Summary

Installed sanitation infrastructure has a high failure rate -聽it often goes unused and/or unrepaired in communities.聽This research seeks to understand how we can improve sustainability of household wastewater infrastructure through improved operation and maintenance. The research identified聽important factors required for sustainable operation and maintenance via a Delphi panel and case studies. This information was then analyzed using msQCA to determine the necessary and sufficient factors (or combination of factors) that lead to successful or unsuccessful operation and maintenance. The second phase of the research sought to understand聽how resident knowledge impacts sustainable operation and maintenance of household waste water infrastructure. This project tracked聽how information reaches and is shared by households.

Funding

  • Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)聽Science To Achieve Results (STAR) Fellowship聽

  • Mortenson Center for Engineering for Developing Communities Graduate Research Assistantship聽

  • College of Engineering and Applied Science Dean鈥檚 Graduate Assistantship聽

  • Department of Civil, Environmental, and Architectural Engineering Doctoral Assistantship