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. 2022 Jun 11;11(6):677.
doi: 10.3390/pathogens11060677.

The Geological Characteristics of the Vadose Zone Influence the Impact of Treated Wastewater on the Groundwater Quality (SCA.Re.S. Project 2019-2020)

Osvalda De Giglio  1 , Francesco Triggiano  1 , Francesca Apollonio  1 , Chrysovalentinos Pousis  1 , Carla Calia  1 , Giusy Diella  1 , Francesco Bagordo  2 , Sapia Murgolo  3 , Tiziana Grassi  4 , Cristina De Ceglie  3 , Silvia Brigida  3 , Giuseppina La Rosa  5 , Pamela Mancini  5 , Giusy Bonanno Ferraro  5 , Antonella De Donno  4 , Giuseppe Mascolo  3   6 , Maria Clementina Caputo  3 , Maria Teresa Montagna  1
Affiliations

The Geological Characteristics of the Vadose Zone Influence the Impact of Treated Wastewater on the Groundwater Quality (SCA.Re.S. Project 2019-2020)

Osvalda De Giglio et al. Pathogens. .

Abstract

This study evaluated whether some chemical and microbial contaminants in treated sewage effluents from two wastewater treatment plants (WWTP) reached the groundwater when they drained through a fractured karst vadose zone (WWTP-K) and a porous vadose zone (WWTP-P). Forty-five samples of sewage water (SW), treated water (TW), and monitoring well (MW), collected from WWTP-P (24) and WWTP-K (21), were analyzed for a range of microbiological and chemical properties. The E. coli and Salmonella counts were below the limits outlined in the Legislative Decree 152/06 in effluents from both types of WWTP. Enteric viruses were found in 37.5% and 12.5% of the SW and TW from WWTP-P, respectively. The percentages of Pepper mild mottle virus isolated were higher in TW (62.5% in WWTP-P, 85.7% in WWTP-K) than in SW and MW. The residual concentrations of contaminants of emerging concern (CEC) of each drug category were higher in the MW downstream of WWTP-K than of WWTP-P. Our results showed that the porous vadose zone was more effective at reducing the contaminant loads than the fractured karst one, especially the CEC, in the effluent. The legislation should include other parameters to minimize the risks from treated effluent that is discharged to soil.

Keywords: chemicals; contaminants of emerging concern; enteric viruses; groundwater; karst aquifer; porous aquifer; wastewater treatment plant.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Concentrations of CECs grouped by pharmaceutical category in the WWTPs’ effluents (TW).
Figure 2
Figure 2
Schematic representation of the stratigraphy of the two studied wastewater treatment plants; WWTP-K = effluent flowing into a karst fractured vadose zone; WWTP-P = effluent flowing into a porous vadose zone.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Schematic representation of the treatment processes of the two selected wastewater treatment plants; WWTP-K=effluent flowing into a karst fractured vadose zone; WWTP-P=effluent flowing into a porous vadose zone.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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