High levels of endocrine pollutants in US streams during low flow due to insufficient wastewater dilution

Rice, Jacelyn; Westerhoff, Paul

doi:10.1038/ngeo2984

Cited by 119 publications

(93 citation statements)

References 37 publications

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“…However, the six compounds with >25% relative concentration, and particularly the three components with higher concentrations (verapamil, amitriptyline, and methyl‐1H‐benzotriazole), illustrate the need for DWTPs to estimate and assess the potential for WWTP influence on the chemical contaminant composition of their source water. DRINCS can identify situations in which potential exists for CECs in DWTP influents, and assist with understanding the potential seasonal variability as a function of streamflow (Rice & Westerhoff , ). For DWTPs with higher levels of DFR under average flow (>1–5%), the frequency of CEC detection and CEC concentrations should be high enough to detect by modern analytical methods.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Modeled De Facto Reuse and Contaminants of Emerging Concern in Drinking Water Source Waters

et al. 2018

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De facto reuse is the percentage of drinking water treatment plant (DWTP) intake potentially composed of effluent discharged from upstream wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs). Results from grab samples and a De Facto Reuse in our Nation's Consumable Supply (DRINCS) geospatial watershed model were used to quantify contaminants of emerging concern (CECs) concentrations at DWTP intakes to qualitatively compare exposure risks obtained by the two approaches. Between nine and 71 CECs were detected in grab samples. The number of upstream WWTP discharges ranged from 0 to >1,000; comparative de facto reuse results from DRINCS ranged from <0.1 to 13% during average flow and >80% during lower streamflows. Correlation between chemicals detected and DRINCS modeling results were observed, particularly DWTPs withdrawing from midsize water bodies. This comparison advances the utility of DRINCS to identify locations of DWTPs for future CEC sampling and treatment technology testing.Keywords: contaminants of emerging concern, de facto reuse, drinking water source water, transport and fate E2 NGUYEN ET AL. | APRIL 2018 • 110:4 | JOURNAL AWWA

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Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Modeled De Facto Reuse and Contaminants of Emerging Concern in Drinking Water Source Waters

et al. 2018

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“…), because the effect of wastewater is modulated by the timing and magnitude of dilution potential relative to pollutant concentration (Gurnell et al. ; Rice and Westerhoff ; Price et al. ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…However, there is notable seasonal and spatial variation in the degree to which non-effluent sources interact with wastewater inputs to mediate water quantity and quality. The influence of effluent on water quality can vary in semi-arid rivers (van Vliet et al 2017), because the effect of wastewater is modulated by the timing and magnitude of dilution potential relative to pollutant concentration (Gurnell et al 2007; Rice and Westerhoff 2017;Price et al 2018). Hydrologic flow in some semi-arid urban rivers has been historically snowmelt-dominated, with the greatest potential for dilution occurring in spring when tributary inputs attain annual maximum discharge.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Spatiotemporal Variability in Water Sources Controls Chemical and Physical Properties of a Semi‐arid Urban River System

Shah

Jameel

Smith

et al. 2019

J American Water Resour Assoc

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We conducted synoptic surveys over three seasons in one year to evaluate the variability in water sources and geochemistry of an urban river with complex water infrastructure in the state of Utah. Using stable isotopes of river water (δ18O and δ2H) within a Bayesian mixing model framework and a separate hydrologic mass balance approach, we quantified both the proportional inputs and magnitude of discharge associated with “natural” (lake, groundwater, and tributary inputs) and “engineered” (effluent and canal inflows) sources. The relative importance of these major contributors to streamflow varied both spatially and seasonally. Spatiotemporal patterns of dissolved oxygen, temperature, pH, calcium, chloride, nitrate, and orthophosphate indicated seasonal shifts in dominant sources of river water played an important role in determining water quality. We show although urban rivers are clearly influenced by novel water sources created by water infrastructure, they continue to reflect the imprint of “natural” water sources, including diffuse groundwater. Resource managers thus may need to account for the quantity of both surface waters and also historically overlooked groundwater inputs to address water quality concerns in urban rivers.

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“…This makes some of them computationally inefficient; others have non-open source codes, which make their use for global or continental scale calculations cumbersome . 20 Recently, other approaches specifically designed for very large scales have used a Geographical Information System (GIS) framework to solve the routing of chemicals along the river network (Pistocchi et al, 2012;Dumont et al, 2015;Grill et al, 2016;Rice and Westerhoff 2017). Most of these models use a much simpler model parameterization, in order to make continental and global calculations accessible.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

GLOBAL-FATE: A GIS-based model for assessing contaminants fate in the global river network

Font

Bregoli

Acuña

et al. 2019

Preprint

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Abstract. GLOBAL-FATE is an open-source, multiplatform, and flexible contaminant fate model that links human consumption of pharmaceutical-like compounds with their concentration in the river network at the global scale. GLOBAL-FATE simulates human consumption and excretion of pharmaceuticals, the attenuation of the contaminant load in wastewater treatment plants, and runoff and contaminant routing along the river network under steady-state, including first order decay of the contaminant in rivers reaches, lakes, and reservoirs. We provide a comprehensive description of model equations and the overall structure of the model, with particular attention to input/output datasets. GLOBAL-FATE is written in C and can be compiled in any platform, and uses inputs in standard GIS format. Additionally, the model can be run inside QGIS as a plug-in. The model has no built-in working resolution, which depends on the user inputs. We exemplify the application of GLOBAL-FATE solving the global concentration of diclofenac in the river network. A comparison with a dataset of diclofenac concentration observations in rivers suggest that GLOBAL-FATE can be successfully applied in real case modelling exercises. The model is particularly sensitive to the generation of contaminant loads by human pharmaceutical consumption, and also to the processes governing contaminant attenuation in the river network.

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High levels of endocrine pollutants in US streams during low flow due to insufficient wastewater dilution

Cited by 119 publications

References 37 publications

Modeled De Facto Reuse and Contaminants of Emerging Concern in Drinking Water Source Waters

Modeled De Facto Reuse and Contaminants of Emerging Concern in Drinking Water Source Waters

Spatiotemporal Variability in Water Sources Controls Chemical and Physical Properties of a Semi‐arid Urban River System

GLOBAL-FATE: A GIS-based model for assessing contaminants fate in the global river network

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