eDNA-based detection reveals invasion risks of a biofouling bivalve in the world's largest water diversion project.

Environmental DNA (eDNA) has increasingly been used to detect rare species (e.g., newly introduced nonindigenous species) in both terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems, often with distinct advantages over traditional methods. However, whether water eDNA signals can be used to inform invasion risks remains debatable owing to inherent uncertainties associated with the methods used and the varying conditions among study systems. Here, we sampled eDNA from canals of the central route of the South-to-North Water Diversion Project (hereafter SNWDP) in China to investigate eDNA distribution and efficacy to inform invasion risks in a unique lotic system. We first conducted a total of 16 monthly surveys in this system (two sites in the source reservoir and four sites in the main canal) to test if eDNA could be applied to detect an invasive, biofouling bivalve, the golden mussel Limnoperna fortunei. Second, we initiated a one-time survey in a sub-canal of the SNWDP using refined sampling (12 sites in ~22 km canal) and considered a few environmental predictors. We found that detection of target eDNA in the main canal was achieved up to 1100 km from the putative source population but was restricted to the warmer months (May-November). Detection probability exhibited a significant positive relationship with average daily minimum air temperature and with water temperature, consistent with the expected spawning season. eDNA concentration in the main canal generally fluctuated across months and sites and was generally higher in warmer months. Golden mussel eDNA concentration in the sub-canal decreased significantly with distance from the source and with increasing water temperature and became almost undetectable at ~22 km distance. Given the enormity of the SNWDP, golden mussels may eventually expand their distribution in the main canal, with established "bridgehead" populations facilitating further spread. Our findings suggest an elevated invasion risk of golden mussels in the SNWDP in warm months, highlighting the critical period for spread and, possibly, management.

Changes of putative pathogenic species within the water bacterial community in large-scale drinking water treatment and distribution systems.

Although the management of microbes in drinking water is of paramount importance for public health, there remain challenges in comprehensively examining pathogenic bacteria in the water supply system at the species level. In this study, high-throughput sequencing of nearly full-length 16S rRNA genes was performed to investigate the changes of the water bacterial community in three large-scale drinking water treatment plants (DWTPs) and their corresponding distribution systems during winter and summer. Our findings revealed significant differences in the bacterial community structure between winter and summer water samples for each DWTP and its distribution management area (DMA). In the groundwater-fed DWTP, selective enrichment of mycobacterial species was observed in both seasons, and the subsequent DMA also exhibited strong selection for specific mycobacterial species. In one of the surface water-fed DWTPs, certain Legionella species present in the source water in winter were selectively enriched in the bacterial community after pre-oxidation, although they were susceptible to the subsequent purification steps. A variety of putative pathogenic species (n = 83) were identified based on our pathogen identification pipeline, with the dominant species representing opportunistic pathogens commonly found in water supply systems. While pathogen removal primarily occurred during the purification processes of DWTPs, especially for surface water-fed plants, the relative abundance of pathogenic bacteria in the DMA water flora was lower than that in the DWTP effluent flora, indicating a diminished competitiveness of pathogens within the DMA ecosystem.

Effects of pre-oxidation on residual dissolved aluminum in coagulated water: A pilot-scale study.

Residual dissolved aluminum (Al) in drinking water is becoming a serious concern due to its high potential risks to human health. However, the mechanism by which residual dissolved Al forms is yet to be elucidated in detail. In this study, the effects of pre-oxidation by ozonation and chlorination on the properties of dissolved organic matter (DOM) and residual Al concentrations remaining in solution after coagulation were explored in a pilot-scale test. Changes in the DOM properties caused by the water treatment process were characterized by ultraviolet-visible absorbance spectroscopy. Theprotonation-active sites, carboxylic- and phenolic-type groupsof DOM were quantified by spectral parameter DlnA400 (differential log-transformed spectra at wavelength 400 nm) in combination with the revised non-ideal competitive adsorption model. The results show that ozonation and chlorination significantly affect the properties of DOM and the amount of residual dissolved Al in coagulated drinking water. This effect was associated with the changes in the carboxylic- and phenolic-type groups in DOM. Results of the study show that residual dissolved Al in coagulated water can be controlled by affecting theAl binding sites in DOM by pre-oxidation before coagulation. The nature of pre-oxidation agent and its dosage should be selected depending on the quality of the raw water to be treated. Ozonation was concluded to be preferable pre-oxidation agent for the water in examined this study.

Yield of trihalomethane, haloacetic acid and chloral upon chlorinating algae after coagulation-filtration: Is pre-oxidation necessarily negative for disinfection by-product control?

Effect of pre-chlorination and pre-ozonation on Microcystis aeruginosa (MA) and Coccomyxa subellipsoidea (CS) as disinfection by-products (DBPs) precursors was investigated after coagulation-filtration. Pre-chlorination considerably decreased the autofluorescence of algae cells but barely influenced cell granularity. In comparison, after pre-ozonation more algae cells were associated with decreased cell size; yet less reduction in the autofluorescence was observed. In MA case, pre-chlorination increased the residual algae density after coagulation-filtration by 132%-146% while pre-ozonation enhanced the algae removal by 26%-28%. In CS case, algae removal was improved by pre-chlorination (32%-45%) and pre-ozonation (7%-45%). Pre-chlorination enhanced the removal of algogenic organic matters (AOM) by coagulation-filtration, especially for tryptophan-like and soluble microbial products. Effect of pre-ozonation on the fluorescence intensity of AOM after coauglation-filtration depended on AOM species and the ratio of [ozone dose]:[algae density]. In both MA and CS cases, chlorine increased the yields of trihalomethane (THM, 25%-78% and 51%-103%), haloacetic acid (HAA, 140%-360% and 167%-233%) and chloral (50%-161% and 68%-108%), respectively. Pre-ozonation decreased the total DBPs yields. For MA-added suspensions, ozone decreased the production of THM, HAA and chloral by 15%-37%, 28%-39% and 60%, respectively. In CS case, chloral yield was decreased by 12%-31% while THM formation was largely unchanged. HAA production varied by ± 1.5 µg/L.

[Effect of the change in sulphate and dissolved oxygen mass concentration on metal release in old cast iron distribution pipes].

To understand the processes of corrosion by-product release and the consequent "red water" problems caused by the variation of water chemical composition in drinking water distribution system, the effect of sulphate and dissolved oxygen (DO) concentration on total iron release in corroded old iron pipe sections historically transporting groundwater was investigated in laboratory using small-scale pipe section reactors. The release behaviors of some low-level metals, such as Mn, As, Cr, Cu, Zn and Ni, in the process of iron release were also monitored. The results showed that the total iron and Mn release increased significantly with the increase of sulphate concentration, and apparent red water occurred when sulphate concentration was above 400 mg x L(-1). With the increase of sulfate concentration, the effluent concentrations of As, Cr, Cu, Zn and Ni also increased obviously, however, the effluent concentrations of these metals were lower than the influent concentrations under most circumstances, which indicated that adsorption of these metals by pipe corrosion scales occurred. Increasing DO within a certain range could significantly inhibit the iron release.

Molecular analysis of bacterial communities in biofilms of a drinking water clearwell.

Microbial community structures in biofilms of a clearwell in a drinking water supply system in Beijing, China were examined by clone library, terminal restriction fragment length polymorphism (T-RFLP) and 454 pyrosequencing of the amplified 16S rRNA gene. Six biofilm samples (designated R1-R6) collected from six locations (upper and lower sites of the inlet, middle and outlet) of the clearwell revealed similar bacterial patterns by T-RFLP analysis. With respect to the dominant groups, the phylotypes detected by clone library and T-RFLP generally matched each other. A total of 9,543 reads were obtained from samples located at the lower inlet and the lower outlet sites by pyrosequencing. The bacterial diversity of the two samples was compared at phylum and genus levels. Alphaproteobacteria dominated the communities in both samples and the genus of Sphingomonas constituted 75.1%-99.6% of this phylum. A high level of Sphingomonas sp. was first observed in the drinking water biofilms with 0.6-1.0 mg L(-1) of chlorine residual. Disinfectant-resistant microorganisms deserve special attention in drinking water management. This study provides novel insights into the microbial populations in drinking water systems and highlights the important role of Sphingomonas species in biofilm formation.

Morphological and physicochemical characteristics of iron corrosion scales formed under different water source histories in a drinking water distribution system.

The corrosion scales on iron pipes could have great impact on the water quality in drinking water distribution systems (DWDS). Unstable and less protective corrosion scale is one of the main factors causing "discolored water" issues when quality of water entering into distribution system changed significantly. The morphological and physicochemical characteristics of corrosion scales formed under different source water histories in duration of about two decades were systematically investigated in this work. Thick corrosion scales or densely distributed corrosion tubercles were mostly found in pipes transporting surface water, but thin corrosion scales and hollow tubercles were mostly discovered in pipes transporting groundwater. Magnetite and goethite were main constituents of iron corrosion products, but the mass ratio of magnetite/goethite (M/G) was significantly different depending on the corrosion scale structure and water source conditions. Thick corrosion scales and hard shell of tubercles had much higher M/G ratio (>1.0), while the thin corrosion scales had no magnetite detected or with much lower M/G ratio. The M/G ratio could be used to identify the characteristics and evaluate the performances of corrosion scales formed under different water conditions. Compared with the pipes transporting ground water, the pipes transporting surface water were more seriously corroded and could be in a relatively more active corrosion status all the time, which was implicated by relatively higher siderite, green rust and total iron contents in their corrosion scales. Higher content of unstable ferric components such as γ-FeOOH, ß-FeOOH and amorphous iron oxide existed in corrosion scales of pipes receiving groundwater which was less corroded. Corrosion scales on groundwater pipes with low magnetite content had higher surface area and thus possibly higher sorption capacity. The primary trace inorganic elements in corrosion products were Br and heavy metals. Corrosion products obtained from pipes transporting groundwater had higher levels of Br, Ti, Ba, Cu, Sr, V, Cr, La, Pb and As.

[Diversity and bacteria community structure of activated carbon used in advanced drinking water treatment].

Two granular activated carbon (GAC) samples with 1.5 a and 5 a age were collected, Bacterial genome DNA was extracted for the 16S rDNA gene amplification, and then a bacterial 16S rDNA gene clone library was constructed. After the phylogenetic analysis of 16S rDNA sequences, bacterial diversity and community structure of two activated carbon biofilm sample were studied. The results showed the bacteria in GAC with 5 a age could be divided into 11 groups, which were as follows alpha-Proteobacteria (26.5%), beta-Proteobacteria (16.3%), delta-Proteobacteria (16.3%), Planctomycetes (12.2%), Gemmatimonadetes (6.1%), Acidobacteria (4.1%), Nitrospira (2.0%), gamma-Proteobacteria (2.0%), Bacteroidetes (2.0%), Actinobacteria (2.0%), Unclassified Bacteria (10.2%). The bacteria in GAC with 1.5 a age could be divided into 10 groups, which were as follows alpha-Proteobacteria (21.6%), Planctomycetes( 10.8%), Bacteroidetes (10.8%), beta-Proteobacteria (9.0%), Acidobacteria (9.0%), Nitrospira (7.2%), detla-Proteobacteria (7.2%), Unclassified Proteobacteria (5.4%), Gemmatimonadetes (3.6%), Unclassified Bacteria (14.4%). The results revealed a variety of bacterial divisions on the studied GAC biofilm. Proteobacteria had the highest share in the two total clones, and alpha- and beta-Proteobacteria were on a dominant position. A relatively high proportion of delta-Proteobacteria was observed in the biofilm of GAC with 5 a age, and Nitrospira was in a minor proportion. However, a totally converse condition appeared in GAC with 1.5 a age. Two pathogenic bacteria, Afipia and Chryseobacterium, were detected in analyzed GACs, which implies a potential microbial risk in water supply.

Biodegradation of geosmin in drinking water by novel bacteria isolated from biologically active carbon.

Three strains of Gram-negative bacteria capable of removing geosmin from drinking water were isolated from biologically active carbon and identified to be Chryseobacterium sp., Sinorhizobium sp. and Stenotrophomonas sp. based on physio-biochemistry analysis and 16S rRNA gene sequence analysis. Removal efficiencies of 2 mg/L geosmin in mineral salts medium were 84.0%, 80.2% and 74.4% for Chryseobacterium sp., Sinorhizobium sp. and Stenotrophomonas sp., respectively, while removal efficiencies of 560 ng/L geosmin in filter influent were 84.8%, 82.3% and 82.5%, respectively. The biodegradation of geosmin was determined to be a pseudo first-order reaction, with rate constants at 2 mg/L and 560 ng/L being 0.097 and 0.086 day(-1), 0.089 and 0.084 day(-1), 0.074 and 0.098 day(-1) for the above mentioned degraders, respectively. The biomass of culture in the presence of geosmin was much higher than that in the absence of geosmin.

[Case study of red water phenomenon in drinking water distribution systems caused by water source switch].

Red water phenomenon occurred in some communities of a city in China after water source switch in recent days. The origin of this red water problem and mechanism of iron release were investigated in the study. Water quality of local and new water sources was tested and tap water quality in suffered area had been monitored for 3 months since red water occurred. Interior corrosion scales on the pipe which was obtained from the suffered area were analyzed by XRD, SEM, and EDS. Corrosion rates of cast iron under the conditions of two source water were obtained by Annular Reactor. The influence of different source water on iron release was studied by pipe section reactor to simulate the distribution systems. The results indicated that large increase of sulfate concentration by water source shift was regarded as the cause of red water problem. The Larson ratio increased from about 0.4 to 1.7-1.9 and the red water problem happened in the taps of some urban communities just several days after the new water source was applied. The mechanism of iron release was concluded that the stable shell of scales in the pipes had been corrupted by this kind of high-sulfate-concentration source water and it was hard to recover soon spontaneously. The effect of sulfate on iron release of the old cast iron was more significant than its effect on enhancing iron corrosion. The rate of iron release increased with increasing Larson ratio, and the correlation of them was nonlinear on the old cast-iron. The problem remained quite a long time even if the water source re-shifted into the blended one with only small ratio of the new source and the Larson ratio reduced to about 0.6.

[Analysis of microbial community of a Beijing simulator water distribution system].

Identification of compositions of the biofilm in a Beijing simulator water distribution system pipe networks by PCR and single strand conformation polymorphism (PCR-SSCP) technique and analysis of its heterotrophic bacterial by heterotrophic plate count (HPC) were performed. Results showed that when the water velocities were same, the count of heterotrophic bacterial on the zinficated steel wall was about five times of the PVC. On the other hand, when the pipe materials were zinficated steel, the count of heterotrophic bacterial in the deadwater pipe wall was about 1/5 of the 0.6 m/s region. The difference of the bacterial count maybe related to the smooth of the water pipe surface and the velocity of flow which affected the attachment of the microorganisms and the quantity of O2 and nourishment, respectively. Same SSCP electrophoresis profiles were observed between samples from different material pipes and water velocities. After sequencing and contrasting with the GenBank, the identity of three bands from the SSCP gel with Bacillus cereus (GenBank AB190077), Peudomonas sp. yged143 (GenBank EF419342) and a unclassified bacteria, Bacterium UASWS0134 (GenBank DQ190347) were 100%, 99% and 94%, respectively. The sameness of the microbial community structure may be induced by the samples which were from the same simulator system and the sampling regions were near and the microorganisms could transform in these regions easily. The observed potential pathogens of Bacillus cereus and Peudomonas sp. should lead to a consideration of the microbiology safety of drinking water.

The formation and distribution of haloacetic acids in copper pipe during chlorination.

The formation and distribution of HAAs in copper pipe during chlorination was investigated. To determine the material influence of copper pipe, parallel experiments were performed in glass pipe. Results showed that there was no obvious difference between the sum of haloacetic acids (HAAs) and trihalomethanes (THMs) produced in copper pipe compared to that produced in glass pipe over a 12h period. However, significant differences were observed about the distribution of five haloacetic acids in copper pipe and in glass pipe. Relatively less trichloroacetic acid (TCAA) and more monochloroacetic acid (MCAA), dichloroacetic acid (DCAA), dibromoacetic acid (DBAA) and trihalomethanes (THMs) were produced in copper pipe than those in glass pipe. Corrosion scale on the wall of copper pipe was analyzed using X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), scanning electron microscope (SEM) and energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS). The results showed the scales on the pipe surface mainly consisted of Cu2O, CuO and Cu (OH)2 or CuCO3. During 24h stagnation, copper released gradually from copper pipe. The influences of copper (II) and copper oxides on the distribution of HAAs were investigated in designed experiments. Results showed that less amount of TCAA, more amounts of DCAA and MCAA were formed with increasing concentration of copper (II). It was because the accelerative effect of copper (II) on the depletion of chlorination restricted the formation of TCAA precursor and the further formation of TCAA. Owing to the transformation of DCAA precursor to TCAA precursor was limited, more DCAA precursor could yield DCAA. The influences of Cu2O and CuO on the distribution of TCAA and DCAA were the result of copper released at higher content.