The overall objective of this project was to enhance the understanding of conditions that control the occurrence and mobility of microbes in regional groundwater systems by conducting detailed spatial and temporal monitoring of selected indicator species near a vulnerable municipal groundwater supply system.
In this project, the development and assessment of novel methods for detecting and determining the viability and infectivity of oocysts were researched, which is essential for assessing the presence, prevalence and infectivity of pathogens in municipal water sources.
This project has developed rapid, sensitive, quantitative methods to detect and study index microorganisms and pathogens in water, validate and use these methods under field conditions using samples from various Canadian cities, and analyze the data to provide regulatory oversight criteria and better public health protection.
This project was designed to determine the extent to which consumers would be willing to pay higher prices for better quality drinking water that reduces their exposure to the pathogens and other potentially harmful compounds in tap water.
This project tested the applicability of the various Quantitative Microbial Risk Assessment (QMRA) models, and reviewed the ways in which QMRA risk estimates can be improved or validated and ways in which user-friendly QMRA models can be deployed in Canada.
The research team, led by Rob Jamieson, has conducted a field-scale study which directly links microbial contamination of groundwater to specific agricultural activities as a means to address some of the existing knowledge gaps in this area.
The main objective of this project, led by Dr. Steven Liss, is the development of a novel water treatment technology by integrating hydrodynamic particle disruption with existing UV technology.