San Diego, USA and Aburi-Akwapim, Ghana
Diverseness of water
Quality and supply

NAME Nuñatete
G107
200….

San Diego, USA and Aburi-Akwapim, Ghana 
Diverseness of water Quality and supply
Abstract:
	While studying and evaluating the differences in the quality and availability of water in both San Diego, USA and Aburi-Akwapim, Ghana, it has been shown that both have clean, safe water readily available to them.
	While Aburi has difficulties gaining government support to supply them the necessary money to tap into the Akosmbo dam to receive a continual, clean water supply, they are able to conserve the water that they do have during the dry season. On the other hand, San Diego maintains a difficult time keeping the water safe for consumption to the residents, and fails to notify the proper authorities within the governmental mandated time frame.
Data was obtained through sources on the web, and personal interview with Nathan Awuah-Korang, a native of Aburi, Ghana. 
Introduction
Downtown San Diego is located on San Diego Bay. Coronado Island and Point Loma separate the bay from the ocean. Ocean Beach is on the west side of Point Loma. Mission Beach and Pacific Beach lie between the ocean and Mission Bay, a man-made aquatic park. La Jolla, an affluent community, lies north of Pacific Beach. Mount Soledad in La Jolla offers views from northern San Diego County to Mexico.
As of the census of 2000, there were 1,223,400 people, 450,691 households, and 271,315 families residing in the city. The population density was 3,771.9 people per square mile (1,456.4/km²). There were 469,689 housing units at an average density of 1,448.1 per square mile (559.1/km²). The median income for a household in the city was $45,733, and the median income for a family was $53,060. Estimates in 2005 show that the average median income has increased to $ 62,085.
The sources of drinking water include rivers, lakes, streams, ponds, reservoirs, springs, and wells. The City of San Diego imports an average of 85 percent of its water. This imported water is provided by the San Diego County Water Authority, which purchases water from the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California. Ultimately, the imported water is a blend of Colorado River water and State Water Project water (see map). Throughout the year, the blend changes. 
Aburi-Akwapim is located in the mountains in the eastern side of Ghana. Ghana is on the western coast of Africa. Aburi is 30 miles North of Accra on the Akuapem hills at 1200 feet elevation. In colonial times, it was used at a retreat for official visitors.
The water supplies in this area are few, but are potable. The main water supply to the town is a stream named Kobi (meaning “go for some” or “go fetch some”) that sources in the mountains and is dammed and piped into a concrete tank to form the Jamaica reservoir. (Awuah-Korang, 2006)
The population of Aburi-Akwapim is approximately 3000, with a great diversness among the population. Those who are considered “upper-class” have indoor plumbing, while those who are not may or may not have plumbing. If they are able to have plumbing in their homes, it is generally to one central area, where water is drawn into buckets for use in the rest of the house. This is due to the cost of the plumbing, both in supplies and labor. 
Method/ Approach
	For the purposes of this report, I interviewed a fellow student who is a native of Ghana. I asked him several questions regarding the quality and sources of water in his home town of Aburi-Akwapim, Ghana. 
	I also used the internet to extract information regarding San Diego, California, and Aburi. The main source of information for San Diego used was a water report issued in 2005 with results and data from 2004. 
Result/ Data
Several forces negatively impact the quality of water from the Colorado River and State Water Project. The Colorado River winds through thousands of miles of unprotected watershed containing towns, farms, old mining sites and industrial sites. For example, the Kerr-McGee Chemical Plant in Henderson, Nevada s undergoing cleanup efforts, but continues to be a source of perchlorate in the Colorado River. The Colorado River also flows past uranium mine tailing
piles in Moab, Utah. The water at the water state project source also has a higher organic carbon and bromide level than the Colorado River water. As organic carbon and bromide levels increase, the potential for creating higher levels of disinfection by-products exists.
	Jamaica reservoir is a man made reservoir that is formed by the damming of a the stream Kobi. For the town of Aburi to receive its water supply, they use pumps to pump to local water tanks. In the dry season however, the quantity of water in Jamaica falls dramatically and the pumps are turned off. People are then forced to carry in their own water for usage. Even the Aburi Botanical Gardens is required to carry in the water from Jamaica to flush the toilets, watering the plants is scarce during this time. 
	One time during the history of Aburi has Jamaica dried up, and that was when the damn was under construction/ or repair and the water was determined questionable for reasons of contamination. At that time residents were required to take one bucket per household to a local boarding house where the government was able to supply water, and carry the water back to their houses. This was a short time frame, and since then Jamaica has never dried up.
Discussions:
The CDHS is the central “force” that the government uses to insure that the residents of San Diego have clean drinking water. Part of the requirements that are placed on the city is to supply the citizens with a water report for every year (issued the following year) with problems and results from the previous year. It also includes what are steps that are being taken to prevent or resolve any problems in the future. In 2004 the water was tested in several locations for different biological and chemical contaminants, and 218,000 tests were preformed on 425 different locations. The results from these tests were within normal range, with the exception of one location (La Jolla) which tested positive for coli form bacteria (E-coli). A citation was issued by the CDHS for failure to notify them within the required 24 hour period. (2004 Annual Quality Drinking Water Report)
An incident began on November 8, 2004, when a routine water sample collected on Desert View Drive in La Jolla tested positive for total coli form bacteria. A single positive sample is not an MCL violation, nor is it necessarily an indication of problems in the water system. The Federal and State laws allow for up to 5% of all samples to test positive for total coli form occurrences. However, whenever total coli forms are detected, the law requires that repeat samples be taken at nearby locations. Consistent with this requirement, repeat samples were taken on November 10 and 12. 
The November 12th, 2004 repeat sample collected showed that E-Coli were present. Samples were then taken on the 13th and 14th, which did not result in a positive test, and therefore not reported. A mistake in the testing was thought to be the cause of the E-Coli.
Based on this premise, the Water Department reported the positive test to CDHS as part of a monthly report, instead of reporting it within 24-hours as required by state law and a citation was issued.
In 2004 the city of San Diego was also cited for a non-compliance violation from the CDHS for backflow. The city currently at the time did not have an adequate system to prevent non-potable water from contaminating the cities drinking water.  

The problem with Aburi water flow is not the quality of water that they have, since the source is a natural spring forming a stream. The water is also naturally filtered, and some of the local tanks have additional filters on them. (Awuah-Korang, 2006). Aburi, located 1200 feet 
above sea level in the mountains, they cannot benefit from the Akosombo Dam, which is the main water supplier to many of the cities in Ghana. To get water to Aburi from this source, the government would have to install several larger than normal pumps and run thousands of miles of pipes up hill to get water to Aburi. Therefore, in the dry seasons Aburi officials have to conserve the water and force the people to draw their own water from Jamaica. It is only at this time when there are no economical or social differences between the people, everyone including the wealthy have to walk to get water. The only difference that still exists at this time is the wealthy people are not getting the water themselves; they use children or maidservants to get them the water. On some occasions, it has been necessary for the town government to pump in water from other sites when Kobi is either too low or not available. During these times, water is piped to the local boarding houses, and residents can go there to get their water, but it is very limited and in short supply. This is a rare occasion, since Jamaica has only dried up once. 
Conclusion:
	Both cities have had problems with their drinking water, the quantity and the quality of the water. Aburi with its location in the mountains has had difficult times with a shortage of water, yet San Diego has issues with maintaining a clean water supply. The benefits of both of the cities are, San Diego has more funding to supply each house with an almost infinite supply of water to each house (also a federal regulation that each house have running water for habitation); and Aburi, though not always in great supply, has natural fresh water that has tested to be clean and disease free year round.
Acknowledgements:
Nathan Awuah-Korang, student IPFW, 2006
References:
http://www.aburiakwapim.org/location.html
http://us-africa.tripod.com/ghana.html
Water Resources Research Institute (WRRI), 1994.

NOTE: THE REFERENCES ARE NOT COMPLETE…NEED TO INCLUDE THE TITLE OF THE SITES AND WHEN THEY ACCESSED THE SITES.