Water Supply
years, the commission predicts twice as many breaks and
environment, potentially contributing to the growing
problem of antibiotic resistance.
The research, which will be presented today at the 249th
National Meeting & Exposition of the American Chemical
Society (ACS), suggests that a re-evaluation of wastewater
treatment and disinfection practices is needed.
Figure 1, per WSSC: Water main breaks are expected to increase dramatically in
the near future.
leaks per 100 miles in its system (see Figure 1).
With this dramatic future looming ahead for WSSC and the
rest of the nation’s water utilities, Irvine emphasizes the
value of technologies and models like the ones implemented
at WSSC. He also sees cause for optimism.
“Given the magnitude of infrastructure investment needs
and the limits on available funding, innovation and ingenuity
are our best allies,” he said. “Fortunately, technology is
rapidly advancing to provide the analytical tools to help us
optimize the management of our assets.”
Until this next great technological breakthrough arrives,
however, a world without water main breaks remains a pipe
dream.
About the author
Peter Chawaga is an Associate Editor, Water Online
This article was reprinted with permission.
Chlorine use in sewage treatment could
promote antibiotic resistance
Chlorine, a disinfectant
commonly used in most
wastewater treatment
plants, may be failing
to completely eliminate
pharmaceuticals
from wastes. As a
result, trace levels of
Graduate student Nicole Kennedy measures the these substances get
antibiotic activity of various samples in the lab. discharged from the
Credit: Olya Keen plants to the nation’s
waterways.
And now, scientists are reporting preliminary studies that
show chlorine treatment may encourage the formation
of new, unknown antibiotics that could also enter the
“Pharmaceuticals that get out into the environment can
harm aquatic life, making them react slowly in the wild
and disrupting their hormone systems,” notes Olya Keen,
Ph.D. She adds that increased antibiotic exposure, even at
low levels in the environment, can lead to development of
antibiotic-resistant microbes and a general weakening of
antibiotics’ abilities to fight bacterial