IRES: Nature-based Solutions research to support water security in peri-urban areas

Oklahoma State University, Stillwater OK

Investigators

Abstract

Even though global leaders have made clean water a top priority through the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, millions of people around the world still struggle to get safe, affordable drinking water. This ongoing crisis is a major challenge for governments, scientists, and nonprofits alike. Solving it isn’t easy - it involves a mix of environmental, social, and economic factors and demands teamwork across many different fields. This research project helps prepare U.S. students who are studying water resources and environmental science to meet that challenge. Over the course of three years, student-led projects - carried out in partnership with colleagues in South Africa - explore how ecosystem-based conservation and management approaches can provide low-cost, flexible, and sustainable ways to improve water security. Through this experience, students develop practical scientific and communication skills by taking part in online training courses, in-field data collection and analysis, professional meetings, and public outreach. In the process, they also learn how to work across cultures and disciplines - essential skills for solving complex water problems both abroad and at home. Addressing global water-related challenges requires that future leaders have a strong understanding of complex socio-hydrological systems and the feasibility to address water insecurity through decentralized approaches. This IRES project equips emerging U.S. hydrologic and environmental scientists with the skills to conceptualize and carry out field-based Nature-based Solutions (NbS) research on decentralized water solutions, communicate their findings effectively, and work collaboratively in an international setting. Research activities are based at the Water Hub, an established living lab outside of Cape Town, South Africa. This lab and location are ideally suited to understand the compounding challenges and opportunities inherent to meeting water security goals. Eighteen U.S. undergraduate and early-stage graduate students (six per grant year, for five weeks each summer) are investigating the suitability and application of NbS in addressing water pollution and contributing to watershed and community resiliency. Students are developing independent research projects, working with students from South Africa, and receiving mentorship by scientists from South Africa. The intellectual merit of this research lies in the integration of physical hydrology, environmental chemistry, and Geographic Information Systems to understand how informal settlements contribute to degraded stream water quality and to determine the effectiveness of NbS to improve water quality and contribute to a positive economy. Each cohort builds upon past research, working to determine (a) the timing and load of contaminants in streams adjacent to informal settlements; (b) the dynamics of related surface-groundwater interaction to model potential and real groundwater contamination; (c) the efficacy of various natural mediums to remediate contaminated surface water; and (d) the viability of using re-claimed water to irrigate community gardens. The broader impacts of this project include the development of global competencies and skills for three cohorts of students from U.S. institutions and greater knowledge of the linked social and environmental systems leading to better investment decisions by government officials and non-profits addressing water insecurity in urban areas of the Global South. This knowledge also benefits U.S. communities and decision-makers seeking decentralized approaches to solving water security challenges. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.