Fluence requirements in existing UV disinfection facilities to comply with EU validation performance targets for reclaimed water: a case study.

Since 2020, there is a new European Regulation (EU, 2020/741) on minimum requirements for water reuse, where routine and validation monitoring requirements (log reductions of indicator microorganisms and reference pathogens) have been established. Many reclamation facilities that are already in operation might have difficulties to comply with these performance targets. Existing disinfection systems must be expanded and upgraded.

Surveillance on ESBL- and Indicator ARG in Wastewater and Reclaimed Water of Four Regions of Spain: Impact of Different Disinfection Treatments.

In the present study, the occurrence of indicator antibiotic-resistant bacteria (ARB) and antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) both in the influent and the effluent of four Spanish wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) was monitored for 12 months, and the susceptibility profiles of 89 recovered extended spectrum β-lactamase (ESBL)-producing isolates were obtained against a wide range of antimicrobials. The aim of the study was to better understand whether the current wastewater treatment practices allow us to obtain safe reclaimed water mitigating the spread of ARB and ARGs to the environment. Results showed high concentrations of ESBL-producing as well as a high prevalence of a range of ARGs in the influent samples.