The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) recently included Tulane University in New Orleans among recipients of more than $6 million in grants to support research for detecting and monitoring viruses in wastewater intended for reuse, according to a press release.
The EPA is giving providing funds to five research programs regarding wastewater intended for reuse, according to Water Online.
One of the primary public health concerns when recycling wastewater is the risk of viruses present in reclaimed water, which is difficult to eliminate with current sewage treatment approaches.
Tulane’s research aims to establish a better understanding of viruses present in various wastewater systems and improve viral surrogate approaches that focus on challenges and avoid shortcomings of current methods.
"Safe and reliable water supplies are critical to our nation’s communities and economy," Wayne Cascio, acting principal deputy assistant administrator for science in the EPA’s Office of Research and Development, said. "The research funded by these grants will coordinate water reuse research, help identify critical science gaps and accelerate opportunities for reuse."
The reuse of wastewater has the potential to significantly increase the total available water resources in the country.
