Spencer Williams, Isaiah
(2024)
Understanding how Change in Operation and Design of Urban (Waste)Water Infrastructure may Impact Connected Microbiomes and Public Health.
Doctoral Dissertation, University of Pittsburgh.
(Unpublished)
Abstract
Water safety and demand are defining issues of our time. Globally, population and water demand are continuously growing at a rate which will strain our current urban water systems1–3. As such, it is imperative that our urban water resources are engineered to meet our growing needs. While necessary for the continued protection of urban water sources, current policy and water treatment systems are focused on monitoring traditional chemical contaminants (e.g., lead) or microorganisms linked to fecal contamination (e.g., Escherichia coli) with limited consideration of other potential threats to our water systems. As a result, emerging threats such as drinking water-associated pathogens that cause infection in immunocompromised individuals (DWPIs) which cost the economy billions of dollars annually are often addressed reactively or put on watch lists to be possibly regulated much later (i.e., United States Environmental Protection Agency’s Contaminant Candidate Lists). As such, more holistic evaluations of water management – both on the operation and design fronts – are required to revitalize our aging water infrastructure and prepare it for the coming challenges. Starting with wastewater treatment, I evaluated the disinfection efficacy of a more sustainable disinfectant on standard fecal contamination indicator organisms. Secondly, I examined the impacts that changes in Pittsburgh’s drinking water distribution system lead corrosion control procedure have on the microbial ecology and DWPI concentrations in hydrologically connected urban streams and in the distribution pipes to determine if public or environmental health impacts occurred due to operational changes. Finally, at the consumer level, I identified and assessed the potential risks for gastrointestinal and pulmonary infection from basement floodwaters, while also elucidating implicit racial biases in the location and design of household water infrastructure. Furthermore, considering that household water infrastructure and climate change impacts can influence indoor air quality of confined spaces (e.g., basements), I also modeled resident exposures to common indoor air pollutants in basements that are often impacted by climate change, but rarely explored. Overall, this body of work provides water utilities, public health practitioners and consumers with tangible information that will inform future operational and design choices in our urban water systems, ensuring continued public and environmental health protection as water demand and climate change impacts continue to increase.
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Details
| Item Type: |
University of Pittsburgh ETD
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| Status: |
Unpublished |
| Creators/Authors: |
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| ETD Committee: |
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| Date: |
3 June 2024 |
| Date Type: |
Publication |
| Defense Date: |
28 February 2024 |
| Approval Date: |
3 June 2024 |
| Submission Date: |
27 February 2024 |
| Access Restriction: |
No restriction; Release the ETD for access worldwide immediately. |
| Number of Pages: |
240 |
| Institution: |
University of Pittsburgh |
| Schools and Programs: |
Swanson School of Engineering > Civil and Environmental Engineering |
| Degree: |
PhD - Doctor of Philosophy |
| Thesis Type: |
Doctoral Dissertation |
| Refereed: |
Yes |
| Uncontrolled Keywords: |
water infrastructure, water treatment, drinking water associated pathogens, wastewater, exposure |
| Date Deposited: |
03 Jun 2024 14:40 |
| Last Modified: |
03 Jun 2024 14:40 |
| URI: |
http://d-scholarship.pitt.edu/id/eprint/45783 |
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