public health

Raising awareness in three Urban Waters Learning Network locations The story map from the Urban Waters Learning Network highlights three unique water quality projects by Groundwork Denver, Heal the Bay, […]

With the uncertainty looming about how long COVID-19 physical distancing will last, members of the Urban Waters Learning Network are finding creative ways to keep social connections alive. While we […]

More than two million people in the United States live without running water, basic indoor plumbing and sanitation. To close this water gap, it is first important to understand it. […]

In 2015, almost 200 United Nations member countries, including the United States, adopted 17 Sustainable Development Goals, a unanimous commitment to address global issues by improving quality of human life, […]

The South Platte River Urban Waters Partnership (SPRUWP) focuses on the headwaters and the Denver metropolitan area, and consists of over seventy organizations, including Federal and state government, municipalities, universities, NGOs and private businesses, all collaborating to address the problems facing the South Platte and improve this vital waterway for current and future generations — as well as those who live downstream of Denver.

This resource from the Prevention Institute addresses the question: “What can people working on “healthy community” issues—like active transportation, parks, healthy food, planning, public health, healthcare, and more—do in their […]

The guide was prepared by members of the Oregon Health and Outdoors Initiative—the Oregon Public Health Institute and the Willamette Partnership—in collaboration with the Green Infrastructure Leadership Exchange. The guide […]

Join the National Water Trails Learning Network to step through the phases of water trail development, discuss the challenges and successes faced when creating and sustaining river access, and dive into a case study of a successful national water trail.

Drinking water crises in Flint, Detroit, Toledo, California’s Central Valley, and West Virginia have highlighted the need to invest in our natural and built infrastructure while also providing affordable water to all customers to ensure access to safe and healthy drinking water. To engage constructively as a community member and advocate, it’s important to understand drinking water systems and policies, rules, and technologies.

With new water uses in these sections of the LA River and more revitalization on the horizon, water quality monitoring for public health and community engagement becomes chiefly important. Heal the Bay – an organization based in Santa Monica, California – has a strong history promoting environmental awareness and advocating for public health through their Beach Report Card program. Over the years they have found that when people are informed about water quality issues, they are more motivated to take care of their environment. In cooperation with students from Los Angeles Trade Technical College (LATTC) and funded by EPA’s Urban Waters small grant program, Heal the Bay expanded this initiative to create a River Report Card for the LA River and other freshwater areas where people recreate and swim.