25
Aug
2017
Treatment

Touring Orange County’s Groundwater Replenishment System and Celebrating World Water Week 2017
28
Jul
2017
Public Health
by Joan B. Rose, PhD

Climbing the Rungs of the Safe Water and Sanitation Service Ladders

The humble ladder can be a symbol of progress toward lofty goals. The lyrics of Bob Dylan’s “Forever Young,” for example, include a moving wish for the singer’s newborn son: “May you build a ladder to the stars and climb on every rung…” Symbolic ladders are also used by the Joint Monitoring Program of the... Read More »
19
May
2017
Public Health
by Ralph Morris, MD, MPH, and Joan B. Rose, PhD

Superbugs and Sewage at the Beach

We seem to be reading and writing a lot about superbugs—antibiotic resistant bacteria that are responsible for at least 2 million infections (including healthcare-associated infections acquired while receiving medical treatment in a hospital) and 23,000 deaths each year in the US.1 But the recent discovery of the “superbug enzyme” NDM2 in bathing seawaters in Ireland... Read More »
24
Mar
2017
Wastewater
by Joan B. Rose, PhD

World Water Day 2017: Why Waste Water?

Every year on March 22, the world community celebrates World Water Day by highlighting a water-related theme. This year’s theme, “Why Waste Water?” is linked to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal #6, to “Ensure availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all.” With a clever play on words, “Why Waste Water?” encourages... Read More »
07
Oct
2016
Wastewater
by Joan B. Rose, PhD

Meeting the Goal of Safe Drinking Water and Sanitation for All

Reliable and safe drinking water and sanitation are fundamental requirements of people trying to reach their greatest potential in life. Few of us can relate to the burden and indignity of living without these basic services. Achieving universal access to safely managed drinking water and sanitation services is one of the 17 Post-2015 Sustainable Development... Read More »
09
Sep
2016
Treatment
by Water Quality & Health Council

Why Wastewater Treatment Matters: An Example from Haiti

One of the most important functions of water infrastructure is to prevent the contamination of water that may be used for drinking or recreation.  Limiting human exposure to wastewater helps protect human health by shielding people from the pathogens shed in feces.  Whereas diseases such as cholera and typhoid fever—transmitted through contaminated drinking water and... Read More »
08
Jul
2016
Wastewater
by Joan B. Rose, PhD

The Global Water Pathogen Project: Helping to Meet the UN Post-2015 Sustainable Development Goals

As nations work to meet the 17 post-2015 United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), there is a significant new resource that will help “ensure the availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all,” the focus of SDG #6.   That resource is the Global Water Pathogen Project (GWPP), the largest single coordinated effort of... Read More »
04
Mar
2016
Wastewater
by Joan B. Rose, PhD

Water Experts Use Technology to Promote Safe Water and Sanitation

Controlling human exposure to waterborne pathogens associated with fecal waste is a key factor in attaining the goal of safe drinking water and sanitation for all, (Sustainable Development Goal #6 in the 2030 United Nations Agenda).  What does it take to make significant strides toward that lofty goal?  Try a group of nine international scientific... Read More »
10
Jul
2015
Wastewater
by Joan B. Rose, PhD

Water, Sanitation and the Millennium Development Goals: A Report Card on Global Progress

Graphic from UN Millennium Development Goals and Beyond 2015 website  In 2000, the United Nations adopted a set of eight Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) to improve the lives of the poorest people on Earth.  As the 15-year MDG timeline runs out, a final report on this ambitious program reflects both mixed success and overall optimism. ... Read More »
24
Apr
2015
Treatment
by Joan B. Rose, PhD

Antibiotic Resistance and Wastewater Effluent Chlorination

Does chlorination of sewage treatment plant (STP) effluent reduce or promote antibiotic resistant microorganisms?  Recent research presented at the national meeting of the American Chemical Society provides evidence that this practice might give rise to trace levels of new, stronger antibiotics, which in turn could possibly foster antibiotic resistant microorganisms.  University of North Carolina researcher... Read More »