Issues in Potable Reuse: The Viability of Augmenting Drinking Water Supplies with Reclaimed WaterA small but growing number of municipalities are augmenting their drinking water supplies with highly treated wastewater. But some professionals in the field argue that only the purest sources should be used for drinking water. Is potable reuse a viable application of reclaimed water? How can individual communities effectively evaluate potable reuse programs? How certain must "certain" be when it comes to drinking water safety? Issues in Potable Reuse provides the best available answers to these questions. Useful to scientists yet accessible to concerned lay readers, this book defines important terms in the debate and provides data, analysis, and examples of the experience of municipalities from San Diego to Tampa. The committee explores in detail the two major types of contaminants: Chemical contaminants. The committee discusses how to assess toxicity, reduce the input of contaminants, evaluate treatment options, manage the byproducts of disinfection and other issues. Microbial contaminants, including newly emerging waterborne pathogens. The book covers methods of detection, health consequences, treatment, and more. Issues in Potable Reuse reviews the results of six health effects studies at operational or proposed reuse projects. The committee discusses the utility of fish versus mammals in toxicology testing and covers issues in quality assurance. |
Contents
Reclaiming Wastewater An Overview | 14 |
SELECTION OF DRINKING WATER SOURCES | 17 |
POTABLE REUSE AND CURRENT DRINKING WATER STANDARDS | 18 |
TYPES OF WATER REUSE | 20 |
HISTORY OF PLANNED POTABLE REUSE AND ITS MOTIVATION | 25 |
OVERVIEW OF RELEVANT FEDERAL GUIDELINES AND STATE REGULATIONS | 31 |
CONCLUSIONS | 42 |
REFERENCES | 43 |
EPIDEMIOLOGICAL METHODS FOR EVALUATING HEALTH RISKS | 145 |
CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS | 154 |
REFERENCES | 157 |
HealthEffect Studies of Reuse Systems | 164 |
TOXICOLOGY STUDIES | 165 |
EVALUATION OF TOXICOLOGY STUDIES | 173 |
EPIDEMIOLOGIC STUDIES | 189 |
CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS | 201 |
Chemical Contaminants in Reuse Systems | 45 |
RECOGNIZED CHEMICAL CONTAMINANTS | 46 |
MANAGING CHEMICAL INPUTS TO REUSE SYSTEMS | 50 |
MANAGING DISINFECTION BYPRODUCTS IN REUSE SYSTEMS | 53 |
MIXTURES OF UNIDENTIFIED ORGANIC COMPOUNDS IN RECLAIMED WATER | 58 |
CONCLUSIONS | 69 |
REFERENCES | 71 |
Microbial Contaminants in Reuse Systems | 74 |
OCCURRENCE OF MICROBIAL CONTAMINANTS IN MUNICIPAL WASTEWATER AND AMBIENT WATER | 88 |
MICROBIAL DATA FROM WATER REUSE APPLICATIONS | 93 |
CONCLUSIONS | 108 |
RECOMMENDATIONS | 109 |
REFERENCES | 112 |
Methods for Assessing Health Risks of Reclaimed Water | 118 |
EVALUATING THE RISK OF CHEMICAL CONTAMINANTS | 135 |
REFERENCES | 204 |
Reliability and Quality Assurance Issues for Reuse Systems | 208 |
EVALUATING BARRIER INDEPENDENCE | 210 |
USE OF ENVIRONMENTAL BUFFERS IN REUSE SYSTEMS | 211 |
CONSEQUENCEFREQUENCY ASSESSMENT | 219 |
PERFORMANCE EVALUATION MONITORING AND RESPONSE | 222 |
REDUCING RISK FROM UNIDENTIFIED TRACE ORGANIC CONTAMINANTS | 227 |
PUBLIC HEALTH SURVEILLANCE | 229 |
OPERATOR TRAINING AND CERTIFICATION | 235 |
CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS | 236 |
238 | |
Use of ConsequenceFrequency Assessment to Evaluate Performance of an Advanced Wastewater Treatment Facility | 241 |
Biographies of Committee Members and Staff | 248 |
253 | |