de Brito Cruz Dafne, Schmidt Philip, Kundert Kelsey, Ruecker Norma, Emelko Monica
Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, Ontario, Canada.
Water Services, The City of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada.
J Water Health. 2025 Jun;23(6):764-779. doi: 10.2166/wh.2025.020. Epub 2025 May 9.
Periodic evaluation of particulate contaminants in raw/untreated water is integral to assessing risk, establishing treatment requirements, and ensuring drinking water safety. However, pathogenic microorganisms and other discrete particles (e.g., microplastics) are not typically monitored with any regularity. When monitoring is required, recommended, or proactively used to evaluate the adequacy of treatment or assess treatment needs, there is a need for guidance on how to collect data and use them to maximize return on investment. The potentially increasing variability in source water quality associated with climate change emphasizes the importance of knowing contaminant concentrations to effectively manage risks. This work presents a framework to guide the development of monitoring protocols for particulate contaminants in water and the integration of monitoring data and quantitative microbial risk assessment into treatment decisions. The protozoa monitoring and risk-based compliance approach of a drinking water utility in Canada is presented along with 7 years of data. Guidance for determining sampling frequencies and locations is provided. It is shown that monitoring may be insufficient to inform treatment needs when cysts are more abundant in source water. This work underscores the importance of revisiting and enhancing monitoring practices for effective treatment and public health protection.
定期评估原水/未处理水中的颗粒污染物对于评估风险、确定处理要求以及确保饮用水安全至关重要。然而，致病微生物和其他离散颗粒（如微塑料）通常不会定期进行监测。当需要、推荐或主动进行监测以评估处理的充分性或评估处理需求时，就需要有关如何收集数据并利用这些数据以实现投资回报最大化的指导。与气候变化相关的原水水质潜在的变异性增加凸显了了解污染物浓度以有效管理风险的重要性。这项工作提出了一个框架，以指导制定水中颗粒污染物监测方案，并将监测数据和定量微生物风险评估纳入处理决策。介绍了加拿大一家饮用水公用事业公司的原生动物监测和基于风险的合规方法以及7年的数据。提供了确定采样频率和位置的指导。结果表明，当源水中囊肿更为丰富时，监测可能不足以了解处理需求。这项工作强调了重新审视和加强监测实践对于有效处理和公共卫生保护的重要性。
