Working On Our Water

Tap water is used in our everyday lives, yet we often don’t know exactly what it contains. Dr. David Ladner in the Department of Environmental Engineering and his Evaluating Water Quality and Kidney Stone Correlations in South Carolina Creative Inquiry investigate water systems throughout the state to identify differences in water content.

The team calls 63 water treatment plants around SC for several pieces of information: the calcium and oxalate content, what areas the plants serve and the location of the underground pipes. Calcium and oxalate ions in water produce “hard water,” or water with a high mineral content. When too much oxalate and calcium aggregate together, the formation of kidney stones in the body can occur. Understanding where water from each plant travels can help detect which groups are drinking this water and connect this data to the incidence of kidney stones within these groups. “I’m looking at working at a water treatment plant in the future, and if I can identify water hardness there, I can start making a difference,” Holly Mettlen, a senior environmental engineering major, said. The team also plans on looking at socioeconomic factors for each area and determining if water quality is related to these factors.

In collaboration with Clemson GIS Services, the team has taken to mapping the distribution systems of each treatment plant. “We’ve been able to create a visual representation of where underground water pumps are all around the state, something that’s never been done before,” Ladner said. Not only does the Creative Inquiry project provide the state with vital information about our drinking water, but it also generates an understanding of how South Carolina integrates and distributes resources.