CAREER: Environmental forensics: Emerging water quality tools to detect leaking sewers in urban streams

University Of Maryland Baltimore County, Baltimore MD

Investigators

Abstract

1653726/Blaney The goal of this project is to address the loading of contaminants of emerging concern (CECs) into urban streams through leaking sewers. The PI will use CECs, in combination with dissolved organic matter (DOM) and aquatic toxicity, as forensic tools to locate leaking sewers and quantify the extent and impact of contamination. The project involves field work, laboratory-based experimentation, and development of new tools to track the occurrence, fate, transport, and toxicity of environmentally relevant mixtures of CECs. The significance of this work stems from the need to both measure and remedy the effects of infrastructure stress in urban watersheds. The educational plan aims to improve racial demographics in environmental engineering through formation of a citizen science program in Baltimore and training opportunities for diverse community college students. These educational activities, which are directly integrated with the research plan, will increase public scientific literacy and engagement with environmental engineering and science. The goals of the project are to use novel water quality tools to locate leaking sewers and determine the corresponding impacts on ecosystem health. The research encompasses characterization of DOM, measurement of CECs, and identification of CEC-driven impacts on bacteria and aquatic invertebrates. This work will be conducted in the Gwynns Falls watershed in Baltimore and will leverage two decades of research at the Baltimore Ecosystem Study (BES) Long-Term Ecological Research (LTER) site. The PI will investigate the following: 1) Identify the location of leaking sewers using fluorescence excitation-emission matrices modeled with parallel factor analysis; 2) Determine the contribution of leaking sewers to CEC concentrations and loads in water, sediment, and crayfish using online solid-phase extraction liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry; and, 3) Ascertain toxicological impacts of environmentally-relevant CECs using novel fluorescence-activated cell sorting tools and biomonitoring organisms. The educational goal is to increase representation of African-American students in environmental engineering. The educational objectives are to: 1) Promote citizen science in Baltimore neighborhoods and schools to increase community engagement with, and literacy of, the environment; and, 2) Develop efforts to recruit and support talented underrepresented students from community colleges to transfer into, and succeed in, environmental engineering and science programs. Through the partnership with the BES LTER, the PI will engage ecologists and public health scientists to better communicate toxicological impacts associated with measured CEC levels. The educational program extends the project impact to racially diverse communities in Baltimore and regional community colleges through new and exciting mechanisms. Undergraduate students from underrepresented groups will be actively trained as research assistants and encouraged to apply to graduate school, building a pipeline of excellent minority students. Overall, these activities will increase public awareness and appreciation of the need to upgrade our wastewater infrastructure.