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.
The objective of this project was to develop an understanding of the processes related to the transport of viruses in fractured rock aquifers, and to develop tools for predicting and identifying risks of viruses in aquifers.
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.
The project team, led by Dr. Edwin Cey, focused on understanding the transport of pathogens in the Abbotsford-Sumas aquifer, which is a large shallow groundwater resource that serves as the water supply for more than 100,000 people in Canada and the United States, and has a history of nitrate contamination related to intensive agricultural land [...]
In order to produce competitive crops, farmers need to use intensive agricultural practices which include the use of pesticides and fertilizers. However, these practices are known to degrade water quality. Water quality degradation resulting from present and past land-use activities has evolved from a topic of concern to a major regulatory issue nationally.
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.
This research program was designed to evaluate both the technical and socio-economic feasibility of programs which reduce loadings from various pathogen sources and process modifications that can make biological disinfection of wastewater treatment more effective.
This project aimed to provide a collaborative environment for investigators and partners to advance research on the risk of waterborne enteric disease. The key users of the research outcomes are project partners, including regional water services, conservation authorities, and provincial and federal agencies.
The accumulation of biological matter in domestic wells, known as biofouling, is a widespread problem across Canada, one which presents a particular challenge to fractured rock aquifers. This research project drew on a unique integration of geology, hydrogeology, chemistry and microbiology to advance the scientific understanding of biofouling and pathogen transport in fractured rock [...]