Grantee Research Project Results

Final Report: Improving Water Reuse for a Much Healthier Potomac Watershed

EPA Grant Number: R835825
Title: Improving Water Reuse for a Much Healthier Potomac Watershed
Investigators: Olabode, Lola , Olabode, Lola , Aga, Diana S. , Kaushal, Sujay S , Duan, Shuiwang , Godrej, Adil , Iwanowicz, Luke , Rosenfeldt, Erik , Murthy, Sudhir
Institution: Water Research Foundation , University of Maryland - College Park , Virginia Tech , University of Buffalo , United States Geological Survey , Hazen and Sawyer , District of Columbia Water and Sewer Authority (DC Water)
EPA Project Officer: Packard, Benjamin H
Project Period: November 1, 2015 through November 1, 2018 (Extended to November 1, 2020)
Project Amount: $750,000
RFA: Human and Ecological Health Impacts Associated with Water Reuse and Conservation Practices (2014) RFA Text |  Recipients Lists
Research Category: Human Health , Water

Objective:

The purpose of this study is to elucidate the impact of advanced wastewater reclamation, large scale stormwater harvesting and reuse, and focused agricultural stormwater best management practices on their impact on ecological and human health in a large ecologically sensitive watershed that also serves as the major water supply for a large metropolitan area. The novel approach undertaken in this research combines a suite of state-of-the-art techniques to actively identify constituents of emerging concern (CEC) hot spots, focusing on Endocrine Disrupting Compounds (EDCs and related biological activity), synthetic organic compounds (SOCs), and nutrients, assess the impact of those hot spots on human and ecological health endpoints (including drinking water sources and sensitive ecological areas), and quantify the impact of reuse and management solutions on these endpoints. The research compares findings from both planned and unplanned reuse systems in order to quantify relative impacts between the two types of systems. The research approach provides a tool for decision makers to prioritize actions taken to manage contaminant sources and implement water reuse and management practices to better determine where funds and other resources can be best used, are most needed, and are most likely to achieve success.

This project specifically:

1) uses multiple analytical, biological activity, isotopic, and fluorescence tracers to identify and track spatial and temporal variability in "hot spots" of contaminant sources at a large watershed scale,

2) uses case studies to examine impacts of advanced wastewater reclamation, stormwater reuse, and agricultural best management practices on source controls of contaminants, and

3) utilizes a sustainability-focused approach to quantitatively analyze the costs, impact, and benefits of the reuse and management strategies for achieving human and ecological health improvement.

 

 

Summary/Accomplishments (Outputs/Outcomes):

The results of the study indicated that agricultural inputs of pollutants accounted for the greatest share of the sectors, and that nutrient management strategies were effective in co-managing many CECs. Additionally, Urban stormwater management strategies were less effective for nutrient control (particularly nitrogen), and CEC control. Water reclamation and reuse strategies were both effective for nutrient reduction, and reuse was particularly effective at controlling CECs, however their input of these pollutants into the Potomac accounts for a significantly smaller share than non-point agriculture and urban stormwater inputs. Finally, a multi-criteria decision analysis framework was utilized to assess relative effectiveness of the four strategies for cost effectively and equitably improving ecological and human health in the environment. The results of the assessment indicate agriculture runoff management strategies were the most impactful and least costly of the four alternatives. 

Conclusions:

• Presents a comprehensive dataset of conventional and emerging pollutant concentrations throughout the Potomac Watershed, with over 45 locations along the Potomac and major tributaries sampled quarterly in 2017 to assess “hotspots”, “hot-moments” and land-use correlations with pollutant loads, and another 17 locations monitored monthly in 2018 to assess impacts of sector-specific BMPs on load reduction.
• Provides an estimate of relative loading of point and non-point sources to the Potomac Watershed, describing a larger relative contribution of nutrients and CECs from agricultural practices when compared to the flow contribution to the Watershed.
• Demonstrates the effectiveness of sector-specific BMPs for nutrient and CEC co-management.
• Evaluates four nutrient and CEC co-management strategies via Multi-criteria decision analysis indicating that implementation of agricultural BMPs was the most cost-effective and equitable strategy for improving ecological and human health in the Potomac.

Journal Articles on this Report : 1 Displayed | Download in RIS Format

Publications Views

Other project views:	All 18 publications	1 publications in selected types	All 1 journal articles

Publications

Type	Citation	Project	Document Sources
Journal Article	Duan S, Iwanowicz LR, Noguera-Oviedo K, Kaushal SS, Rosenfeldt EJ, Aga DS, Murthy S. Evidence that Watershed Nutrient Management Practices Effectively Reduce Estrogens in Environmental Waters. Science of The Total Environment 2020:143904.	R835825 (Final)	Full-text: Science Direct- Full Text HTML Exit Abstract: PubMed- Abstract HTML

Supplemental Keywords:

constituents of emerging concern, suspect screening analysis (SSA), urban stormwater management strategies  

Relevant Websites:

The Water Research Foundation Exit , Improving Water Reuse for a Healthier Potomac Watershed Exit

Progress and Final Reports:

Original Abstract

2016 Progress Report

2017 Progress Report

2018 Progress Report

2019 Progress Report