While relatively new to the industry, ultraviolet (UV) disinfection has become an increasingly popular strategy for the treatment of drinking water. The purpose of this project was to review multiple disinfectant treatment strategies, focusing on potential synergies between UV and chemical disinfectants.
The goal of this project was to improve understanding of the linkages between trihalomethanes and adverse pregnancy outcomes by investigating impacts.
Throughout the project, the researchers assembled a unique data set consisting of geophysical, hydraulic, microbiological, geochemical, and isotopic information. Field investigations were conducted in a major municipal water supply aquifer in Fredericton, New Brunswick, which was considered to be representative of similar river valley aquifers.
Working in partnership with several municipalities, the research team accessed municipal water treatment plants in order to study and then optimize their disinfection processes.
This project team, led by Dr. Pierre Bérubé, intends to develop the first generation of integrated membrane materials that will be capable of inactivating pathogens (viruses and bacteria) of any size and oxidizing natural organic matter.
This innovative research project sought to address microbial contamination of surface source drinking water by focusing on the cause of waterborne outbreaks of microbial contaminants using a “Watershed-to-Tap” framework. Novel methods allowed the researchers to assess community health and watershed events in real-time.
The project team, led by Dr. Monica Emelko, have designed field and laboratory experiments to fill knowledge gaps related to better management of groundwater supplies and interpretation of contamination risks.
This research examined the operations and design of distribution systems to direct investments to improve integrity and reduce vulnerability to failure and the effect of intrusion on water quality. Results have benefitted municipalities, industry, the engineering community and regulatory agencies.
This work can help assess health risks from Disinfection By-Products (DBP) in drinking water and guide the choice of disinfection processes for those responsible for drinking water quality, enhancing their ability to reduce the formation of harmful by-products and best invest resources to control DBP formation.
Within this project, the researchers sought to investigate pathogen sources at the molecular level through identification of species-specific traits, which would allow potential hosts and reservoirs harboring waterborne pathogens to be identified and provide a measure of human health risks associated with recreational and drinking water.