Close this screen to return to the previous page.

University Related Sites and Extension Services
Bugs in the News Articles about bacteria, viruses and a host of other health topics
Educating Young People About Water The site is a clearinghouse for community or school based youth water education programs. From the site you can read a brief summary of over 100 water related educational programs. The materials are available for K-12; however, they must be purchased. Links are available to related organizations with free material.
Water education programs take place in little pockets all over the country- that's the nature of water, it's everywhere! To attract youth, program goals and activities must be relevant to a young person's life. Then, to link youth programs to their community, it takes a clear understanding of a community's water problems in order to design a program that best fits the people and issues involved. University of Wisconsin.
Running Water An educational site for 8-13 year olds developed at the Department of Computer Science, University of Exeter for South West Water (United Kingdom).
Drinking Water and Health Colorado State University, Cooperative Extension - A discussion of important water contaminants and solutions.
Educating Young People About Water Provides materials, searchable by grade level or subject, to help users develop water education programs while forming key community partnerships. From the University of Wisconsin Extension.
National Extension Water Quality Database Welcome to the Purdue - CSREES-USDA Water Quality Information Management Project. You have computer access to educational materials prepared by Extension Specialists from throughout the United States. Purdue - CSREES-USDA Water Quality Information Management Project Search Tool
National Water Quality Database (NWQD) The National Water Quality Database is an information management tool for locating water quality and waste management educational resources created by the 50 State Cooperative Extension Services. You can search by category (i.e. Drinking Water Quality) or by state. Alternate link to The National Extension Water Quality Database with a different interface.
NWQD Nitrates in Your Drinking Water
NWQD Emergency Disinfection of Water Supplies
NWQD Emergency Water Supplies
NWQD Water Quality and Private Water Supplies - While public water supplies are monitored to ensure safety, water from private sources is not. The user must assume complete responsibility for its safety. There are no state or federal laws which require the testing of water from private supply sources.
NWQD A Guide To Home Water Treatment
NWQD Choosing Home Water Devices
NWQD Safe Drinking Water Testing and Treating Home Drinking Water:- Discusses various water treatment methods {Note that the discussion of bacterial growth in carbon filters applies to granulated activated carbon (GAC) filters, not to micro-pore, solid block carbon filters.}
NWQD Your Home's Health Household Water Treatment {extensive descriptions of treatment strategies}
NWQD BOTTLED WATER Crystal Clear Choice or Cloudy Dilemma? When people picture where bottled water comes from they probably imagine a bubbling mountain stream or a gushing artesian well. In many cases, the water does come from such natural sources, but about one-quarter of all bottled water comes from a municipal supply.
NWQD Bacteria in Water Supplies? Bacteria are single-celled organisms commonly found in soil, on our bodies, on leaf material and in water. There may be over a million cells per gram of soil. Bacteria serve many functions in nature. They help break down matter (decomposition) and transform it through chemical reactions. "Pathogenic" bacteria carry diseases such as typhoid, dysentery and cholera. If these bacteria are in drinking water, they can cause serious health problems. In one instance, in Missouri, four people died and 243 people became seriously ill from drinking water with a dangerous strain of Estherichia coli (Geldreich, et al., 1992).
NWQD Home Water Treatment Using Activated Carbon
NWQD Treatment Systems for Household Water Supplies - Activated Carbon Filtration
NWQD Possible Treatments - Reverse Osmosis
NWQD Treatment Systems for Household Water Supplies - Softening
NWQD Possible Treatments - Ultraviolet Radiation
Water Center Environmental Programs Unit University of Nebraska-Lincoln
The Water Center/Environmental Programs Unit is part of the Institute of Agriculture and Natural Resources (IANR) at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln (UNL). Its mission is to implement focused water research, teaching, extension and service programs within the University of Nebraska at the post-secondary education level and to address environmental needs associated with the agriculture and natural resources areas of IANR. Search for UNL Extension publications by keyword - drinking water, for instance, produces a number of articles
Water Center University of Nebraska Cooperative Extension: list of articles on water quality that can be faxed or read to you 1-800-832-5441 or (441-7188 in Lincoln area)
Water Center Cryptosporidia
Water Center Lead
Water Center Water Treatment Equipment: A Buyer's Guide
Water Center Drinking Water: Sulfates and Hydrogen Sulfide
Two forms of sulfur are commonly found in drinking water supplies: sulfate and hydrogen sulfide. Both forms are nuisances that usually do not pose a health risk at the concentrations found in domestic water supplies.
Water Center Drinking Water: Iron and Manganese
Iron and manganese are non-hazardous elements that can be a nuisance in a water supply. Iron and manganese are chemically similar and cause similar problems. Iron is the most frequent of the two contaminants in water supplies; manganese is typically found in iron-bearing water.
Water Center Drinking Water: Man-made Chemicals
Water Center Drinking Water: Nitrate and Methemoglobinemia ("Blue Baby" Syndrome)
Methemoglobinemia is a blood disorder caused when nitrite interacts with the hemoglobin in red blood cells. Unlike hemoglobin, the methemoglobin formed in this interaction cannot carry sufficient oxygen to the body's cells and tissues. Although methemoglobinemia is rare among adults, cases have been reported among infants, where nitrate-contaminated well water was used to prepare formula and other baby food
Water Center Drinking Water: Hard Water
Water described as "hard" is high in dissolved minerals, specifically calcium and magnesium. Hard water is not a health risk, but a nuisance because of mineral buildup on fixtures and poor soap and/or detergent performance. Water is a good solvent and picks up impurities easily. Pure water -- , colorless, and odorless -- is often called the universal solvent. When water is combined with carbon dioxide to form very weak carbonic acid, an even better solvent results. As water moves through soil and rock, it dissolves very small amounts of minerals and holds them in solution. Calcium and magnesium dissolved in water are the two most common minerals that make water "hard." The degree of hardness becomes greater as the calcium and magnesium content increases.
Water Center United States Environmental Protection Agency Drinking Water Regulations and Health Advisories
These regulations and health advisory tables are revised approximately every 6 months by EPA's Office of Water.
Water Center Copper in Drinking Water
Copper rarely occurs naturally in water. Most copper contamination in drinking water happens in the water delivery system, as a result of corrosion of the copper pipes or fittings. Copper piping and fittings are widely used in household plumbing.
Water Center Bacteria
Water Center Water: The Nutrient - This NebGuide discusses the importance of water in the diet, and special diet needs.
Water Center Water Trivia
Water Quality and Waste Management (WQWM) North Carolina Cooperative Extension Service
Care and concern for our environment is the biggest public issue of the 1990s. ... The Water Quality and Waste Management Initiative has evolved in response to the dire need to protect and preserve our world. Through North Carolina State University and the North Carolina Cooperative Extension Service, we can link the science of today with the environment of tomorrow. WQWM search engine
WQWM Health Effects of Drinking Water Contaminants - People are increasingly concerned about the safety of their drinking water. .... We cannot expect pure water, but we want safe water.
WQWM Drinking Water Treatment Systems- {note, discussion of carbon filters and bacterial contamination applies to granulated carbon filters, not solid block micro-filters}
WQWM Lead in Drinking Water- Exposure to low levels of lead over an extended period of time can have severe effects
WQWM Volatile Organic Chemicals (VOCs) in Drinking Water. Drinking water containing high levels of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) may be harmful to human health
WQWM Water conservation in the home 1, 2, 3- Three discussions about water conservation.
Colorado Water Knowledge Resources at Colorado State University:
Interesting facts about water issues in Colorado {site can be slow}
Colorado Water Resources Research Institute The Colorado Water Resources Research Institute (CWRRI), an affiliate of Colorado State University, exists for the express purpose of focusing the water expertise of higher education on the evolving water concerns and problems being faced by Colorado citizens.
Kid Zone.
{Site contains many water related links.}
Cryptosporidium/Coccidial Research Division of Biology Kansas State University: Detailed discussion of the biology of cryptosporidium and links to related sites.
Environmental Estrogens and Other Hormones (EEOH). Environmental Estrogens (EE) are a wide variety of natural compounds and synthetic chemicals that may mimic natural estrogen hormones. They have been linked to growth, reproductive and other health problems in wildlife and laboratory animals and may affect human health. Select main menu items for overviews, more details, and special features.
Universities Water Information Network (UWIN) The Universities Water Information Network disseminates information of interest to the water resources community and all concerned with our water resources. Use the Quick Search function, check the database(s) you wish to search, and input key words of interest, i.e. chlorine, disinfection, water contamination, water quality, etc. Also check out the WetList - The subject list includes: Hydrology, Surface Water, Groundwater, Water Use/Demand, Water Quality, Management and Planning, Educational, General Environmental Topics, Water Supply, Discussion Forum.
Formation and Control of Disinfection By-Products The primary objective of this project, sponsored by the American Water Works Association Research Foundation (AWWARF) is to evaluate the impact of ozonation on the formation of halogenated and non-halogenated disinfection by-products (DBPs) resulting from subsequent chlorination and chloramination with and without coagulation. From the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill ESE Notes
Health Risks from Enteric Microbes in Water and their Control by Disinfection Professor Mark D. Sobsey is an eminent environmental microbiologist whose work for the past twenty years has focused on the occurrence, transport, fate, and effects of enteric viruses and other microbes of public health importance. From the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill ESE Notes
Atlas Of Medical Parasitology Information on cryptosporidia, giardia, and a host of other parasites from The Carlo Denegri Foundation and the Infectious Diseases Clinic, Department of Medical and Surgical Sciences, University of Torino, Italy. cryptosporidia and other protozoal parasites