prioritizing emerging contaminants and control strategies
DESCRIPTION
Emerging contaminants in the Great Lakes present a new threat to human and ecological health due to chal- lenges associated with tracking and understanding their impacts. The workshop presenters will discuss how large water and wastewater utilities approach the issue of emerging contaminants, highlight the challenges, and provide recommendations for future action. This presentation was given by Olga Lyandres, Research Manager, Alliance for the Great Lakes.TRANSCRIPT
Priori%es for Protec%ng the Great Lakes against Emerging Chemical Pollutants
Healing Our Waters – Great Lakes Restora5on Conference Milwaukee, WI
September 11, 2013
Olga Lyandres Research Manager [email protected]
A Community that Cares for the Great Lakes
• Individuals • Businesses • Elected officials • Teachers and students • Environmental advocates • Policy leaders • Recrea5onal enthusiasts • Civic organiza5ons
The Alliance is the only independent policy organiza5on working solely to improve the Great Lakes every day.
Formed in 1970, the Alliance for the Great Lakes is the oldest independent Great Lakes ci5zens' organiza5on in North America. Our community today includes…
The Alliance at a Glance Mission
To conserve and restore the world's largest freshwater resource using policy, educa5on and local efforts, ensuring a healthy Great Lakes and clean water for genera5ons of people and wildlife.
Core Issues – Clean water – Sustainable water use – Ecosystem restora5on – Emerging threats – Invasive species – Educa5on – Civic and youth par5cipa5on, e.g. Adopt-‐
a-‐Beach™
Public Health and Environmental Threats
• Endocrine disrup5on • Toxicity of metabolites and
byproducts • Resistant bacteria • Bioaccumula5on in aqua5c
food webs • Low-‐level chronic exposure • Synergis5c effects of chemical
mixtures
Limited informa%on on fate, persistence, epidemiological and ecological effects, for mixtures of chemicals and their byproducts
Clean Water and Emerging Contaminants
Alliance’s goals include:
– Curbing unintended drug releases into the environment
– Suppor5ng further research and monitoring of contaminants’ fate and impact in the Great Lakes
– Evalua5ng methods to op5mize removal efficiencies in water and wastewater treatment systems
– Priori5zing chemicals of concern for control
– Advoca5ng for comprehensive chemical management reform
Great Lakes water cycle: mul5tude of point and diffuse sources
• The Great Lakes and their tributaries serve as receiving waters for 1,448 municipal facili5es discharging 4.8 billion gallons of effluent daily and 2,393 industrial facili5es repor5ng to the EPA’s Toxic Release Inventory
• 85,000 chemicals in the Toxic Substance Control Act inventory • 20,000 registered pes5cide products
• 56,000 pharmaceu5cals for human use
• 1,000 for veterinary use
Survey of water u5li5es in the Great Lakes basin
• Developing monitoring programs • Characterizing removal efficiencies • Educa5ng customers • Coordina5ng with one another
Local efforts
• Drinking water suppliers – voluntary monitoring of hundreds of compounds – Milwaukee Water Works – City of Chicago, Department of Water Management – Central Lake County Joint Ac5on Water Agency – City of Wyoming, Water U5lity
• Wastewater Treatment facili5es – monitoring of receiving waters and wildlife, treatment op5miza5on – Metropolitan Water Reclama5on District of Greater Chicago – Milwaukee Metropolitan Sewer District – City of Wyoming, Wastewater U5lity
Priori5za5on of chemicals of concern
Kumar, A., Xagoraraki, I., 2010. Pharmaceu5cals, personal care products and endocrine-‐disrup5ng chemicals in U.S. surface and finished drinking waters: A proposed ranking system. Science of The Total Environment 408, 5972–5989.
Top 20 ranked chemicals of emerging concern
Conclusions
• Priori5za5on is necessary to address chemicals of emerging concern
• Ongoing research needed to understand environmental fate and effects
• Interim control strategies – Water treatment – Collabora5on among water u5li5es – Proper disposal
• Long term control strategies – Pollu5on preven5on approach – Behavior change
Contact Us
www.greatlakes.org Email us: [email protected] Call us: 1-‐312-‐445-‐9749
Photo by David Riecks