Investigating Types and Causes of Water Pollution: Three Case Studies in Upstate New York

The purpose of this thesis is to examine causes and trends in water pollution in three Upstate New York municipalities and the associated socioeconomic factors and the potential for environmental justice problems. Water pollution and drinking water quality is crucial to examine. The World Health Organization (2019) has reported that 2.2 billion people around the world do not have safely managed drinking water services. Water quality reports for the Town of Glenville, City of Schenectady and Town of Niskayuna, in New York State, were compared. Census data from 2019 also was used to examine race and income in these municipalities. None of the water quality reports showed violations in contamination levels, however the levels of each contaminant varied. These findings were then compared and discussed with regard to potential environmental justice issues.