Grantee Research Project Results

A Multistate Study to Establish a Risk Assessment Framework for the AMR in Surface Water Attributable to Municipal Wastewater and Biosolids

EPA Grant Number: R840824
Title: A Multistate Study to Establish a Risk Assessment Framework for the AMR in Surface Water Attributable to Municipal Wastewater and Biosolids
Investigators: Li, Xu , Wang, Bing , Bartelt-Hunt, Shannon , Li, Yusong , Yan, Tao , Men, Yujie , Ikuma, Kaoru , Rehmann, Chris , Powers, Susan E. , Fahrenfeld, Nicole
Institution: University of Nebraska-Lincoln , University of Hawaii at Manoa , University of California Riverside , Iowa State University , Rutgers University - New Brunswick
EPA Project Officer: Packard, Benjamin H
Project Period: August 1, 2024 through July 31, 2027
Project Amount: $2,374,999
RFA: National Priorities: Evaluation of Antimicrobial Resistance in Wastewater and Sewage Sludge Treatment and Its Impact on the Environment Request for Applications (RFA) (2023) RFA Text |  Recipients Lists
Research Category: Water Treatment , Water , Human Health

Objective:

This project will address Research Area 2 of the FOA by improving understanding of the environmental burdens and public health impacts of antimicrobial resistant bacteria and genes (ARB and ARGs) originating from wastewater and biosolids of municipal sources. The goal is to establish a risk assessment framework that can estimate human health risks based on measurements of ARB and ARGs in surface water under the influence of municipal wastewater and biosolids. The overall hypothesis is that the public health impacts of ARB and ARGs attributable to wastewater and biosolids can be quantified by integrating standardized measurements, validated fate and transport models, and ARB- and ARG-based risk assessment frameworks.

Approach:

The proposed project will utilize an integrated approach combining field data, model simulation, and risk assessment. Field data collected from surface water receiving wastewater discharge and from cropland receiving biosolids will be used to calibrate and validate fate-and-transport models for ARB and ARGs in runoff and river, and model-predicted ARB and ARG concentrations at the site of (re)use will facilitate the establishment of quantitative microbial risks assessment models for both ARB and ARGs. Through collaborations among institutions in five states (Hawaii, California, Nebraska, Iowa, and New Jersey), the project will be of national scope with ARB and ARG data generated using standardized methods.

Expected Results:

The project is expected to produce outputs and outcomes that will lead to a better understanding of the environmental burdens and the public health impacts of ARB and ARGs from wastewater and biosolids. Specifically, the relative contributions of municipal, non-municipal, and natural sources to the AMR in surface waters will be revealed for river systems in four states; mechanistic fate-and-transport models that are generalizable to a national scape will be developed for the ARB and ARGs in runoff and rivers; and an exposure assessment model for ARB and a semi-quantitative risk characterization model for ARGs will be developed for ARB and ARGs attributable to municipal sources. The data and models generated in the project will improve stakeholders’ abilities to assess, develop, and prioritize mitigation strategies.

Supplemental Keywords:

Water, Exposure, Risk Assessment, Health Effects, Modeling, Monitoring, Hawaii, California, Nebraska, Iowa, New Jersey, Agriculture, Wastewater