water quality at migrant camps

[Guest guest]

One participant requested information about the " safety " of water at

migrant labor camps. There are at least two different ways to approach

this issue. One question is whether well water in temporary labor camps is

contaminated by pesticides (sprayed in nearby fields). Unfortunately, this

isssue is rarely studied because EPA regulations do not require testing of

water at temporary labor camps (as opposed to wells of a certain size used

for permanent residents). However, a few years ago, an issue arose in

Washington State as to whether wells in a part of the state had been

contaminated by a carcinogenic pesticide. In that instance, Washington

State Department of Health, called Drinking Water Serving Temporary

Farmworker Facilities: Water System INspection and Testing Report (January

2000). It''s available from their website.

There is a second kind of testing which is routinely done at the beginning

of the each season. This is for bacterial contamination. The results of

these tests are generally posted at the camp. The problem here is that the

level of bacterial contamination is not a concern before the season begins,

but it may reach an unacceptable level mid-season, when many farmworkers

are there using the facilities.