Pathogen Loadings at Drinking Water Intakes on a Heavily Impacted River: Assessing Urban and Agricul

1
Pathogen Loadings at Drinking Water Intakes on a
Heavily Impacted River Assessing Urban and
Agricultural Inputs
Project SDWf P.M. Huck, University of
Waterloo D.P. Dupont, Brock University A.G.
Werker, ANOX AB P. Payment, Institut
Armand-Frappier

• November 24, 2005
• Kananaskis Researcher Retreat

2
Overall Goals

• Determine contributions of target pathogens from
  selected sub-watersheds of the Grand River (point
  and non-point sources, events)
• Assess temporal variability in domestic
  wastewater performance and potential for process
  innovation
• Critically assess RMOW Rural Water Quality
  Program in encouraging farmer participation with
  a view to reducing pathogen loadings
• Determine cost-effectiveness of abatement vs.
  treatment to achieve target reductions in
  pathogen loadings

3
Research Team

• Peter M. Huck (NSERC IRC in Water Treatment,
  University of Waterloo)
• Diane Dupont (Brock University) Economist
• Alan Werker (ANOX)/Ray Legge (University of
  Waterloo) Wastewater Engineers
• Pierre Payment (INRS Institut Armand Frappier)
  Virologist

4
Key Challenges/Goals

• Understanding issues related to source pathogen
  contributions and transport to watersheds
• Acquiring confidential (or non existent) data to
  pursue source tracking initiatives
• Tracking a moving target as some measures
  currently being implemented changing what could
  be considered as pre-regulatory control
  conditions
• Developing mechanisms by which protection
  measures can be developed and adequately
  evaluated

5
Relevant State-of-the-Research

• Despite general understanding of significance of
  current and emerging pathogens in drinking water
  very little information exists as to types,
  occurrence, quantities
• Identify appropriate means of allocation of
  funding to get most for the investment (source
  water protection vs. waste water treatment vs.
  drinking water treatment)
• Develop programs to assess cost and health
  protection effectiveness of source water
  protection measures

6
Approach

• Quantify prevalence of key pathogens
  (Campylobacter, E. coli O157H7, etc.)
• Determine key contributors/pathways
• Identify high risk climate/flow conditions
• Examine wastewater treatment attenuation
  strategies
• Identify existing programs to develop best
  management practices and evaluate factors
  influencing participation
• Attempt to draw conclusions regarding most
  appropriate allocation of resources

7
Stage of Research

• Project recently completed
• Provided seed funding for development of
  sustained activity with respect to pathogen
  transmission in the environment, including
  expanded monitoring and development of genetic
  based methodology for improved detection
• Currently working with public health agencies in
  an attempt to link the detection of pathogens in
  water to those identified in humans

8
Key Findings/Observations

• Development of a framework for pathogen
  monitoring programs to assess the impact of
  legislation, such as the Nutrient Management and
  Source Water Protection Acts in Ontario.
• A greater emphasis should be placed on monitoring
  wet-weather events which may carry greater
  pathogenic loads. During wet weather events,
  turbidity and E. coli were correlated, pathogens
  were not (often preceded turbidity increases).
• Tile drains important contributor of pathogens

9
Key Findings/Observations

• Analyzing 12 samples/year for Cryptosporidium may
  not provide sufficient data to assess risk/ level
  of treatment. Variability of occurrence is high
  even a highly impacted source may produce a large
  number of non-detects.
• Watershed-based approach for assessing raw water
  quality may be strengthen limited monitoring.
  This approach identifies and quantifies potential
  pathogen sources upstream of a drinking water
  treatment plant.

10
Key Findings/Observations

• Framework developed to assess the success of
  Rural Water Quality Program, a cost-sharing
  program encouraging farmers in the Grand River
  Conservation area to adopt a variety of best
  management practices to reduce nutrient
  discharges (reducing pathogen load)
• Predicts how changes in program components (e.g.,
  maximum grant rate, type of grant, etc.)
  translate into predictions of changes in the
  number of farms participating. This impacts
  reduction in pathogen loadings from adopting best
  management practices.

11
Insights on Knowledge Transfer

• Application of research findings incremental in
  water treatment and regulatory environments
• Despite numerous technology transfer events
  (presentations, publications, seminars, etc.) the
  best approach seems to be involvement on
  panels/committees (crosses disciplines)
• Findings reinforce perception of drinking water
  providers that contribution from source water
  protection must be contextualized. Operators must
  plan for worst case scenarios-trend towards
  increased robustness

12
Opportunities

• Working with regulatory agencies to develop
  genetic methods
• Enhancing relevance to public health through
  interactions with the Canadian Public Health
  Agency and the Region of Waterloo Health Unit
• Representation on panels and committees dealing
  with nutrient management, source water
  protection, and safe drinking water issues
  (regulatory input)

13
Collaborative Interests

• Ontario MOE grant (with WLU) emerging pathogen
  survey/resistance to inactivation
• CWN/PHAC grants (w/UBC, U of A, U Sherbrooke,
  GRCA, BC Environment, ROW Public Health, Waterloo
  Region, Municipality of Langley, Environment
  Canada, BCCDC) links between detection of
  pathogens in food and water and those isolated in
  humans
• 2 additional proposals to MOE submitted method
  development/assessing regulatory impacts
• CWN proposal being developed Public Health
  Interventions