Impact of high precipitation and temperature events on the distribution of emerging contaminants in surface water in the Mid-Atlantic, United States.

Extreme weather events induced by climate change have potential to impact water quality and have received increasing attention from surface water source management perspectives. However, it remains unclear how such phenomenon may influence concentration of emerging contaminants (ECs) in surface water that are vital source of irrigation. In the present study, we investigated the impact of high precipitation and ambient temperature on the distribution of ECs in surface water samples (N = 250) from Mid-Atlantic region, collected between 2016 and 2018.

Antibiotic and herbicide concentrations in household greywater reuse systems and pond water used for food crop irrigation: West Bank, Palestinian Territories.

Greywater is increasingly treated and reused for agricultural irrigation in off-grid communities in the Middle East and other water scarce regions of the world. However, there is a dearth of data regarding levels of antibiotics and herbicides in off-grid greywater treatment systems. To address this knowledge gap, we evaluated levels of these contaminants in two types of greywater treatment systems on four farms in the West Bank, Palestinian Territories.

Pharmaceuticals, herbicides, and disinfectants in agricultural water sources.

Agricultural water withdrawals account for the largest proportion of global freshwater use. Increasing municipal water demands and droughts are straining agricultural water supplies. Therefore, alternative solutions to agricultural water crises are urgently needed, including the use of nontraditional water sources such as advanced treated wastewater or reclaimed water, brackish water, return flows, and effluent from produce processing facilities.

Water ingestion during water recreation.

Quantitative risk assessments have estimated health risks of water recreation. One input to risk assessment models is the rate of water ingestion. One published study estimated rates of water ingestion during swimming, but estimates of water ingestion are not available for common limited contact water recreation activities such as canoeing, fishing, kayaking, motor boating, and rowing.