Dataset Information

Tracking contaminants of concern in wet-weather sanitary sewer overflows.

ABSTRACT: Four representative sites in the greater city of Sydney, Australia, were selected for a study of the wet-weather overflow of sanitary (separate to stormwater) sewerage systems. Water samples were collected by autosamplers from up to eight wet weather overflow events over 16 months and from companion receiving water sites. The objective was to identify the risks posed by sewage contaminants to aquatic biota in the receiving waters, to aid in prioritising management actions. Twelve organic contaminants were identified in influents across the four sites under rainfall ingress diluted conditions, with measurements showing that the highest concentrations were restricted to the anti-inflammatory acetaminophen and the diabetes medication metformin. Lesser contaminants included theobromine, ibuprofen, sucralose, and three benzotriazoles (mainly 1-H benzotriazole). An assessment of the toxicity of the identified organic chemicals indicated that none appeared to pose concerns for ecosystem health before wet-weather ingress dilution, and this was even less likely after dilution in the receiving waters. Metal concentrations were low; however, ammonia concentrations in the influent did pose a risk to ecosystem health, although receiving water dilution diminished this risk at four of the five receiving water locations studied.

SUBMITTER: Besley CH

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10495504 | biostudies-literature | 2023 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Tracking contaminants of concern in wet-weather sanitary sewer overflows.

Besley Colin H CH Batley Graeme E GE Cassidy Michele M

Environmental science and pollution research international 20230815 43

Four representative sites in the greater city of Sydney, Australia, were selected for a study of the wet-weather overflow of sanitary (separate to stormwater) sewerage systems. Water samples were collected by autosamplers from up to eight wet weather overflow events over 16 months and from companion receiving water sites. The objective was to identify the risks posed by sewage contaminants to aquatic biota in the receiving waters, to aid in prioritising management actions. Twelve organic contami ...[more]

PMID: 37581734

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Project description:BackgroundCombined sewer overflows (CSOs) discharge untreated sewage into surface and recreational water, often following heavy precipitation. Given projected increases in frequency and intensity of precipitation due to climate change, it is important to understand the health impacts of CSOs and mediating effects of sewerage systems.ObjectivesIn this study we estimate associations of CSO events and emergency department (ED) visits for gastrointestinal (GI) illness among City of Atlanta, Georgia, residents and explore how these associations vary with sewerage improvements.MethodsWe estimate associations using Poisson generalized linear models, controlling for time trends. We categorized CSOs by overflow volume and assessed effects of CSO events prior to ED visits with 1-, 2- and 3-wk lags. Similarly, we evaluated effects of weekly cumulative precipitation greater than the 90th percentile at the same lags. We also evaluated effect modification by ZIP Code Tabulation Area (ZCTA)-level poverty and infrastructure improvement period using interaction terms.ResultsOccurrence of a large volume CSO in the previous week was associated with a 9% increase in daily ED visits for GI illness. We identified significant interaction by ZCTA-level poverty, with stronger CSO-GI illness associations in low than high poverty areas. Among areas with low poverty, we observed associations at 1-wk and longer lags, following both large and lower volume CSO events. We did not observe significant interaction by infrastructure improvement period for CSO- nor precipitation-GI illness associations; however, the number of CSO events decreased from 2.31 per week before improvements to 0.49 after improvements.DiscussionOur findings suggest that CSOs contribute to acute GI illness burden in Atlanta and that the magnitude of this risk may be higher among populations living in areas of low poverty. We did not find a protective effect of sewerage system improvements. Nonetheless, observed reductions in CSO frequency may lower the absolute burden of GI illness attributable to these events. https://doi.org/10.1289/EHP10399.

Dataset Information

Tracking contaminants of concern in wet-weather sanitary sewer overflows.

Publications

Tracking contaminants of concern in wet-weather sanitary sewer overflows.

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