The overarching goal of the Maryland Safe Drinking WATER (Water Analysis and Testing for Education and Research) Study is to characterize the drinking water quality of both public drinking water systems and private wells in Maryland's underserved communities using a combination of citizen science, field-based research, and laboratory 
analyses. To accomplish this goal, the team is collaborating with UMD Extension partners, government partners, community partners, private well owners, and residents of Maryland who utilize public drinking water.
This University of Maryland Grand Challenges Grant funded project has had student support from 4 high school students, 5 undergraduates, and 4 graduate students. In the Spring of 2024, and the study was featured in Maryland Today and the Chronicle of Higher Education, as well as WMAR Baltimore.
Nearly 800 Maryland residents across all 24 counties received an at-home drinking water test kit from the team. Of these participants, over 500 people opted into Phase 2 sampling, in which UMD researchers travel to homes to collect drinking water samples. These samples then undergo analysis for heavy metals, bacteria, persistent organic pollutants, and other chemical contaminants in laboratories back on campus. To date, the team has collected water samples from 94 households in the counties surrounding campus and on the Eastern Shore. The team, which includes Assistant Research Professor and Graduate Director, Department of Global, Environmental, and Occupational Health Rianna Murray (SPHL), Assistant Research Professor, Department of Global, Environmental, and Occupational Health Leena Malayil (SPHL), and Project Manager, Department of Global, Environmental, and Occupational Health Georgia Parolski (SPHL) (pictured above), aims to use the data to identify any water quality issues that have gone undetected, start a database for water quality in the state, and advocate for policies to better protect our drinking water.
For more information, visit https://sph.umd.edu/marylandsafedrinkingwater or https://research.umd.edu/safe-drinking-water.