A review on microbial contaminants in stormwater runoff and outfalls: Potential health risks and mitigation strategies.

Demands on global water supplies are increasing in response to the need to provide more food, water, and energy for a rapidly growing population. These water stressors are exacerbated by climate change, as well as the growth and urbanisation of industry and commerce. Consequently, urban water authorities around the globe are exploring alternative water sources to meet ever-increasing demands. These alternative sources are primarily treated sewage, stormwater, and groundwater. Stormwater including roof-harvested rainwater has been considered as an alternative water source for both potable and non-potable uses. One of the most significant issues concerning alternative water reuse is the public health risk associated with chemical and microbial contaminants. Several studies to date have quantified fecal indicators and pathogens in stormwater. Microbial source tracking (MST) approaches have also been used to determine the sources of fecal contamination in stormwater and receiving waters. This review paper summarizes occurrence and concentrations of fecal indicators, pathogens, and MST marker genes in urban stormwater. A section of the review highlights the removal of fecal indicators and pathogens through water sensitive urban design (WSUD) or Best Management Practices (BMPs). We also discuss approaches for assessing and mitigating health risks associated with stormwater, including a summary of existing quantitative microbial risk assessment (QMRA) models for potable and non-potable reuse of stormwater. Finally, the most critical research gaps are identified for formulating risk management strategies.

Nutrient Removal during Stormwater Aquifer Storage and Recovery in an Anoxic Carbonate Aquifer.

Stormwater harvesting coupled to managed aquifer recharge (MAR) provides a means to use the often wasted stormwater resource while also providing protection of the natural and built environment. Aquifers can act as a treatment barrier within a multiple-barrier approach to harvest and use urban stormwater. However, it remains challenging to assess the treatment performance of a MAR scheme due to the heterogeneity of aquifers and MAR operations, which in turn influences water treatment processes. This study uses a probabilistic method to evaluate aquifer treatment performance based on the removal of total organic C (TOC), N, and P during MAR with urban stormwater in an anoxic carbonate aquifer. Total organic C, N, and P are represented as stochastic variables and described by probability density functions (PDFs) for the "injectant" and "recovery"; these injectant and recovery PDFs are used to derive a theoretical MAR removal efficiency PDF. Four long-term MAR sites targeting one of two tertiary carbonate aquifers (T1 and T2) were used to describe the nutrient removal efficiencies. Removal of TOC and total N (TN) was dominated by redox processes, with median removal of TOC between 50 and 60% at all sites and TN from 40 to 50% at three sites with no change at the fourth. Total P removal due to filtration and sorption accounted for median removal of 29 to 53%. Thus, the statistical method was able to characterize the capacity of the anoxic carbonate aquifer treatment barrier for nutrient removal, which highlights that aquifers can be an effective long-term natural treatment option for management of water quality, as well as storage of urban stormwater.

Biodegradation of pharmaceuticals and endocrine disruptors with oxygen, nitrate, manganese (IV), iron (III) and sulfate as electron acceptors.

Biodegradation of pharmaceuticals and endocrine disrupting compounds was examined in long term batch experiments for a period of two and a half years to obtain more insight into the effects of redox conditions. A mix including lipid lowering agents (e.g. clofibric acid, gemfibrozil), analgesics (e.g. diclofenac, naproxen), beta blockers (e.g. atenolol, propranolol), X-ray contrast media (e.g. diatrizoic acid, iomeprol) as well as the antiepileptic carbamazepine and endocrine disruptors (e.g. bisphenol A, 17α-ethinylestradiol) was analyzed in batch tests in the presence of oxygen, nitrate, manganese (IV), iron (III), and sulfate. Out of the 23 selected substances, 14 showed a degradation of >50% of their initial concentrations under aerobic conditions. The beta blockers propranolol and atenolol and the analgesics pentoxifylline and naproxen showed a removal of >50% under anaerobic conditions. In particular naproxen proved to be degradable with oxygen and under most anaerobic conditions, i.e. with manganese (IV), iron (III), or sulfate. The natural estrogens estriol, estrone and 17ß-estradiol showed complete biodegradation under aerobic and nitrate-reducing conditions, with a temporary increase of estrone during transformation of estriol and 17ß-estradiol. Transformation of 17ß-estradiol under Fe(III)-reducing conditions resulted in an increase of estriol as well. Concentrations of clofibric acid, carbamazepine, iopamidol and diatrizoic acid, known for their recalcitrance in the environment, remained unchanged.

Unraveling the complexities of the velocity dependency of E. coli retention and release parameters in saturated porous media.

Escherichia coli transport and release experiments were conducted to investigate the pore-water velocity (v) dependency of the sticking efficiency (α), the fraction of the solid surface area that contributed to retention (Sf), the percentage of injected cells that were irreversibly retained (Mirr), and cell release under different (10-300mM) ionic strength (IS) conditions. Values of α, Sf, and Mirr increased with increasing IS and decreasing v, but the dependency on v was greatest at intermediate IS (30 and 50mM). Following the retention phase, successive increases in v up to 100 or 150mday-1 and flow interruption of 24h produced negligible amounts of cell release. However, excavation of the sand from the columns in excess electrolyte solution resulted in the release of >80% of the retained bacteria. These observations were explained by: (i) extended interaction energy calculations on a heterogeneous sand collector; (ii) an increase in adhesive strength with the residence time; and (iii) torque balance consideration on rough surfaces. In particular, α, Sf, and Mirr increased with IS due to lower energy barriers and stronger primary minima. The values of α, Sf, and Mirr also increased with decreasing v because the adhesive strength increased with the residence time (e.g., an increased probability to diffuse over the energy barrier) and lower hydrodynamic forces diminished cell removal. The controlling influence of lever arms at microscopic roughness locations and grain-grain contacts were used to explain negligible cell removal with large increases in v and large amounts of cell recovery following sand excavation. Results reveal the underlying causes (interaction energy, torque balance, and residence time) of the velocity dependency of E. coli retention and release parameters (ksw, α, and Sf) that are not accounted for in colloid filtration theory.

Transport and retention of bacteria and viruses in biochar-amended sand.

The transport and retention of Escherichia coli and bacteriophages (PRD1, MS2 and ФX174), as surrogates for human pathogenic bacteria and viruses, respectively, were studied in the sand that was amended with several types of biochar produced from various feedstocks. Batch and column studies were conducted to distinguish between the role of attachment and straining in microbe retention during transport. Batch experiments conducted at various solution chemistries showed negligible attachment of viruses and bacteria to biochar before or after chemical activation. At any given solution ionic strength, the attachment of viruses to sand was significantly higher than that of biochar, whereas bacteria showed no attachment to either sand or biochar. Consistent with batch results, biochar addition (10% w/w) to sand reduced virus retention in the column experiments, suggesting a potential negative impact of biochar application to soil on virus removal. In contrast, the retention of bacteria was enhanced in biochar-amended sand columns. However, elimination of the fine fraction (<60µm) of biochar particles in biochar-amended sand columns significantly reduced bacteria retention. Results from batch and column experiments suggest that land application of biochar may only play a role in microbe retention via straining, by alteration of pore size distribution, and not via attachment. Consequently, the particle size distribution of biochar and sediments is a more important factor than type of biochar in determining whether land application of biochar enhances or diminishes microbial retention.

Validation of stormwater biofilters using in-situ columns.

Stormwater harvesting biofilters need to be validated if the treatment is to be relied upon. Currently, full-scale challenge tests (FCTs), performed in the field, are required for their validation. This is impractical for stormwater biofilters because of their size and flow capacity. Hence, for these natural treatment systems, new tools are required as alternatives to FCT. This study describes a novel in-situ method that consists of a thin stainless steel column which can be inserted into constructed biofilters in a non-destructive manner. The in-situ columns (ISCs) were tested using a controlled field-scale biofilter where FCT is possible. Fluorescein was initially used for testing through a series of continuous applications. The results from the ISC were compared to FCT conducted under similar operational conditions. Excellent agreement was obtained for the series of continuous fluorescein experiments, demonstrating that the ISC was able to reproduce FCT results even after extended drying periods (Nash-Sutcliffe coefficient between the two data sets was 0.83-0.88), with similar plateaus, flush peaks, slopes and treatment capacities. The ISCs were then tested for three herbicides: atrazine, simazine and prometryn. While the ISC herbicide data and the FCT data typically matched well, some differences observed were linked to the different climatic conditions during the ISC (winter) and FCT tests (summer). The work showed that ISC is a promising tool to study the field performance of biofilters and could be a potential alternative to full scale challenge tests for validation of stormwater biofilters when taking into account the same inherent boundary conditions.

Surrogates for herbicide removal in stormwater biofilters.

Real time monitoring of suitable surrogate parameters are critical to the validation of any water treatment processes, and is of particularly high importance for validation of natural stormwater treatment systems. In this study, potential surrogates for herbicide removal in stormwater biofilters (also known as stormwater bio-retention or rain-gardens) were assessed using field challenge tests and matched laboratory column experiments. Differential UV absorbance at 254mn (ΔUVA254), total phosphorus (ΔTP), dissolved phosphorus (ΔDP), total nitrogen (ΔTN), ammonia (ΔNH3), nitrate and nitrite (ΔNO3+NO2), dissolved organic carbon (ΔDOC) and total suspended solids (ΔTSS) were compared with glyphosate, atrazine, simazine and prometryn removal rates. The influence of different challenge conditions on the performance of each surrogate was studied. Differential TP was significantly and linearly related to glyphosate reduction (R(2) = 0.75-0.98, P < 0.01), while ΔTP and ΔUVA254 were linearly correlated (R(2) = 0.44-0.84, P < 0.05) to the reduction of triazines (atrazine, simazine and prometryn) in both field and laboratory tests. The performance of ΔTP and ΔUVA254 as surrogates for herbicides were reliable under normal and challenge dry conditions, but weaker correlations were observed under challenge wet conditions. Of those tested, ΔTP is the most promising surrogate for glyphosate removal and ΔUVA254 is a suitable surrogate for triazines removal in stormwater biofilters.

Methodologies for pre-validation of biofilters and wetlands for stormwater treatment.

BACKGROUND: Water Sensitive Urban Design (WSUD) systems are frequently used as part of a stormwater harvesting treatment trains (e.g. biofilters (bio-retentions and rain-gardens) and wetlands). However, validation frameworks for such systems do not exist, limiting their adoption for end-uses such as drinking water. The first stage in the validation framework is pre-validation, which prepares information for further validation monitoring. OBJECTIVES: A pre-validation roadmap, consisting of five steps, is suggested in this paper. Detailed methods for investigating target micropollutants in stormwater, and determining challenge conditions for biofilters and wetlands, are provided. METHODS: A literature review was undertaken to identify and quantify micropollutants in stormwater. MUSIC V5.1 was utilized to simulate the behaviour of the systems based on 30-year rainfall data in three distinct climate zones; outputs were evaluated to identify the threshold of operational variables, including length of dry periods (LDPs) and volume of water treated per event. RESULTS: The paper highlights that a number of micropollutants were found in stormwater at levels above various worldwide drinking water guidelines (eight pesticides, benzene, benzo(a)pyrene, pentachlorophenol, di-(2-ethylhexyl)-phthalate and a total of polychlorinated biphenyls). The 95th percentile LDPs was exponentially related to system design area while the 5th percentile length of dry periods remained within short durations (i.e. 2-8 hours). 95th percentile volume of water treated per event was exponentially related to system design area as a percentage of an impervious catchment area. CONCLUSIONS: The out-comings of this study show that pre-validation could be completed through a roadmap consisting of a series of steps; this will help in the validation of stormwater treatment systems.

Application of risk-based assessment and management to riverbank filtration sites in India.

This is the first reported study of a riverbank filtration (RBF) scheme to be assessed following the Australian Guidelines for Managed Aquifer Recharge. A comprehensive staged approach to assess the risks from 12 hazards to human health and the environment has been undertaken. Highest risks from untreated ground and Ganga River water were identified with pathogens, turbidity, iron, manganese, total dissolved solids and total hardness. Recovered water meets the guideline values for inorganic chemicals and salinity but exceeds limits for thermotolerant coliforms frequently. A quantitative microbial risk assessment undertaken on the water recovered from the aquifer indicated that the residual risks of 0.00165 disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) posed by the reference bacteria Escherichia coli O157:H7 were below the national diarrhoeal incidence of 0.027 DALYs and meet the health target in this study of 0.005 DALYs per person per year, which corresponds to the World Health Organization (WHO) regional diarrhoeal incidence in South-East Asia. Monsoon season was a major contributor to the calculated burden of disease and final DALYs were strongly dependent on RBF and disinfection pathogen removal capabilities. Finally, a water safety plan was developed with potential risk management procedures to minimize residual risks related to pathogens.

Determining treatment requirements for turbid river water to avoid clogging of aquifer storage and recovery wells in siliceous alluvium.

The success of Aquifer Storage and Recovery (ASR) schemes relies on defining appropriate design and operational parameters in order to maintain high rates of recharge over the long term. The main contribution of this study was to define the water quality criteria and hence minimum pre-treatment requirements to allow sustained recharge at an acceptable rate in a medium-coarse sand aquifer. The source water was turbid, natural water from the River Darling, Australia. Three treatments were evaluated: bank filtration; coagulation and chlorine disinfection; and coagulation plus granular activated carbon and chlorine disinfection (GAC). Raw source water and the three treated waters were used in laboratory columns packed with aquifer material in replicate experiments in saturated conditions at constant temperature (19 °C) with light excluded for 37 days. Declines in hydraulic conductivity from a mean of 2.17 m/d occurred over the 37 days of the experiment. The GAC-treated water gave an 8% decline in hydraulic conductivity over the 16 cm length of columns, which was significantly different from the other three source waters, which had mean declines of 26-29%. Within the first 3 cm of column length, where most clogging occurred in each column, the mean hydraulic conductivity declined by 10% for GAC-treated water compared with 40-50% for the other source waters. There was very little difference between the columns until day 21, despite high turbidity (78 NTU) in the source water. Reducing turbidity by treatment was not sufficient to offset the reductions in hydraulic conductivity. Biological clogging was found to be most important as revealed by the accumulation of polysaccharides and bacterial numbers in columns when they were dissected and analysed at the end of the experiment. Further chemical clogging through precipitation of minerals was found not to occur within the laboratory columns, and dispersion of clay was also found to be negligible. Due to the low reduction in hydraulic conductivity, GAC-treated water quality was used to set pre-treatment targets for ASR injection of turbidity <0.6 NTU, membrane filtration index (MFI) < 2 s/L(2), biodegradable dissolved organic carbon (BDOC) < 0.2 mg/L, total nitrogen < 0.3 mg/L and residual chlorine > 0.2 mg/L.

An explanation for differences in the process of colloid adsorption in batch and column studies.

It is essential to understand the mechanisms that control virus and bacteria removal in the subsurface environment to assess the risk of groundwater contamination with fecal microorganisms. This study was conducted to explicitly provide a critical and systematic comparison between batch and column experiments. The aim was to investigate the underlying factors causing the commonly observed discrepancies in colloid adsorption process in column and batch systems. We examined the colloid adsorption behavior of four different sizes of carboxylate-modified latex (CML) microspheres, as surrogates for viruses and bacteria, on quartz sand in batch and column experiments over a wide range of solution ionic strengths (IS). Our results show that adsorption of colloids in batch systems should be considered as an irreversible attachment because the attachment/detachment model was found to be inadequate in describing the batch results. An irreversible attachment-blocking model was found to accurately describe the results of both batch and column experiments. The rate of attachment was found to depend highly on colloid size, solution IS and the fraction of the sand surface area favorable for attachment (Sf). The rate of attachment and Sf values were different in batch and column experiments due to differences in the hydrodynamic of the system, and the role of surface roughness and pore structure on colloid attachment. Results from column and batch experiments were generally not comparable, especially for larger colloids (≥0.5µm). Predictions based on classical DLVO theory were found to inadequately describe interaction energies between colloids and sand surfaces.

Environmental monitoring of selected pesticides and organic chemicals in urban stormwater recycling systems using passive sampling techniques.

Water recycling via aquifers has become a valuable tool to augment urban water supplies in many countries. This study reports the first use of passive samplers for monitoring of organic micropollutants in Managed Aquifer Recharge (MAR). Five different configurations of passive samplers were deployed in a stormwater treatment wetland, groundwater monitoring wells and a recovery tank to capture a range of polar and non-polar micropollutants present in the system. The passive samplers were analysed for a suite of pesticides, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and other chemicals. As a result, 17 pesticides and pesticide degradation products, 5 PAHs and 8 other organic chemicals including flame retardants and fragrances were detected in urban stormwater recharging Aquifer Storage and Recovery (ASR) and an Aquifer Storage Transfer and Recovery (ASTR) system. Of the pesticides detected, diuron, metolachlor and chlorpyrifos were generally detected at the highest concentrations in one or more passive samplers, whereas chlorpyrifos, diuron, metolachlor, simazine, galaxolide and triallate were detected in multiple samplers. Fluorene was the PAH detected at the highest concentration and the flame retardant Tris(1-chloro-2-propyl)phosphate was the chemical detected in the greatest abundance at all sites. The passive samplers showed different efficiencies for capture of micropollutants with the Empore disc samplers giving the most reliable results. The results indicate generally low levels of organic micropollutants in the stormwater, as the contaminants detected were present at very low ng/L levels, generally two to four orders of magnitude below the drinking water guidelines (NHMRC, 2011). The efficiency of attenuation of these organic micropollutants during MAR was difficult to determine due to variations in the source water concentrations. Comparisons were made between different samplers, to give a field-based calibration where existing lab-based calibrations were unavailable.

Application of a probabilistic modelling approach for evaluation of nitrogen, phosphorus and organic carbon removal efficiency during four successive cycles of aquifer storage and recovery (ASR) in an anoxic carbonate aquifer.

Aquifer storage is increasingly being recognised in its role as a treatment process barrier within a multiple barrier approach to water reuse. Aquifers are postulated to have the ability to provide sustainable treatment for removal of nitrogen, phosphorus and organic carbon, the dominant nutrient hazards in water recycling, but, to date this treatment performance has remained difficult to validate in field studies. This study applied a statistical method, proposed for validation of the performance of advanced water treatment processes, to evaluate nutrient removal during aquifer storage and recovery (ASR) with recycled water. Analysis of observed water quality changes during four successive ASR cycles with highly variable source water quality was used to describe the removal efficiencies for selected nutrients by an anoxic carbonate aquifer. The use of this method was found to be suitable to calculate removal efficiencies for total organic carbon (TOC) and total nitrogen (TN) over four ASR cycles with temporally variable concentrations of nutrients in the tertiary treated wastewater injectant. TOC and TN removal was dominated by redox processes, aerobic respiration and denitrification. Median removal of TOC ranged from 25 to 40% and TN from 46 to 87% over the four cycles. There was no observable reduction in this removal with time, suggesting that removal of TOC and TN by redox processes can be sustained in an ASR system. Contrastingly, total phosphorous (TP) was subject to reversible removal via adsorption and desorption processes and as a result, removal efficiency could not be calculated with this method. Thus in general, results indicated that this statistical method could be used to characterise the capacity of the anoxic carbonate aquifer treatment barrier for removal of carbon and nitrogen, but not for removal of phosphorus.

Water quality requirements for sustaining aquifer storage and recovery operations in a low permeability fractured rock aquifer.

A changing climate and increasing urbanisation has driven interest in the use of aquifer storage and recovery (ASR) schemes as an environmental management tool to supplement conventional water resources. This study focuses on ASR with stormwater in a low permeability fractured rock aquifer and the selection of water treatment methods to prevent well clogging. In this study two different injection and recovery phases were trialed. In the first phase ~1380 m(3) of potable water was injected and recovered over four cycles. In the second phase ~3300 m(3) of treated stormwater was injected and ~2410 m(3) were subsequently recovered over three cycles. Due to the success of the potable water injection cycles, its water quality was used to set pre-treatment targets for harvested urban stormwater of ≤ 0.6 NTU turbidity, ≤ 1.7 mg/L dissolved organic carbon and ≤ 0.2 mg/L biodegradable dissolved organic carbon. A range of potential ASR pre-treatment options were subsequently evaluated resulting in the adoption of an ultrafiltration/granular activated carbon system to remove suspended solids and nutrients which cause physical and biological clogging. ASR cycle testing with potable water and treated stormwater demonstrated that urban stormwater containing variable turbidity (mean 5.5 NTU) and organic carbon (mean 8.3 mg/L) concentrations before treatment could be injected into a low transmissivity fractured rock aquifer and recovered for irrigation supplies. A small decline in permeability of the formation in the vicinity of the injection well was apparent even with high quality water that met turbidity and DOC but could not consistently achieve the BDOC criteria.

Quantification of herbicide removal in a constructed wetland using passive samplers and composite water quality monitoring.

Constructed wetlands used as treatment for urban stormwater have the potential to improve water quality. This study aimed to estimate the removal of selected herbicides in stormwater by a constructed wetland using composite water quality monitoring and passive samplers. For the four week duration of the study the wetland was effective in reducing the concentrations of diuron, simazine and atrazine. Mean estimated concentrations over a 28 d period were 192, 70 and 5 ng L(-1) at the inlet and 94, 30 and 2 ng L(-1) at the outlet for diuron, simazine and atrazine, respectively. Concentrations of these herbicides generally halved as a result of passage through the constructed wetland with a design hydraulic retention time of 7d. Simple ratios of the inlet and outlet herbicide concentrations as well as hydraulic load-based methods of measuring the wetland's removal efficiency resulted in a range of estimations 33-51% for diuron and 20-60% for simazine. Due to their lower detection limits, the use of passive samplers provides a more efficient technique than conventional sampling for assessment of stormwater wetland treatment.

Valuing the subsurface pathogen treatment barrier in water recycling via aquifers for drinking supplies.

A quantitative microbial risk assessment (QMRA) was performed at four managed aquifer recharge (MAR) sites (Australia, South Africa, Belgium, Mexico) where reclaimed wastewater and stormwater is recycled via aquifers for drinking water supplies, using the same risk-based approach that is used for public water supplies. For each of the sites, the aquifer treatment barrier was assessed for its log(10) removal capacity much like for other water treatment technologies. This information was then integrated into a broader risk assessment to determine the human health burden from the four MAR sites. For the Australian and South African cases, managing the aquifer treatment barrier was found to be critical for the schemes to have low risk. For the Belgian case study, the large treatment trains both in terms of pre- and post-aquifer recharge ensures that the risk is always low. In the Mexico case study, the risk was high due to the lack of pre-treatment and the low residence times of the recharge water in the aquifer. A further sensitivity analysis demonstrated that human health risk can be managed if aquifers are integrated into a treatment train to attenuate pathogens. However, reduction in human health disease burden (as measured in disability adjusted life years, DALYs) varied depending upon the number of pathogens in the recharge source water. The beta-Poisson dose response curve used for translating rotavirus and Cryptosporidium numbers into DALYs coupled with their slow environmental decay rates means poor quality injectant leads to aquifers having reduced value to reduce DALYs. For these systems, like the Mexican case study, longer residence times are required to meet their DALYs guideline for drinking water. Nevertheless the results showed that the risks from pathogens can still be reduced and recharging via an aquifer is safer than discharging directly into surface water bodies.

Risk assessment of aquifer storage transfer and recovery with urban stormwater for producing water of a potable quality.

The objective of the Parafield Aquifer Storage Transfer and Recovery research project in South Australia is to determine whether stormwater from an urban catchment that is treated in a constructed wetland and stored in an initially brackish aquifer before recovery can meet potable water standards. The water produced by the stormwater harvesting system, which included a constructed wetland, was found to be near potable quality. Parameters exceeding the drinking water guidelines before recharge included small numbers of fecal indicator bacteria and elevated iron concentrations and associated color. This is the first reported study of a managed aquifer recharge (MAR) scheme to be assessed following the Australian guidelines for MAR. A comprehensive staged approach to assess the risks to human health and the environment of this project has been undertaken, with 12 hazards being assessed. A quantitative microbial risk assessment undertaken on the water recovered from the aquifer indicated that the residual risks posed by the pathogenic hazards were acceptable if further supplementary treatment was included. Residual risks from organic chemicals were also assessed to be low based on an intensive monitoring program. Elevated iron concentrations in the recovered water exceeded the potable water guidelines. Iron concentrations increased after underground storage but would be acceptable after postrecovery aeration treatment. Arsenic concentrations in the recovered water continuously met the guideline concentrations acceptable for potable water supplies. However, the elevated concentration of arsenic in native groundwater and its presence in aquifer minerals suggest that the continuing acceptable residual risk from arsenic requires further evaluation.

Use of static Quantitative Microbial Risk Assessment to determine pathogen risks in an unconfined carbonate aquifer used for Managed Aquifer Recharge.

Managed Aquifer Recharge (MAR) is becoming a mechanism used for recycling treated wastewater and captured urban stormwater and is being used as a treatment barrier to remove contaminants such as pathogens from the recharged water. There is still a need, however, to demonstrate the effectiveness of MAR to reduce any residual risk of pathogens in the recovered water. A MAR research site recharging secondary treated wastewater in an unconfined carbonate aquifer was used in conjunction with a static Quantitative Microbial Risk Assessment (QMRA) to assess the microbial pathogen risk in the recovered water following infiltration and aquifer passage. The research involved undertaking a detailed hydrogeological assessment of the aquifer at the MAR site and determining the decay rates of reference pathogens from an in-situ decay study. These variables along with literature data were then used in the static QMRA which demonstrated that the recovered water at this site did not meet the Australian Guidelines for recycled water when used for differing private green space irrigation scenarios. The results also confirmed the importance of obtaining local hydrogeological data as local heterogeneity can influence of residence time in the aquifer which, in turn, influences the outcomes. The research demonstrated that a static QMRA can be used to determine the residual risk from pathogens in recovered water and showed that it can be a valuable tool in the preliminary design and operation of MAR systems and the incorporation of complementary engineered treatment processes to ensure that there is acceptable health risk from the recovered water.

A new method to evaluate polydisperse kaolinite clay particle removal in roughing filtration using colloid filtration theory.

Previous application of colloid filtration theory to roughing filtration has not considered a reliable method for determining a representative attachment factor for a polydisperse suspension (of constant particle density). Establishment of such a method would broaden the application of trajectory modelling in roughing filtration, and progress the development of a comprehensive database of attachment factors and surface charge potentials for various particle and fluid types. This study establishes a methodology for the application of colloid filtration theory to roughing filtration and incorporates recent advancements in theoretical single-collector efficiency. A polydisperse kaolinite clay suspension was passed through a series of four gravel upflow roughing filters and removal efficiencies were calculated. Both the classical and Tufenkji and Elimelech's more recent correlation equations were used to calculate theoretical single-collector efficiencies and associated attachment factors for three different filter media sizes, flow rates, and suspended solids concentrations (0.137+/-0.023). The use of Tufenkji and Elimelech's modified correlation equation resulted in reduced variability in the estimation of theoretical single-collector efficiencies.