Grantee Research Project Results
2024 Progress Report: Integrated Water Microbiome and Disinfection Byproducts Monitoring and Management to Advance Drinking Water Quality
EPA Grant Number: R840606Title: Integrated Water Microbiome and Disinfection Byproducts Monitoring and Management to Advance Drinking Water Quality
Investigators: Pinto, AJ , Brown, Joe , Huang, C H , Graham, Katy , Pieper, Kelsey , Stubbins, Aron , Agar, Jeffrey , Meeker, Melissa , VandanHeuvel., Kristan
Institution: Georgia Institute of Technology , University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill , The Water Tower Institute , Northeastern University
EPA Project Officer: Harper, Jacquelyn
Project Period: August 1, 2023 through May 9, 2025
Project Period Covered by this Report: August 1, 2023 through July 31,2024
Project Amount: $2,123,000
RFA: National Priorities: Research on Disinfectants, Disinfection By-products (DBPs), and Opportunistic Pathogens in Drinking Water Distribution Systems Request for Applications (RFA) (2022) RFA Text | Recipients Lists
Research Category: Harmful Algal Blooms , Drinking Water, Disinfection Byproducts , Water Quality , Water Treatment
Objective:
The overall goals of this project are to develop an integrated framework to quantitatively monitor the drinking water microbiome, including waterborne pathogens (WPs), and disinfection byproducts (DBPs), and holistically manage WP and DBP risks in drinking water storage and distribution systems (DWSDSs) using inclusive and actionable risk metrics. The goal of an integrated framework will be realized through two research objectives: (1) enacting a comprehensive spatial-temporal monitoring and characterization of water chemistry and microbiology of multiple full-scale DWSDSs in different regions of the country and (2) formulating an integrated and actionable risk assessment and management framework to mitigate WP and DBP risks and identify the underlying trade-offs to optimize drinking water quality in DWSDSs.
Progress Summary:
The research team has made the following progress
- The project was initiated with a kickoff workshop which was attended by all members of the research team and representatives from utilities.
- Post protocol consolidation and researcher training, baseline sampling was initiated in January 2024 and will continue till December 2025 at a cadence of samples from each utility being collected every 2-3 months.
- The research team worked with utility partners to determine appropriate “outlier” scenarios that represent a departure from baseline due to non-compliance concerning DBP concentration, and/or (2) the potential for detection of Legionella pneumophila. Niche sampling commenced in Summer 2024.
- The research team formulated models integrated chemical and microbial risk assessment including collection and curation of dose-response data and development of modeling code.
Future Activities:
The research team will (1) continue sampling and sample analysis to determine associations with DBPs and opportunistic pathogens, and (2) estimate chemical and microbial risk analyses to determine safe water availability over the sampling time frame.
Supplemental Keywords:
Drinking water; Disinfection by-products; Waterborne pathogens; Integrated risk assessment; Operational toolkit.Progress and Final Reports:
Original AbstractThe perspectives, information and conclusions conveyed in research project abstracts, progress reports, final reports, journal abstracts and journal publications convey the viewpoints of the principal investigator and may not represent the views and policies of ORD and EPA. Conclusions drawn by the principal investigators have not been reviewed by the Agency.