New Report Provides Guidance on Removing Chemical Contaminants

The Foundation recently released a new report titled Development of Indicators and Surrogates for Chemical Contaminant Removal during Wastewater Treatment and Reclamation. This study provides guidance to the water reuse industry on how to assure proper removal of wastewater-derived chemical contaminants in indirect potable reuse applications using a combination of tailored surrogate parameters and a select list of indicator compounds.

The recent detection of a variety of chemicals in municipal wastewater effluent has raised concerns about the potential presence of wastewater-derived chemical contaminants in water produced by indirect potable reuse systems. Since it is impossible to measure all chemicals present in recycled water, the approach developed in this study uses a combination of surrogate parameters that are easy to measure and can serve as performance measures of a treatment process.

Selecting multiple indicators representing a broad range of properties will allow water managers to account for compounds currently not identified ("unknowns") and new compounds synthesized and entering the environment in the future (e.g., new pharmaceuticals). The underlying concept is that absence or removal of an indicator compound during a treatment process would also assure absence or removal of unidentified compounds with similar properties.

To order the report, click here.