Safe Water Project: Pilot

In Texas border communities, access to safe, clean drinking water is often a challenge, particularly for residents of colonias—low-income, unincorporated areas with limited infrastructure. Supported by Methodist Healthcare Ministries, Inc., Together for a Better Tomorrow at the Texas A&M University School of Public Health has carried out a two-year, two-part project focused on enhancing water quality and empowering communities.

Monitoring and Reducing Arsenic & Lead Exposure

  Two women in maroon polo shirts conducting an outdoor assessment near a vehicle, with a partly cloudy sky in the background. A person is preparing to conduct a blood test while pressing down on a finger to promote blood flow. A woman with long hair tied back is washing dishes in a kitchen sink, wearing gloves and a maroon shirt. Natural light streams in from a nearby window adorned with plants.

This project focused on tracking and reducing arsenic & lead levels in drinking water, a serious concern for health in these regions. By partnering with community members, we collected water, urine, and toenail samples and provided homes with water filters as an immediate solution. Households received educational materials to raise awareness and improve understanding of water safety, while data collected informed potential health risks and long-term solutions for water quality.

Youth Citizen Scientist Program

A central part of our water quality study was the Citizen Scientist program, which aimed to inspire a passion for science among students in South Texas by training the next generation of Citizen Scientists. These Citizen Scientists worked in environmental field teams, gathering data on water contaminants like arsenic and lead. This hands-on project built local expertise, created educational opportunities, and fostered community resilience. In the first year, we welcomed our inaugural cohort, a group of fourteen students who completed the program and graduated. These students participated in 16 hours of interactive, culturally, and linguistically tailored training, combined with hands-on field studies in colonias across Hidalgo County.

Each graduate earned 10 hours of community service, received a Youth Citizen Scientist Certificate from Texas A&M University, a letter of recommendation to support their academic ambitions, and practical water filtration tools, including a filtered water bottle, a ZeroWater filter pitcher, and a PUR faucet filter.

  A group of seven volunteers wearing matching maroon shirts stand under a pavilion, each holding a large black trash bag and giving a thumbs up. A group of volunteers wearing matching maroon shirts poses with garbage bags after a cleanup event, showing their thumbs up in front of a blue wall. An instructor demonstrates a scientific experiment while a participant observes, both in a classroom setting. The instructor is wearing gloves and working with lab equipment on a table. A group of students in maroon shirts participates in a science activity outdoors, with one student wearing gloves while preparing a sample.

Parent Sessions

As part of the Citizen Scientist program, we also organized and facilitated simultaneous, separate Parent Sessions designed to empower parents by providing valuable information about local resources and strategies to support their families, particularly in helping youth pursue higher education. These sessions were enriched by presentations from local agencies and organizations on a variety of relevant topics, including state and financial aid, healthcare access, self-care, housing resources, healthy eating, and diabetes prevention.

  Group of individuals wearing matching maroon t-shirts, standing together outside a building. Group of five women proudly holding colorful flower crafts, wearing matching maroon "Citizen Science" t-shirts. A warm portrait of a couple smiling together at a community event. A group of five people, including a child holding a toy, standing together in front of a Texas A&M University School of Public Health backdrop.

 

Why This Matters

Access to safe, clean drinking water remains a critical challenge in Texas border colonias, where limited infrastructure puts thousands at risk. Building on our two-year initiative funded by Methodist Healthcare Ministries, Inc. we are able to address the urgent need to reducing arsenic and lead exposure through comprehensive community engagement. In the short term, we provide immediate relief by distributing water filters, collecting vital samples, and delivering educational materials that raise awareness about water safety. Simultaneously, our Youth Citizen Scientist Program and dedicated Parent Sessions inspire a passion for learning, empower residents with practical skills, and build local

expertise through hands-on training and real-world data collection. Long term, we aim to catalyze policy changes that secure sustainable, reliable water solutions, establishing a replicable model of resilience and health that can benefit communities along the Texas-Mexico border for generations to come.