Title
The Relationship between politics and public drinking water in the District of Columbia
Document Type
Article
Publication Date
11-2000
Publication Title
The Geographic Bulletin
Volume
42
Issue
2
Abstract
The nature ofthe relationship between politics and public drinking water in the District of Columbia is examined. The case study of the nexus between water resource management, public health, public relations, and politics sheds light on issues that may affect quality and quantity of drinking water in the United States. The country has a complex set of laws and policies that effectively split responsibility for individual aspects of drinking water management among a variety of governmental and non-governmental agencies. Attimes, this shared responsibility breeds conflict that occurs at the expense of the general public.
By examining the root cause of political conflict in water resource management administrators may be better equipped to formulate policies which serve the public interest in an efficient and cohesive manner. In addition, this socio-political research demonstrates the need for a clear hierarchy in drinking water management in order to assure accountability. Finally, the important role that the media and public relations play in ensuring the delivery of safe drinking water to our taps is underscored.
Keywords
Drinking water -- Quality; Environmentalism in mass media; Media influence; Policy; Urban affairs; Washington (D.C.); Water quality; Water resource management – Political aspects; Water supply –Political aspects
Disciplines
Environmental Policy | Natural Resources Management and Policy | Other Environmental Sciences | Water Resource Management
Language
English
Permissions
Use Find in Your Library, contact the author, or use interlibrary loan to garner a copy of the article. Publisher copyright policy allows author to archive post-print (author’s final manuscript). When post-print is available or publisher policy changes, the article will be deposited
Repository Citation
Smith, W. J.
(2000).
The Relationship between politics and public drinking water in the District of Columbia.
The Geographic Bulletin, 42(2),
https://digitalscholarship.unlv.edu/sea_fac_articles/307