples for wastewater biomarkers at Montana State University Bozeman and sanitary well caps for well owners.) A small number of new participants will also be included as part of this testing, as we receive new requests from Tribal members and as allowed by our remaining funding for analysis of metals/nitrate/other inorganic parameters.
Additionally, Eggers and Doyle have begun working with Dr. Cathy Whitlock and colleagues on the 2019 issue of the Montana Climate Assessment, which will focus on climate change impacts on individual and community health. Most of this time and effort will be separately funded, but it will provide another venue for us to disseminate and publish the results of this project. The lessons being learned about how climate change impacts water resources in ways that affect water contamination and hence community health, will carry over into this new endeavor.
(c) Impacts of climate change on microbial river water quality
Brame is currently finishing all data analysis for each individual research question while writing the results into manuscript form. DNA sequencing data will be analyzed when returned from Argonne and will require intensive analysis and processing. Continuation and finalizing molecular work involving specific organisms of interest will be completed. Data will be rechecked by going back through each raw (notebook and worksheet) value and comparing to those data that have been electronically stored.
Objective 2: COMMUNITY ADAPTATION
a) Mitigation of well water contamination
As a result of the impact of recent spring floods on home wells throughout much of the Reservation, as well as what we are all learning from well water testing, there has been much interest from well owners in learning how to shock chlorinate their wells. We realized we need to invest considerable time and effort to conduct outreach and training on this issue. We are contracting with a licensed plumber to work with us during summer 2018 to help well owners and our staff learn how to safely and effectively shock chlorinate home wells. The limited literature on this subject tells us that well owners may need to periodically shock chlorinate their wells (presumably due to ongoing source(s) of fecal contamination), so we have identified an inexpensive home testing kit for coliform/E coli testing which we will be providing to homeowners for follow up testing.
With other (USDA) funding, we will also be installing watertight caps on participants’ home wells, as described above. We will continue to support well owners in using water coolers for a safe source of water for drinking and cooking, when inorganic contamination of their groundwater presents health risks and the requisite treatment technology is beyond their means.
(b) Outreach work in the Crow Reservation community
The Crow Environmental Health Steering Committee will continue to meet almost every month, and in person outreach work in the community by Doyle and Martin continues. Martin will continue to maintain and expand the Crow Water Quality Facebook page, and will explore additional venues for local outreach.
Eggers, with help from Martin, Doyle and Brame and oversight from Dr. Anne Camper, will integrate the results from these different aspects of the research into a final Project Report, and will also prepare an Executive Summary for the Crow Tribe. The project’s External Advisory Committee will meet again during the summer of 2018 to review these results and make decisions on community dissemination.
(c) Students
We will be seeking a Little Big Horn College or other Crow science major to intern with us during June and July 2018.
(d) Other adaptation measures
As mentioned above, we will continue to work on the alternate groundwater source for the public drinking water supply for Crow Agency, the largest community on the Reservation and home to Tribal headquarters and the Indian Health Service hospital.
A community workshop on accessing and utilizing the Crow weather station data is being planned for late summer 2018 with the Montana Climate Office.
Objective 3: DISSEMINATE PROJECT RESULTS
a) Local dissemination
As described above, Eggers and colleagues will integrate the results from these different aspects of the research into a final Project Report and will also prepare an Executive Summary for the Crow Tribe. The project’s External Advisory Committee will meet again when the report is drafted, along with the members of the Crow Environmental Health Steering Committee and project staff (including Dr. Camper and graduate student Brame), to review these results and make decisions on community dissemination.
(b) National dissemination
The following presentations are planned:
Doyle JT, Eggers MJ, Lefthand MJ, Young SL, Crow Environmental Health Steering Committee, Martin C, Three Irons E, Moore Nall A, Hoover J, Bear Below J, Stone RM, Camper A. Community engaged cumulative risk assessment of exposure to inorganic well water contaminants, Crow Reservation, Montana. Presented at the Society of Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry North America 38th Annual Meeting, Session: Community Engagement in Environmental Science: Building Links with Traditional Knowledge and Indigenous Values, Minneapolis, MN, November 12-16, 2017.
Temte J, Doyle J, Eggers M, Terry S, Bennon B. Merging science and technology with culture and tradition. Presented at the Water and Health Conference, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC, October 16-20, 2017.
Doyle J, Eggers MJ, LaFrance J, Lefthand MJ, Martin C, Three Irons E, Young SL. Aftermath of extreme events for Tribal elders. Presented via the Partnership for Environmental Public Health, NIEHS, NIH Webinar: Extreme Events, Environmental Health, and the Elderly, September 15, 2017.
Doyle and Eggers will be giving an invited plenary session presentation, with Tribal colleagues from other regions of the U.S., at the annual Water Environment Federation Technical Exhibition and Conference (WEFTEC) in New Orleans, LA, in the fall of 2018.
State and Local Presentations (2017)
Doyle JT, Eggers MJ, Martin C, LaFrance J, Three Irons E, Young SL, Lefthand MJ, Redsteer MH, Keil D, Crow Environmental Health Steering Committee, Camper AK. Water, our voice to the future: integrating TEK and environmental health research to address climate change impacts on Tribal water and health. Presented through the Institute on Ecosystems Rough Cut Science Series, Montana State University, Bozeman, MT, November 1, 2017.
(c) Publications
At least five peer-reviewed publications are planned:
- The two manuscripts being finalized, as noted above, for IJERPH.
- Doyle and Eggers, lead authors, on temporal variation of home well water contaminants in relation to spring runoff.
- Martin and LaFrance, lead authors, a qualitative analysis of interviews with Crow Tribal Elders on climate change impacts.
- Brame will be writing his doctoral dissertation on his research.
- If warranted, the above authors, Camper and others will consider a summary manuscript that combines the above research results.
Doyle, Eggers, Martin, LaFrance and others will explore publishing a section in the second Montana Climate Assessment about impacts of climate change on Crow Tribal community health. (While this is not a peer-reviewed journal article, it would be a peer-reviewed publication.)
Journal Articles on this Report : 1 Displayed | Download in RIS Format
Other project views: | All 53 publications | 5 publications in selected types | All 4 journal articles |
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Type | Citation | ||
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Eggers MJ, Doyle JT, Lefthand MJ, Young SL, Moore-Nall AL, Kindness L, Other Medicine R, Ford TE, Dietrich E, Parker AE, Hoover JH, Camper AK. Community engaged cumulative risk assessment of exposure to inorganic well water contaminants, Crow Reservation, Montana. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health 2018;15(1):76. |
R835594 (2017) R835594 (2018) R835594 (Final) R836157 (2019) |
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Progress and Final Reports:
Original AbstractThe perspectives, information and conclusions conveyed in research project abstracts, progress reports, final reports, journal abstracts and journal publications convey the viewpoints of the principal investigator and may not represent the views and policies of ORD and EPA. Conclusions drawn by the principal investigators have not been reviewed by the Agency.