CLU receives EPA grant to study river
Pollution and neighborhood income will be compared
Alex Sherbetjian, professor Grady Hanrahan, Sarah Muliadi and Lyra Porcasi collect samples from the Ventura River.
Photo: Brian Stethem(THOUSAND OAKS, Calif. – Nov. 20, 2008) The Environmental Protection Agency has awarded California Lutheran University a $10,000 grant to study the water quality of the Ventura River.
The P3: People, Planet and Prosperity Phase I grant enables college students to research, develop and design sustainable solutions to environmental challenges.
At CLU, professor Grady Hanrahan is working with chemistry, mathematics and social science students on a yearlong research project that addresses social, economic and environmental issues.
Hanrahan and the students began collecting samples at several sites along the river this summer in collaboration with the Ventura County Public Works Agency’s Stormwater Quality Division. They are measuring temperature, conductivity and pH level onsite, and then testing for nitrates, phosphates, ammonia, trace metals and selected pesticides in the CLU lab.
The researchers are testing the samples to determine whether pollution levels differ in low-income areas and more affluent neighborhoods. Students are also surveying and interviewing residents to discern how their perceived risk from environmental pollutants compares to their actual risk. Hanrahan, who holds CLU’s John Stauffer Endowed Chair of Analytical Chemistry, also wants to determine whether there is a correlation between pollution levels and health disparities among the communities.
When the study is complete, the researchers will share the data with the public and lawmakers.
In spring, the CLU team will compete in Washington, D.C., for the P3 Award, which could bring additional funding up to $75,000 to allow the students to further develop their design for sustainability, implement it and move it into the marketplace.