Augustana College faculty and student researchers at an August 1 canvassing event for the water line inventory project
ROCK ISLAND, ILLINOIS (December 8, 2023) — Erik Bergren, an Economics and Public Health major from Geneseo, Illinois (61254), was one of three Augustana College student leaders to present water-line inventory project research at the November 27 Rock Island City Council meeting.
Students presented with Dr Jenny Arkle, assistant professor of environmental studies, geology, and geography.
Findings from the survey, which helped residents identify their pipes as galvanized, lead, or copper, is available at augustana.edu/about-us/news/students-present-results-rock-island-water-line-survey
Augustana announced a partnership with the City of Rock Island to identify the city's service lines in July 2022. The college's Center for the Advancement of Community Health and Wellness and Upper Mississippi Center assisted in gathering data for the multi-year initiative. Dr Arkle is program manager for Augustana's Upper Mississippi Center.
Student leaders Erik Bergren and Adriana Reyes at an August 1 canvassing event. Students knocked on doors to encourage residents to complete a water line survey
Student research assistants and faculty members collected data from more than 12,000 residential homes in Rock Island. This accounts for 25% of all of the homes city-wide. Project leaders then used predictive modeling and historical data to determine the material of the other residential water lines.
The project is in compliance with the 2022 Illinois' Lead Service Line Replacement and Notification Act. The law requires cities to inventory lead-service lines, implement replacements, and coordinate-financing strategies to fund this work.
Bergren and Reyes speak with a Rock Island resident about the material of her water line
Augustana College is a vibrant, welcoming liberal-arts college located on a 115-acre campus in the Quad Cities (pop 400,000) along the Mississippi River. Augustana, a residential campus, has 100 majors and programs, 160 student organizations, and 28 varsity athletic teams.
The college enrolls 2,500 students in a metro area that provides access to many career-paths and hands-on learning opportunities, including internships, jobs, student teaching, and research sites.
