Greywater irrigation as a source of organic micro-pollutants to shallow groundwater and nearby surface water

Ryan D R Turner; Michael St J Warne; Les A Dawes; Kristie Thompson; Geoffrey D Will

doi:10.1016/j.scitotenv.2019.03.073

Greywater irrigation as a source of organic micro-pollutants to shallow groundwater and nearby surface water

Sci Total Environ. 2019 Jun 15:669:570-578. doi: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2019.03.073. Epub 2019 Mar 6.

Authors

Ryan D R Turner¹, Michael St J Warne², Les A Dawes³, Kristie Thompson⁴, Geoffrey D Will³

Affiliations

¹ Water Quality and Investigations, Environmental Monitoring and Assessment Science, Science Division, The State of Queensland, Department of Environment and Science, Dutton Park, Queensland, Australia; School of Physical and Chemical Sciences, Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia; Australian Rivers Institute, Griffith University, Nathan, Queensland, Australia. Electronic address: ryan.turner@qld.gov.au.
² School of Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia; Centre for Agroecology, Water and Resilience, Coventry University, Coventry, West Midlands, United Kingdom; Water Quality and Investigations, Environmental Monitoring and Assessment Science, Science Division, The State of Queensland, Department of Environment and Science, Dutton Park, Queensland, Australia; Australian Rivers Institute, Griffith University, Nathan, Queensland, Australia.
³ School of Physical and Chemical Sciences, Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia.
⁴ National Research Centre for Environmental Toxicology, University of Queensland, Robertson, Queensland, Australia.

PMID: 30889446
DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2019.03.073

Abstract

Increased water demands due to population growth and increased urbanisation have driven adoption of various water reuse practices. The irrigation of greywater (water from all household uses, except toilets) has been proposed as one potential sustainable practice. Research has clearly identified environmental harm from the presence of micro-pollutants in soils, groundwater and surface water. Greywater contains a range of micro pollutants yet very little is known about their potential environmental fate when greywater is irrigated to soil. Therefore, this study assessed whether organic micro-pollutants in irrigated greywater were transferred to shallow groundwater and an adjacent surface waterway. A total of 22 organic micro-pollutants were detected in greywater. Six of these (acesulfame, caffeine, DEET, paracetamol, salicylic acid and triclosan) were selected as potential tracers of greywater contamination. Three of these chemicals (acesulfame, caffeine, DEET) were detected in the groundwater, while salicylic acid was also detected in adjacent surface water. Caffeine and DEET in surface water were directly attributable to greywater irrigation. Thus the practice of greywater irrigation can act as a source of organic micro-pollutants to shallow groundwater and nearby surface water. The full list of micro-pollutants that could be introduced via greywater and the risk they pose to aquatic ecosystems is not yet known.

Keywords: Greywater; Groundwater; Irrigation; Organic micro-pollutants; Pharmaceuticals and personal care products (PPCPs); Water quality.

MeSH terms

Agricultural Irrigation / methods*
Environmental Monitoring*
Fresh Water / chemistry
Groundwater / chemistry
Waste Disposal, Fluid / methods*
Wastewater
Water Pollutants, Chemical / analysis*

Substances

Waste Water
Water Pollutants, Chemical