The Potomac River Basin is significant for both public and ecological health as it flows directly into the ecologically-sensitive Chesapeake Bay. It is a drinking water source for about 5 million people living in Maryland, Virginia, and Washington D.C. The discovery of intersex fish, an indicator of poor ecological health, in the Chesapeake Bay occurred in the 2000s, and has led to a series of studies in the watershed to determine the sources and magnitude of endocrine disruption. Endocrine disrupting compounds (EDCs) are exogenous chemicals that interfere with the endocrine system and can cause detrimental health effects at low concentrations. This study aims to understand a best management practice referred to as planned indirect potable reuse (IPR) and its impacts on EDCs. The Occoquan Watershed is a planned IPR subwatershed of the Potomac River Basin. Water samples were collected at the water reclamation plant discharge (Upper Occoquan Service Authority), up- and downstream of that location along Bull Run, and at the water treatment plant intake (Frederick P. Griffith WTP) in the Occoquan Watershed to assess planned IPR. Samples were also collected at a water treatment plant (James J. Corbalis WTP) along the Potomac River for comparison as an unplanned IPR location. These two groups of samples were analyzed for EDCs (categorized into two groups: estrogen hormones and other synthetic organic compounds (SOCs)), nutrients, and other water quality parameters. The infrequency of estrogen hormones and SOC patterns indicate planned and unplanned IPR are both viable approaches to provide safe drinking water / Master of Science / Our river systems are important to maintain both for human and environmental health. The Potomac River Basin is the area of land drained by the Potomac River and its tributaries. The Potomac River Basin is significant for both public and ecological health as it flows directly into the ecologically-sensitive Chesapeake Bay. It is a drinking water source for about 5 million people living in Maryland, Virginia, and Washington D.C.
The discovery of intersex fish, or when a single fish has both male and female characteristics, occurred in the Chesapeake Bay in the 2000s. Fish health is often an indicator of poor environmental health, and in this case endocrine disruption. This discovery led to a series of studies in the watershed to determine the sources and magnitude of endocrine disruption. Endocrine disrupting compounds (EDCs) are external chemicals that interfere with the endocrine system once they enter the body of a human or another organism, and can cause detrimental health effects even at low concentrations.
This study aims to understand a best management practice, or a type of water pollution control, referred to as planned indirect potable reuse (IPR) and its impacts on EDCs. IPR occurs when wastewater from a community is discharged into to a river or a reservoir, and then downstream it is withdrawn from that same source for drinking water purposes. This can be either planned or unplanned. Planned IPR is becoming more common as population, especially in urban areas, increases.
The Occoquan Watershed is a planned IPR subwatershed of the Potomac River Basin. Water samples were collected at the water reclamation plant discharge (Upper Occoquan Service Authority), up- and downstream of that location along Bull Run, and at the water treatment plant intake (Frederick P. Griffith WTP) in the Occoquan Watershed to assess planned IPR. Samples were also collected at a water treatment plant (James J. Corbalis WTP) along the Potomac River for comparison as an unplanned IPR location.
These two groups of samples were analyzed for EDCs (categorized into two groups: estrogen hormones and other synthetic organic compounds (SOCs)), nutrients, and other water quality parameters. The infrequency of estrogen hormones and SOC patterns indicate planned and unplanned IPR are both viable approaches to provide safe drinking water.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:VTETD/oai:vtechworks.lib.vt.edu:10919/106913 |
| Date | 17 June 2020 |
| Creators | Flanery, Amelia Lynn |
| Contributors | Civil and Environmental Engineering, Godrej, Adil N., Novak, John T., Rosenfeldt, Erik John, Rippy, Megan A. |
| Publisher | Virginia Tech |
| Source Sets | Virginia Tech Theses and Dissertation |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Thesis |
| Format | ETD, application/pdf |
| Rights | In Copyright, http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/ |
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