Hundreds of water professionals will converge on Phoenix, Arizona, Sept. 8-11 for the American Water Works Association’s 2024 Water Infrastructure Conference. The conference will bring together experts from across the water sector to explore pressing issues and strategies for sustainable water infrastructure management.
The event arrives as the water sector prepares for the implementation of the Lead and Copper Rule Revisions regulation, offering a timely forum for infrastructure professionals to address this critical challenge and explore comprehensive strategies for ensuring resilient and reliable drinking water systems.
EPA Funds Research on Antimicrobial Resistance in Wastewater
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency recently announced $9 million in research grants to assess the environmental and health impact of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) in wastewater.
Oregon State University, the University of Nebraska, the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, and the Water Research Foundation in Denver will each receive over $2 million to study how wastewater treatment systems contribute to the spread of AMR.
Wastewater facilities, which receive antibiotic-resistant bacteria and AMR genes from various sources, can reduce but not eliminate these threats. Since treated wastewater is often released into natural water bodies, understanding the transmission of resistant pathogens to humans and animals is crucial. The research aims to better characterize AMR in treated wastewater and biosolids, determine which treatment processes are most effective, and evaluate the health risks associated with AMR in surface waters.
CDC Name's New York's Wastewater Surveillance 'Center of Excellence'
The New York State Department of Health Wastewater Surveillance Program has been named a new Center of Excellence in the National Wastewater Surveillance System by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for exemplary performance in the early detection and monitoring of communicable diseases such as COVID-19, Polio, influenza and more.
"The CDC's 'Center for Excellence' designation of New York State Department of Health's Wastewater Surveillance System is a testament to the cutting-edge and critical work conducted by the Department along with our partners at Syracuse University to monitor for viruses and provide information that we use to protect the public's health," says State Health Commissioner James McDonald.
As a Center of Excellence, New York State will work with the CDC to collaborate with and support other wastewater surveillance programs throughout the country, and specifically in New England, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands.
Continue reading for free
