The Gulf Coast hurricanes of 2005 and horrific events of 9/11/2001 have spawned a new emphasis on domestic security and emergency preparedness. Governments at all levels are taking action to reduce their vulnerabilities and prepare for emergencies, including unconventional disasters such as regional-scale weather events and terrorist attacks.
A great deal has been written concerning security practices for large and medium-sized water and wastewater systems. Some of these practices are relevant and applicable to small, rural, and tribal wastewater systems, but many are not. Small systems...

This project was initiated in response to the establishment of mercury TMDLs around the country and issues raised by this process, specifically concerning the issue of mercury bioavailability. While many TMDLs recognize that point sources constitute a small fraction of the mercury load to a water body, a question has been raised concerning the relative bioavailability of mercury coming from various sources. For instance, is the mercury discharged from a wastewater treatment plant more or less bioavailable than mercury in precipitation, mercury in urban stormwater, or mercury in sediments?...

This report is an output of the fourth research track (Track 4) of WERF's strategic asset management research program 'Asset Management Communication and Implementation' (SAM1R06). Track 4 addressed 'remaining asset life', and had the overall objective of contributing to the development of techniques, tools and methods for estimating residual life of wastewater assets. Track 4 research was planned to be undertaken in a staged manner, so as to provide a stepwise development of concepts and protocols.
To this end, the research team has produced a synthesis of knowledge in relation to "end...

This project convened a team of experts in the fields of environmental engineering (AECOM), analytical chemistry and hydrogeology (USGS), and biological assay analysis (UA) to evaluate the occurrence and fate of estrogenic compound, and the estrogenicity of biosolids derived from wastewater treatment. Sludge and biosolids samples were collected through the solids treatment train of four wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) operating a range of solids processing, treatment and disposal options that are typical to facilities across the United States. Targeted solids processing methods included...

The biotic ligand model (BLM) is a computational tool that may be used to predict toxic effect levels of metals, including Ag. The BLM considers the effect of site-specific water quality characteristics on Ag speciation and bioavailability. This provides a basis for extrapolating from laboratory waters, used for most Ag toxicity tests, to natural waters, where the bioavailability and toxicity of Ag may differ. The original version of the BLM for the acute toxicity of Ag was reviewed by the USEPA Science Advisory Board (SAB) in 1999 and they recommended the completion of additional Ag...

Resources end up in wastewater through inefficient consumption. As a result, wastewater contains reusable water, carbon (energy) and nutrients (nitrogen, phosphorus and sulfur) that could be recovered or reused. Meanwhile, current treatment objectives are to produce an acceptable quality of water for reuse or discharge at the lowest life cycle cost. Most of the current treatment processes manage carbon and nutrients as wastes to be removed, and do not attempt to capitalize on these resources inherent in wastewater. In the context of sustainability and climate change, the next generation of...

This project will deal with a number of aspects of WAS-only-reduction technologies for both industrial and municipal wastewater treatment applications.
The objectives of this project include the following:

• Developing an evaluation methodology that can be used to independently assess the effectiveness of WAS-reduction technologies
• Demonstrating the previously listed methodology with at least one WAS-reduction technology

This study includes not only the primary goals of establishing the degree of WAS reduction and corresponding capital and operation and...

Wastewater treatment is an energy intensive process that removes contaminants and protects the environment. While some wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) recover a small portion of their energy demand through sludge handling processes, most of the useful energy available from wastewater remains unrecovered. Efforts are underway to harness energy from wastewater by developing microbial fuel cells (MiFCs) that generate electricity.
Key challenges to the development of microbial fuel cells include inefficiencies inherent in recovering energy from microbial metabolism (particularly carbon...

The Water Environment Research Foundation (WERF) Nutrient Challenge Research Program and the Water Environment Federation (WEF) cooperated in a comprehensive study of nutrient removal plants designed and operated to meet very low levels of effluent N and P. Both existing and new technologies are being adapted to meet requirements that are as low as 3 mg/L TN and 0.1 mg/L TP, and there is a need to define their capabilities and reliabilities in the real world situation of wastewater treatment plants. This effort focused on maximizing what can be learned from existing technologies in order to...

Of the total number of consumer product chemicals the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has identified, approximately 500 are considered high production volume (HPV) chemicals. This study investigated the occurrence and fate of high production volume household chemicals in wastewater systems. The study was initiated with a comprehensive review on HPV organic chemicals in household commodities and their contributions to municipal wastewater treatment systems. The comprehensive review presented the basis to compile a database on HPV chemicals and organic compounds in household commodities...