Ecosystem and Watershed Ecology for Sustainable Clean and Healthy Drinking Water.

Asit MazumderNSERC-Industry Research Program

Environmental Management of Drinking WaterUniversity of Victoria

<www.UVic.ca/water>Funding PartnersNSERC-Industry Research Chair GrantCRD Water DepartmentVancouver Water DepartmentBC Ministry of Water, Land and Air ProtectionCrestbrook Forest IndustriesGalloway Lumber CompanyBC Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and FoodN. Okanagan Cattleman’s AssociationBC Beef/Cattle Industries Development FundAgriculture Agri-Food CanadaHealth CanadaEnvironment Canada

Contributing Research TeamGrad Students: W. Nowlin, JM. Davies, C. Meays, B. Matthews, P. Furey, M. Deagle, R. McMackin, D. Bryant, J. Lambert.

PDFs & Research Professionals: M. Kainz, S. Verenitch, R. Nordin, T. Peace, Y. Liang, B. Basu, T. De Monoye, S. Thompson,

Collaborators: R. Roy (UVic), K. Telmer (UVic), M. Samadpour (UWA), K. Broersma (AAFC), J. Aramini (HC),

Quality and Quantity of Drinking Water is a Major Problem

Worldwide, millions of people die each year from contaminated drinking water.

During last four years, Canadians faced several drinking water disasters Walkerton- Seven people died and 100s became sick. Battleford - Many people got sick from intestinal disease Each year 1000s of water supplies in Canada give boil-water advisories. Recent report says BC has 40% greater incidences of water related disease than

any other provinces in Canada. Majority of these problems start at the source water ecosystems and

watersheds, yet very little is done to sustain water quality at the source. Challenge? To manage the quality of drinking water under unsustainable

land/ water-use, poor source water, and failing infrastructure.

Why take ecosystem and watershed approach to sustain clean and healthy water? Because problems originate at

the source water ecosystems and watersheds. What are the quality and health indicators of water quality?

Pathogenic bacteria and protozoans- intestinal disease Excessive nutrients and algae - taste/odour, toxins, disinfection

byproducts Harmful chemicals - pesticides, herbicides, metals, antibiotics

and phamacare products

Unfortunately, treatment and disinfection cannot eliminate all of the water quality problems.

While disinfection and filtration can be effective in reducing risk of pathogens, they produce disinfection byproducts with significant health risk and make water supply very expensive and inefficient.

Why not develop source water management and protection to reduce these risks, to provide healthy water, to reduce cost and increase efficiency?

Poor quality water at the source increases health risk of drinking water at home.

Source Water Quality•Bacteria, Algae, Pathogens•TOC, DOC, Turbidity, Toxins

Coagulation/Flocculation removes colloidal particles by adding certain chemicals (coagulants)

Floc settles down to the bottom

Sedimentation

Filtration remove particles through filters

Disinfection kill bacteria and other organisms

Storage for disinfection to take place, and for variable water demand

Disinfection Byproducts formed during treatment and disinfection

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NSERC-Industry Research Chair Program inEnvironmental Management of Drinking WaterOur Research at UVic currently cover the following specific aspects:

• Watershed processes leading to nutrient, chemical, sediment and pathogen loading to source water.

• Aquatic processes regulating source water quality in relation to water level and watershed changes.

• Ecology and source tracking of pathogens as a function of land-use patterns.

• Production of carcinogenic byproducts in drinking water in relation to source water.

• Development of GIS and Remote Sensing based models for land-use patterns and water quality/quantity.

• Modeling waterborne disease in BC using medical billing and prescription data.

• Reconstruction of historic climatic conditions, land/water use, water quality, and foodweb changes using sediment chronology.

• Hg contamination of fish in BC lakes and its health implication

Ecosystem and watershed processes affect the quality of water at the source and the quality of water at the tap.

Quality of source waterBacteria, Pathogens, Humic compounds, Pesticides,

Herbicides, Heavy metals

Land-use activities and practices--Agriculture--Farming--Waste disposal--Pesticides / Herbicides--Harvesting--Roads & Highways

Loading of--Nutrients--Bacteria/Pathogens--Metals/Organics--Humic compounds

Quality of drinking water Human health risks from pathogens, byproducts, metals & contaminants

Aquatic processes modify the impacts of external loading

Nutrient-foodweb processes within source water are critical determinants of water quality and the impact external loading of nutrients, chemicals & pathogens.

Large & efficient grazersSmall & inefficient grazers

Bacteria/AlgaePathogens

Grazers

Fish Communities

Nutrients(From watershed land-use, sediment and atmosphere)

Poor Source water

0

5

10

15

20Small Grazers Large Grazers

84% 43%

Grazer Size (mm)<0.2 >2 >2

1 10 100 10000.1

1

10

100

1000

Nutrients (µg/liter)

TO

C (

mg/

liter

)

Dominant Small Grazers

Dominant large grazers

High disinfection efficiencyLow disinfection byproductsLow cost and low health risk

Low disinfection efficiencyHigh disinfection byproductsHigh cost and high health risk

Increasing concentrations of biological materials in source water (such as bacteria, algae, dissolved organic carbon)In

crea

sing

con

cent

ratio

ns o

f di

sinf

ectio

n by

prod

ucts

(s

ever

al o

f th

em c

an p

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ce lo

ng-t

erm

hea

lth p

robl

ems)

TOC-DBP relationship DOC-DBP relationship Impact of Ozone and UV treatment on DBP formation Type and intensity of disinfection on DBPs

Long-term health impacts of source water quality need more attention.

Some of the taste and odor and toxin producing algae

in source drinking water.

Taste and Odor in Drinking Water

Emerging technologies that could help developing robust risk assessment and management tools.

Source tracking of pathogens using ribotyping. Source tracking of nutrients using stable isotopes. Foodweb structure (grazers in lakes, reservoirs or streams)

to evaluate the aquatic systems capability to minimize external inputs of nutrients, chemicals and pathogens.

GIS and Remote Sensing models quantifying nutrient, chemical and pathogen loading to source water.

Expert system for real time monitoring and assessment of water and watershed conditions.

Water and watershed management strategies based on integrated expert system.

Improved public communication and education based on integrated watershed science.

Tracking the sources of bacteria One of the most recent technology is DNA

finger printing to track source of pathogens.– This is a technology that has long been used by

food industry.– This technique is capable of distinguishing

sources like humans, birds, wildlife (by type) and farmed mammals.

Tracking sewage/organic inputs to source water by

using stable isotopes of 15N

Predicted 15N for

100 people/km2

Range forCucheon/Elk Lake

Index of: productivity/anthropogenic influence

15N of

Organisms

-1 0 1 2 30

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

Anthropogenic

Productivity

Detecting sewage/organic inputs to source water

Application of Medical Billing and Services Data from communities is a powerful way of evaluating the health related to water.

Water Quality & Watershed Data Management

Simulation of early warning

Integrated Technology for Decision Making* Real-time water quality monitoring and risk assessment* Drinking water and watershed Protection* Sustainable Watershed Management* Prediction of pathogens and health impacts

DistributionSystems

Treatment

Expert System

Decision making

Prototype under development in our laboratory at the University of Victoria

Advantages of Expert System Integrates: land-use planning, hydrology, water quality. meteorology,

system characteristics Assesses-Warns: Source water quality, taste and odour events,

pathogens, turbidity Simulates: behavior of system under various natural and perturbed

conditions of watersheds and source water Optimizes: location of instrumentation, operating protocol etc.

Analyses: sensitivity of source system, cause and effect

Assists: provides feedback and guidance e.g. disinfection, source switching, land use planning

3

6

9

12 Annual Consumption (Billion Gallons)

100

200

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400Population of Greater Victoria (Thousands)

900

1200

1500

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21002400

2700

1895

1905

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1925

1935

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1995

2005

2015

Annual Rainfall (mm)

100-Yr. Mean

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August, 2001

Sooke Lake and the intake tower supplying water to Victoria.• A 100-year draught in 2000 caused severe water shortage.• Severe drawdown like this causes water quality problems by changing the thermal stability and nutrient release from sediment to water

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Seymour Reservoir of Vancouver Water Supply during October 2002. Heavy Consumption and low rainfall during summer created this historic low level of water.High exposure of sediment has caused extremely high levels of iron and ammonia in drinking water

What are the immediate challenges for Canadian communities?

We need to think beyond treating water as the sole solution. We must develop integrated water and watershed science linking source water ecosystems to tap to community health.

Integration science and policies for best land- and water-use practices for clean and healthy drinking water will need: Clean Water Policies and Guidelines that go beyond treatment and disinfection into short- and

long-term human and environmental health. Multi-barrier approaches capable of assessing health risks from chemical and biological agents in

source and supply water. Province-wide and nation-wide programs integrating ecosystem and watershed knowledge into the

quality of source and supply water and community health. Transfer of integrated understanding of water quality to the utility managers, especially to the

managers of small to medium water supplies and communities. What can government/industries do to achieve the goal of sustainable clean water

Develop enforceable policies and regulations for water and watershed management and protection.

Enhance support for infrastructure, modern analytical facilities, training program and public education.

Model Community Watershed Approach for Clean and Healthy Drinking Water

Assess/model health risks

Stakeholders, Managers, Public, Decision Makers

Science

Characterize watershed and source water

quality

Integrate science into community and culture

Integration

Deliver Watershed Science/Technology

In partnership with communities, industries government and scientists, we have been applying this approach to individual community watersheds for clean & healthy drinking water.

Track/Model sources of• Pathogens• Toxic & organic chemicals• Disinfectants• Waterborne disease

Education/Technology• Train managers• Involve communities• Help policy development• Science-based decisions

Map watershed with GIS for assessing:

• Land use & planning• Loading of pathogens, nutrients & chemicals

• Source water quality

Thank you