Collaborative Research, RUI: Assessing Load Reduction and Biological Recovery After 500 MGD Treatment Upgrades in an Effluent-Dominated Aquatic Ecosystem

城市化导致许多水生生态系统受到污水处理厂排放的污水的影响。近年来，经处理的废水流出物已被确定为内分泌活性化合物（包括激素和药物）进入水生生态系统的途径，对暴露的鱼类种群的健康产生不利影响。尽管工业化前的条件发生了这些巨大的变化，但污水主导的系统维持了许多鱼类，并被人类用于娱乐。对这些城市水生生态系统的污水基础设施进行更新并不能使其恢复到原始状态，而是需要努力实现基础设施投资的最大成本效益。该项目探讨了大规模污水基础设施的改善将降低以污水为主的城市水生生态系统中内分泌活性化合物的总体浓度，从而提高鱼类种群的可持续性，尽管这些化合物继续存在和投入。一个案例研究将审查将大芝加哥都会区的两个主要污水处理厂升级为消毒（紫外线）的效果；氯化/脱氯作用)。这种水生生态系统多年来一直是激烈的生物和化学研究的焦点，并提供了一个独特的机会来评估(i)污水消毒的两种方法如何减少最终出水中的内分泌活性化合物负荷；（ii）衡量系统中总生物活性的雌激素性如何受到两个处理厂升级的影响，这两个处理厂约占大芝加哥都会区所有污水的50%；（iii）两种处理技术（紫外线与氯化/脱氯）在从最终处理出水中去除内分泌活性化合物的功效方面的比较；以及（iv）如何减轻受污染鱼类的不利生物影响。该项目将解决环境科学中一个未被充分研究的领域，该领域对我们大多数居住在污水主导生态系统的城市地区的人口有直接影响。能够在两个规模匹配的城市污水处理厂中并排研究两种消毒技术的效果，将为污水处理厂工程师提供功效信息，并有助于指导对未来基础设施升级的投资。城市生态系统将从更好地了解技术如何帮助减少内分泌活性化合物的环境负荷和提供可持续的鱼类种群中受益。

1336062 / 1336165 / 1336604 Schoenfuss/Martinovic-Weigelt/Schultz Urbanization has resulted in many aquatic ecosystems becoming impacted by effluent discharges from wastewater treatment plants. In recent years, treated wastewater effluent has been identified as a pathway for endocrine active compounds, including hormones and pharmaceuticals, to enter aquatic ecosystem with adverse effects for the health of exposed fish populations. Despite these dramatic alterations to pre-industrial conditions, effluent dominated systems sustain many fish species and are used by the human population for recreation. Updates to the wastewater infrastructure supplying these urban aquatic ecosystems cannot accomplish restoration to pristine condition, and instead need to strive for the greatest cost-benefit of the infrastructure investment. This project explores the idea that large-scale wastewater infrastructure improvements will reduce overall endocrine active compound concentrations in an effluent dominated urban aquatic ecosystem and, thus, will enhance the sustainability of fish populations despite continued presence and inputs of these compounds. A case study will examine the efficacy of upgrading two major wastewater treatment plants in the Greater Chicago Metropolitan Area to disinfection (Ultraviolet (UV); chlorination/dechlorination). This aquatic ecosystem has been the focus of intense biological and chemical study for several years and provides a unique opportunity to assess (i) how two approaches to effluent disinfection will reduce endocrine active compound loads in the final effluent; (ii) how estrogenicity, a measure of the total biological activity in the system, is affected by the upgrades to two treatment plants contributing roughly 50% of all effluent in the Greater Chicago Metropolitan Area; (iii) how the two treatment technologies (UV vs. chlorination/dechlorination) compare in their efficacy of removing endocrine active compounds from the final treated effluent; and (iv) how adverse biological effects in exposed fish will be mitigated. This project will address an understudied area in the environmental sciences that has a direct impact on the majority of our population, which resides in urban areas with effluent dominated ecosystems. The ability to study the effects of two disinfection technologies side-by-side in two size-matched urban wastewater treatment plants will provide efficacy information to wastewater treatment plant engineers and will help guide investment into future infrastructure upgrades. Urban ecosystems will benefit from a better understanding of how technology can help to reduce the environmental loads of endocrine active compounds and provide for sustainable fish populations.