Pharmaceuticals and personal care product impacts to groundwater from the land application of treated wastewater effluent: A comparison of three land application systems

Abstract

Liebl, Michael. Masters of Environmental Assessment: Pharmaceuticals and Personal Care Product Impacts to Groundwater from the Land Application of Treated Wastewater Effluent: A Comparison of Three Land Application Systems Pharmaceuticals and Personal Care Products (PPCPs) represent a division of contaminants known as Contaminants of Emerging Concern (CECs), which are often not removed during traditional wastewater treatment processes. Through various procedures, wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) play an essential role in the elimination of harmful contaminants for safe water use. Although traditional WWTPs are often effective in removing harmful contaminants, many PPCPs are often not removed in the process. Traditional WWTPs typically discharge treated wastewater effluent directly into nearby surface waters. Although, due to the potential harmful ecological impacts associated with discharging wastewater effluent directly into surface wasters, and lack of available fresh water in many areas, many WWTPs instead discharge treated wastewater effluent onto various approved lands. This review aims to identify and summarize PPCP concentrations in wastewater effluent and groundwater at three wastewater land application sites (LASs) across the United States in order to further evaluate the fate and transport of PPCPs originating from the land application of treated wastewater.