AI Article Synopsis
- * Analysis of 45 samples revealed that indicators like Salmonella were below legal limits, but enteric viruses and contaminants of emerging concern were still present in various levels.
- * Findings indicated that the porous vadose zone effectively reduced contaminants more than the fractured karst vadose zone, suggesting the need for updated legislation to include additional safety parameters for treated effluents.
Article Abstract
This study evaluated whether some chemical and microbial contaminants in treated sewage effluents from two wastewater treatment plants (WWTP) reached the groundwater when they drained through a fractured karst vadose zone (WWTP-K) and a porous vadose zone (WWTP-P). Forty-five samples of sewage water (SW), treated water (TW), and monitoring well (MW), collected from WWTP-P (24) and WWTP-K (21), were analyzed for a range of microbiological and chemical properties. The and Salmonella counts were below the limits outlined in the Legislative Decree 152/06 in effluents from both types of WWTP. Enteric viruses were found in 37.5% and 12.5% of the SW and TW from WWTP-P, respectively. The percentages of Pepper mild mottle virus isolated were higher in TW (62.5% in WWTP-P, 85.7% in WWTP-K) than in SW and MW. The residual concentrations of contaminants of emerging concern (CEC) of each drug category were higher in the MW downstream of WWTP-K than of WWTP-P. Our results showed that the porous vadose zone was more effective at reducing the contaminant loads than the fractured karst one, especially the CEC, in the effluent. The legislation should include other parameters to minimize the risks from treated effluent that is discharged to soil.
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| http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9228818 | PMC |
| http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/pathogens11060677 | DOI Listing |
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