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Consideration of PFAS precursors is necessary in order to close the gap between targeted PFAS analysis and a comprehensive quantification of total PFAS. However, current understanding is limited, and there are many misconceptions and questions: where are PFAS precursors found? Ar...

Phosphorus causes nutrient pollution in lentic water systems, which act as a reservoir of phosphorus since it is stored within the sediments of these waterbodies. The effects of phosphorus pollution include harmful algal bloom events, hypoxia of waterbodies, and impairment of dri...

Historically, communities have used gray infrastructure—systems of gutters, pipes, and tunnels—to move stormwater away from where we live to treatment plants or straight to local water bodies.  The gray infrastructure in many areas is aging, populations are increasing, and its ex...

Streamflow Duration Assessment Methods (SDAMs) are single-visit, field assessment methods for accurately predicting flow duration classes (i.e., ephemeral, intermittent, and perennial) that help implement federal, state, and local water resources programs. The aim of this project...

Should biosolids be contaminated with an intentional malicious release or natural outbreak of Bacillus anthracis spores, a water resource recovery facility (WRRF) may need to consider if their treatment processes can sufficiently inactivate this pathogen. Three methods commonly e...

While SWMM has arguably played a pivotal role in pollution control in collection systems since its introduction, traditional applications using the model have been relatively static. They typically involve calibrating and validating SWMM models with data collected and curated for...

Protein processing operations include animal slaughtering, meat and poultry product production, and/or rendering of byproducts. These facilities utilize large volumes of water for hair/hide/feather removal, carcass washing, chilling, trimming and cutting, cooking, and cleaning/sa...

Poster presentation to the PFAS Research Workshop "Science for a Changing World", hosted by Office of Research and Development (ORD) Office of the Science Advisor, Policy, and Engagement (OSAPE) and Center for Environmental Solutions and Emergency Response (CESER) ...

Modeling Water Age in Premise Plumbing Systems

Onsite non-potable water systems (ONWS) collect and treat local source waters for non-potable end uses such as toilet flushing and irrigation. Quantitative microbial risk assessment (QMRA) has been used to set pathogen log10-reduction targets (LRTs) for ONWS to achieve the risk b...

Pollution by per- and polyfluorinated alkyl substances (PFAS) is widespread in global water resources and likely to be underestimated, according to global analysis of available PFAS data.

With the declining tailpipe emissions from the US and worldwide motor vehicle fleet, impacts of tire and brake wear are an increasingly important area of interest.  Recent research has shown the compound 6PPD used in tires as an anti-degradation chemical reacts with ozone to...

This sub-product provides an overview on our work with novel technologies to separate and destroy PFAS in residual waste streams (e.g., incinerator scrubber water, reverse osmosis retentate). This presentation focuses on a stepwise process where adsorbents first separate PFAS and...

Radioactive fallout could have debilitating effects on drinking water and wastewater systems. At least some drinking water system operators have plans to mitigate the effects of a contaminated water source, but most, if not all, wastewater operators have no such plans.  Both...

This research investigated the in-situ decay rates of four human wastewater-associated markers (Bacteroides HF183 (HF183), Lechnospiraceae Lachno3 (Lachno3), cross-assembling phage (crAssphage), pepper mild mottle virus (PMMoV) and three enteric viruses (human aden...

This study investigated the decay rates of wastewater-associated markers and enteric viruses in laboratory microcosms mimicking estuarine water environments in temperate Sydney, NSW, Australia using qPCR and RT-qPCR assays. The results demonstrated the reduction in concentrations...

Stable isotope ratios integrate, indicate, record, and trace fundamental processes in hydrology and ecology.  Stored within the atoms of samples, stable isotope ratios of specific elements unlock stories about ecological processes that impact water quality and quantity.&nbsp...

Drinking water storage tanks serve several important functions, which include but are not limited to providing an adequate water supply in the case of firefighting emergencies, power outages, water main breaks, or other system failures. The water level elevation in storage tanks ...

Plastic pollution is ubiquitous worldwide. Smaller pieces of plastic (<5 mm) denominated as microplastics (MPs) are of particular concern because they can be easily transported throughout the environment. As they travel, MPs can adsorb chemicals or nutrients, and develop a biofil...

The analysis of contaminants of emerging concern (CECs) has been an ongoing priority due to their potential for adverse effects on environmental and human health. Wastewater is a source for many CECs, and surface waters that receive wastewater discharge often serve as source wate...

This study provides step-by-step guidance for practitioners and local stakeholders on how to use existing study results to conduct benefit transfer (BT), and ultimately make informed predictions of how improvements in lake water clarity may benefit surrounding communities. The pr...

Seven-day sublethal toxicity tests were performed with the freshwater invertebrates&nbsp;Ceriodaphnia dubia,&nbsp;Hyalella azteca, and&nbsp;Chironomus dilutus&nbsp;to determine the effects of per- or polyfluorinated alkyl substances (PFAS) of varying chain length within four clas...

This is a requested presentation for the Association of Clean Water Administrators (ACWA) that discusses how ORD is the research arm of the EPA and provides the scientific foundation for EPA to execute its mandate to protect human health and the environment. An overview of the 6 ...

Aquatic ecosystem responses to wildfire can vary widely depending on the characteristics of fire and the spatial context of where a fire takes place. Assessment of wildfire risk to aquatic ecosystems requires an understanding of sources of such variability (see Ebersole et al. th...

Wildfire risk to aquatic ecosystems in the Pacific Northwest is a growing concern, but this risk is not equally distributed across the region. Furthermore, risks vary among valued endpoints and may be perceived differently by drinking water providers, forest managers, and fish bi...