@article{e45495b77bcb4f15a595577335aa8569,
title = "Evaluation of well designs to improve access to safe and clean water in rural Tanzania",
abstract = "The objective of this study was to examine three well designs: drilled wells (20–30 m deep), closed dug wells (>5 m deep), and hand-dug open wells (<5 m deep), to determine the water quality for improving access to safe and clean water in rural communities. Heterotrophic plate count (HPC), total coliforms (TC), Escherichia coli (E. coli) and turbidity, were used to assess the water quality of 97 wells. Additionally, the study looked at the microflora diversity of the water, focusing on potential pathogens using outgrowth, PCR, and genome sequencing for 10 wells. Concentrations of TC for the open dug wells (4 × 104 CFU/100 mL) were higher than the drilled (2 × 103 CFU/100 mL) and closed dug wells (3 × 103 CFU/100 mL). E. coli concentration for drilled and closed dug wells was <22 MPN (most probable number)/100 mL, but higher for open wells (>154 MPN/100 mL). The drilled well turbidity (11 NTU) was within the standard deviation of the closed well (28 NTU) compared to open dug wells (49 NTU). Drilled and closed wells had similar microbial diversity. There were no significant differences between drilled and closed dug wells. The covering and lining of hand-dug wells should be considered as an alternative to improve access to safe and clean water in rural communities.",
keywords = "Borehole, Coliform, Escherichia coli, Groundwater, Ifakara, Sub-Saharan Africa, Tanzania, Water quality, Well comparison, Well depth, Well design",
author = "Aminata Kilungo and Linda Powers and Nathan Arnold and Kelli Whelan and Kurt Paterson and Dale Young",
note = "Funding Information: The Author would like to thank Charles Gerba and Walther Ellis for their guidance and review of the material, Miriam Eaton for her help in the laboratory during all stages of this project, Kelly Bright for her help and review, Nik Holsboro, Novatus Mwangeta, Naomi Nge{\textquoteright}ndo, and Mary Kelly from MSABI for their assistance throughout this project and for facilitating sample collection, and the Ifakara Health Institute for their help and use of facilities in Ifakara. This material is based upon work supported by the National Science Foundation under Grant No. OISE-0854050. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation. Funding Information: Acknowledgments: The Author would like to thank Charles Gerba and Walther Ellis for their guidance and review of the material, Miriam Eaton for her help in the laboratory during all stages of this project, Kelly Bright for her help and review, Nik Holsboro, Novatus Mwangeta, Naomi Nge{\textquoteright}ndo, and Mary Kelly from MSABI for their assistance throughout this project and for facilitating sample collection, and the Ifakara Health Institute for their help and use of facilities in Ifakara. This material is based upon work supported by the National Science Foundation under Grant No. OISE-0854050. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation. Publisher Copyright: {\textcopyright} 2018 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland.",
year = "2018",
month = jan,
day = "4",
doi = "10.3390/ijerph15010064",
language = "English (US)",
volume = "15",
journal = "International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health",
issn = "1661-7827",
publisher = "Multidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute (MDPI)",
number = "1",
}