Researchers conduct first blind taste test of recycled wastewater

Riverside: Here’s a blind test taste like Pepsi never imagined. Researchers at the University of California, Riverside, recently published a study of recycled wastewater that did not focus on its safety-which has long been established-but rather its taste. After years of drought, the notion of drinking recycled wastewater has gained momentum in California. Thoughts turned to all the water being discarded—to supplementing “conventional” groundwater with recycled water. But consumers were quick to flag the euphemism of “recycled.” Some have even branded the technology “toilet to tap.”

Fracking: what impact on water?

Duke: Fracking has not contaminated groundwater in northwestern West Virginia, but accidental spills of fracking wastewater may pose a threat to surface water in the region, according to a new study led by scientists at Duke University. “Based on consistent evidence from comprehensive testing, we found no indication of groundwater contamination over the three-year course of our study,” said Avner Vengosh, professor of geochemistry and water quality at Duke’s Nicholas School of the Environment. ”However, we did find that spill water associated with fracked wells and their wastewater has an impact on the quality of streams in areas of intense shale gas development.”
“The bottom-line assessment,” he said, “is that groundwater is so far not being impacted, but surface water is more readily contaminated because of the frequency of spills.”

Leaky pipes can allow contaminants into our drinking water

Sheffield: The study, by engineers at the University of Sheffield, is the first to prove conclusively that contaminants can enter pipes through leaks and be transported through the pipe network. The pressure in mains water pipes usually forces water out through leaks, preventing anything else from getting in. But when there is a significant pressure drop in a damaged section of pipe, water surrounding the pipe can be sucked in through the hole. It had been assumed that only clean water from the leak would be sucked in, and that even if contaminants were sucked in these would simply be ejected once the pressure returned to normal. The new study has shown, however, that groundwater from around the pipe – which often contains harmful contaminants – can be sucked in, remain in the pipe and travel on through the network.

Atmospheric Release of Bisphenol-A May Reach Nearby Waterways

Missouri: Water contamination by hormone-disrupting pollutants is threatening water quality around the world. Existing research has determined that harmful concentrations of Bisphenol-A (BPA), a chemical used in consumer products such as plastic food storage and beverage containers, have been deposited directly into rivers and streams by municipal or industrial wastewater. Now, researchers from the University of Missouri and the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) have assessed Missouri water quality near industrial sites permitted to release BPA into the air. As a result, scientists now believe that atmospheric releases may create a concern for contamination of local surface water leading to human and wildlife exposure.

Consumers who drink water can be contaminated by the release of untreated wastewater after heavy rains

Illinois: Consumers whose drinking water can be contaminated by the release of untreated wastewater after heavy rains face increased risk for gastrointestinal illness, according to a report in the journal Environmental Health Perspectives. “Combined” sewer systems collect both sewage and stormwater runoff on the way to treatment facilities. When heavy rainfall fills these systems beyond their capacity, untreated wastewater can back up into homes. To reduce the risk of home flooding during heavy precipitation, municipalities often discharge some of the untreated flow into nearby bodies of water. The release of untreated waste is known as a combined sewer overflow.

Recycling of greywater in households: a practice in need of regulation

ANSES: In a sustainable development context which aims to preserve water resources and save water in general, the recycling of greywater is a topic that often comes up. The recycling of treated greywater, which involves the collection, treatment and reuse of water from showers, bathtubs, bathroom sinks, washing machines, and sometimes kitchens, is not authorised in France for domestic purposes. In 2011, the Directorate General for Health asked ANSES to assess the potential health risks linked to the recycling of greywater in a domestic context. In the opinion and report that it published today, the Agency considers that the practice of recycling greywater in the home must be regulated, and that it must only be considered for strictly limited uses in geographical environments that are durably and repeatedly subject to water shortages. Individuals (building residents, occasional users, workers) must also be informed and trained in the required conditions of use in order to minimize the risks of non-potable water on the premises. 

Water quality: Graphene may enable faster, more durable water filters

MIT: For faster, longer-lasting water filters, some scientists are looking to graphene —thin, strong sheets of carbon — to serve as ultrathin membranes, filtering out contaminants to quickly purify high volumes of water. Graphene’s unique properties make it a potentially ideal membrane for water filtration or desalination. But there’s been one main drawback to its wider use: Making membranes in one-atom-thick layers of graphene is a meticulous process that can tear the thin material — creating defects through which contaminants can leak. Now engineers at MIT, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, and King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals (KFUPM) have devised a process to repair these leaks, filling cracks and plugging holes using a combination of chemical deposition and polymerization techniques. The team then used a process it developed previously to create tiny, uniform pores in the material, small enough to allow only water to pass through.

Fracked, shale-drilling additives in drinking-water taps near leak

Loony Labs: Shale oil has helped the US see lower gas prices and even an opportunity to start exporting. However, it isn’t as great as it might sound, hydraulic fracturing — also known as fracking — has been scrutinized by environmentalists since it’s inception. As it turns out, for good reason, substances commonly used for drilling or extracting Marcellus shale gas foamed from the drinking water taps of three Pennsylvania homes near a reported well-pad leak, according to new analysis from a team of scientists.

Water and sanitation: still a luxury for millions of Europeans

WHO: Of the 900 million people in the WHO European Region, 9 out of 10 have access to improved drinking-water and sanitation facilities. While most Europeans take clean water for granted, 100 million people still do not have a household connection to drinking-water, and 67 million people have no access to improved sanitation and safe means to dispose of human faeces. It is of particular concern that 6 million people in the Region still rely on surface water sources and 2 million people in 11 countries practise open defecation. As a consequence, 10 Europeans die every day from diarrhoea resulting from unsafe water and poor sanitation and hygiene. This critical situation is rarely reported.

Pollution is driving force behind growth of nuisance algal scums, study finds

Nottingham University. UK: Potentially toxic microbes which pose a threat to our drinking water have undergone a dramatic population explosion over the last 200 years as a result of pollution, research involving experts from The University of Nottingham has found.

Water fluoridation in England linked to higher rates of underactive thyroid

BMJ: Water fluoridation above a certain level is linked to 30 per cent higher than expected rates of underactive thyroid (hypothyroidism) in England, suggests research published online in the Journal of Epidemiology & Community Health.

Innovation for Nitrate-free Drinking Water

Technion. Israel: Perhaps one of greatest securities is in the trust that the water we drink is safe. This human need for clean drinking water is global, and with good reason. The presence of nitrates in drinking water has been found to have a direct connection with infant mortality and fatal disease.

Nanoparticles for clean drinking water

The University of Twente (Netherlands) improves the effectiveness of a catalyst for nitrate removal. One way of removing harmful nitrate from drinking water is to catalyse its conversion to nitrogen. This process suffers from the drawback that it often produces ammonia. By using palladium nanoparticles as a catalyst, and by carefully controlling their size, this drawback can be eliminated.