Wastewater Reuse and Public Health (South East Water)

Purnell, Sarah and Halliday, Andrew and Newman, Freya and Sinclair, Christine and Ebdon, James (2021) Wastewater Reuse and Public Health (South East Water). [Data Collection]

Project Description

Water deficit, exacerbated by global population increases and climate change, necessitates the investigation of alternative non-traditional water sources to augment existing supplies. Indirect potable reuse (IPR) represents a promising alternative water source in water-stressed regions. Of high concern is the presence of pathogenic microorganisms in wastewater, such as enteric viruses, protozoa and bacteria. Therefore, a greater understanding of the potential impact to human health is required. The aim of this research was to use a quantitative microbial risk assessment (QMRA) approach to calculate the probability of potential pathogen infection risk to the public in surface waters used for a range of recreational activities under scenarios: 1) existing de facto wastewater reuse conditions; 2) after augmentation with conventionally treated wastewater; and 3) after augmentation with reclaimed wastewater from proposed IPR schemes.