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Hrudey SE, Bischel HN, Charrois J, Chik AHS, Conant B, Delatolla R, Dorner S, Graber TE, Hubert C, Isaac-Renton J, Pons W, Safford H, Servos M, Sikora C. Wastewater Surveillance for SARS-CoV-2 RNA in Canada. Facets (Ott) 2022. [DOI: 10.1139/facets-2022-0148] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Wastewater surveillance for SARS-CoV-2 RNA is a relatively recent adaptation of long-standing wastewater surveillance for infectious and other harmful agents. Individuals infected with COVID-19 were found to shed SARS-CoV-2 in their faeces. Researchers around the world confirmed that SARS-CoV-2 RNA fragments could be detected and quantified in community wastewater. Canadian academic researchers, largely as volunteer initiatives, reported proof-of-concept by April 2020. National collaboration was initially facilitated by the Canadian Water Network. Many public health officials were initially skeptical about actionable information being provided by wastewater surveillance even though experience has shown that public health surveillance for a pandemic has no single, perfect approach. Rather, different approaches provide different insights, each with its own strengths and limitations. Public health science must triangulate among different forms of evidence to maximize understanding of what is happening or may be expected. Well-conceived, resourced, and implemented wastewater-based platforms can provide a cost-effective approach to support other conventional lines of evidence. Sustaining wastewater monitoring platforms for future surveillance of other disease targets and health states is a challenge. Canada can benefit from taking lessons learned from the COVID-19 pandemic to develop forward-looking interpretive frameworks and capacity to implement, adapt, and expand such public health surveillance capabilities.
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Affiliation(s)
- Steve E. Hrudey
- Professor Emeritus, Analytical & Environmental Toxicology, Faculty of Medicine & Dentistry, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB T6G 2G3 Canada
| | - Heather N. Bischel
- Associate Professor, Department of Civil & Environmental Engineering, University of California, Davis, Davis, CA 95616 USA
| | - Jeff Charrois
- Senior Manager, Analytical Operations and Process Development Teams, EPCOR Water Services Inc, Edmonton, AB T5K 0A5 Canada
| | - Alex H. S. Chik
- Project Manager, Wastewater Surveillance Initiative, Ontario Clean Water Agency, Mississauga, ON L5A 4G1 Canada
| | - Bernadette Conant
- Past Chief Executive Officer, Canadian Water Network, Waterloo, ON N2L 3G1 Canada
| | - Rob Delatolla
- Professor, Civil Engineering, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON K1N 6N5 Canada
| | - Sarah Dorner
- Professor, Civil, Geological & Mining Engineering, Polytechnique Montréal, Montréal, PQ H3T 1J4 Canada
| | - Tyson E. Graber
- Associate Scientist, Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario Research Institute, Ottawa, ON, K1H 8L1 Canada
| | - Casey Hubert
- Professor, Campus Alberta Innovates Program Chair in Geomicrobiology, Department of Biological Sciences, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB T2N 1N4 Canada
| | - Judy Isaac-Renton
- Professor Emerita, Dept. Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of British Columbia, Calgary, AB, T2N 3V9 Canada
| | - Wendy Pons
- Professor, Bachelor of Environmental Health Program Conestoga College Institute of Technology and Advanced Learning, Kitchener, ON N2P 2N6 Canada
| | - Hannah Safford
- Associate Director of Science Policy, Federation of American Scientists, Arlington, VA 22205 USA
| | - Mark Servos
- Professor & Canada Research Chair, Department of Biology, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, ON N2L 3G1 Canada
| | - Christopher Sikora
- Medical Officer of Health, Edmonton Region, Alberta Health Services, Edmonton, AB T5J 3E4 Canada
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Pugel K, Javernick-Will A, Peabody S, Nyaga C, Mussa M, Mekonta L, Dimtse D, Watsisi M, Buhungiro E, Mulatu T, Annis J, Jordan E, Sandifer E, Linden K. Pathways for collaboratively strengthening water and sanitation systems. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2022; 802:149854. [PMID: 34525723 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2021.149854] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/05/2021] [Revised: 08/18/2021] [Accepted: 08/19/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
Collaborative approaches are seen as a promising way to strengthen Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene (WASH) service delivery systems when challenges exceed the mandates and capabilities of any single entity. While collaborative approaches are well studied in high-income country contexts, current understanding of their application to international development contexts is limited. This paper uses fuzzy-set Qualitative Comparative Analysis to assess what conditions and pathways drove or impeded progress within eleven collaborative approaches for WASH service delivery in Eastern Africa. Evidence supported three main findings: (1) Government uptake of recommendations is necessary for progress but cannot be guaranteed solely by government participation in the collaboration, (2) different forms of problem identification are possible; problem scopes are often predefined to align with funders and partner government agendas, but flexible scopes that foster collective problem identification can reap benefits, and (3) hub convening power can be critical and convening power can be gained in different ways. Political dynamics, shifting priorities, and turnover undermine collaborative efforts, but collaborative approaches can still make progress in spite of turnover if funds are available for implementation of activities (i.e. in addition to funds for meetings and hub roles) and program implementers either facilitate collective problem identification or establish a hub with convening power. Yet even these tactics are vulnerable to instability, thus in highly unstable contexts, stakeholders and funders should be realistic from the outset about what they may be able to achieve. Building on existing theories of collaborative approaches, this work revealed that there is no single best design for collaborative approaches in WASH, rather, core elements worked together in different ways depending on the context.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kimberly Pugel
- Department of Civil, Environmental, and Architectural Engineering, University of Colorado Boulder, UCB 428, Boulder, CO 80309-0428, USA.
| | - Amy Javernick-Will
- Department of Civil, Environmental, and Architectural Engineering, University of Colorado Boulder, UCB 428, Boulder, CO 80309-0428, USA.
| | - Shawn Peabody
- Environmental Incentives, 725 15th Street NW, Washington, DC 20005, USA.
| | - Cliff Nyaga
- FundiFix Ltd, PO Box 38-90401, Kyuso, Kitui, Kenya.
| | - Muhammed Mussa
- IRC Ethiopia, Golagul Towers Building, Bole sub city, Woreda 4, House no. 275/276 8th floor 813, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia; Tetra Tech, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
| | - Lemessa Mekonta
- IRC Ethiopia, Golagul Towers Building, Bole sub city, Woreda 4, House no. 275/276 8th floor 813, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
| | | | | | | | - Tedla Mulatu
- Millennium Water Alliance, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
| | - Jonathan Annis
- Tetra Tech, 159 Bank St 3rd Fl, Burlington, VT 05401, USA.
| | | | - Eleanor Sandifer
- Environmental Incentives, 725 15th Street NW, Washington, DC 20005, USA.
| | - Karl Linden
- Department of Civil, Environmental, and Architectural Engineering, University of Colorado Boulder, UCB 428, Boulder, CO 80309-0428, USA.
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Hasan H, Parker A, Pollard SJT. Whither regulation, risk and water safety plans? Case studies from Malaysia and from England and Wales. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2021; 755:142868. [PMID: 33348485 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2020.142868] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/26/2020] [Revised: 09/30/2020] [Accepted: 10/03/2020] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
We explore the interplay between preventative risk management and regulatory style for the implementation of water safety plans in Malaysia and in England and Wales, two jurisdictions with distinct philosophies of approach. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 32 water safety professionals in Malaysia, 23 in England and Wales, supported by 6 Focus Group Discussions (n = 53 participants). A grounded theory approach produced insights on the transition from drinking water quality surveillance to preventative risk management. Themes familiar to this type of regulatory transition emerged, including concerns about compliance policy; overseeing the risk management controls of regulatees with varied competencies and funds available to drive change; and the portfolio of interventions suited to a more facilitative regulatory style. Because the potential harm from waterborne illness is high where pathogen exposures occur, the transition to risk-informed regulation demands mature organisational cultures among water utilities and regulators, and a laser-like focus on ensuring risk management controls are delivered within water supply systems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hafizah Hasan
- Cranfield University, Cranfield Water Science Institute, School of Water, Energy and Environment, College Road, Cranfield, Bedfordshire, MK43 0AL, United Kingdom; Ministry of Health Malaysia, Engineering Services Division, Federal Government Administrative Centre, 62590 Putrajaya, Malaysia
| | - Alison Parker
- Cranfield University, Cranfield Water Science Institute, School of Water, Energy and Environment, College Road, Cranfield, Bedfordshire, MK43 0AL, United Kingdom
| | - Simon J T Pollard
- Cranfield University, Cranfield Water Science Institute, School of Water, Energy and Environment, College Road, Cranfield, Bedfordshire, MK43 0AL, United Kingdom.
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Hyllestad S, Lund V, Nygård K, Aavitsland P, Vold L. The establishment and first experiences of a crisis advisory service for water supplies in Norway. JOURNAL OF WATER AND HEALTH 2020; 18:545-555. [PMID: 32833680 DOI: 10.2166/wh.2020.066] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
Water supply systems, in particular small-scale water supply systems, are vulnerable to adverse events that may jeopardise safe drinking water. The consequences of contamination events or the failure of daily operations may be severe, affecting many people. In Norway, a 24-hour crisis advisory service was established in 2017 to provide advice on national water supplies. Competent and expert advisors from water suppliers throughout the country assist other water suppliers and individuals who may be in need of advice during an adverse event. This paper describes the establishment of this service and experiences from the first three years of its operation. Since the launch of the service, water suppliers across Norway have consulted it approximately one to two times a month for advice, in particular about contamination events and near misses. The outcomes have helped to improve guidance on water hygiene issues at the national level.
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Affiliation(s)
- Susanne Hyllestad
- Norwegian Institute of Public Health, Section of Zoonotic, Food- and Waterborne Infections, P.O. Box 222 Skøyen, 0213 Oslo, Norway E-mail: ; University of Oslo, Faculty of Medicine, Institute of Health and Society, Oslo, Norway
| | - Vidar Lund
- Norwegian Institute of Public Health, Section of Zoonotic, Food- and Waterborne Infections, P.O. Box 222 Skøyen, 0213 Oslo, Norway E-mail:
| | - Karin Nygård
- Norwegian Institute of Public Health, Section of Zoonotic, Food- and Waterborne Infections, P.O. Box 222 Skøyen, 0213 Oslo, Norway E-mail:
| | - Preben Aavitsland
- Norwegian Institute of Public Health, Section of Zoonotic, Food- and Waterborne Infections, P.O. Box 222 Skøyen, 0213 Oslo, Norway E-mail: ; University of Oslo, Faculty of Medicine, Institute of Health and Society, Oslo, Norway
| | - Line Vold
- Norwegian Institute of Public Health, Section of Zoonotic, Food- and Waterborne Infections, P.O. Box 222 Skøyen, 0213 Oslo, Norway E-mail:
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Abstract
The quality of household drinking water in a community of 30 houses in a district in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates (UAE) was assessed over a period of one year (January to November 2015). Standard analytical techniques were used to screen for water quality parameters and contaminants of concern. Water quality was evaluated in the 30 households at four sampling points: kitchen faucet, bathroom faucet, household water tank, and main water pipe. The sampling points were chosen to help identify the source when an elevated level of a particular contaminant is observed. Water quality data was interpreted by utilizing two main techniques: spatial variation analysis and multivariate statistical techniques. Initial analysis showed that many households had As, Cd, and Pb concentrations that were higher than the maximum allowable level set by UAE drinking water standards. In addition, the water main samples had the highest concentration of the heavy metals compared to other sampling points. Health risk assessment results indicated that approximately 30%, 55%, and 15% of the houses studied had a high, moderate, and low risk from the prolonged exposure to heavy metals, respectively. The analysis can help with planning a spatially focused sampling plan to confirm the study findings and set an appropriate course of action.
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Omar YY, Parker A, Smith JA, Pollard SJT. Risk management for drinking water safety in low and middle income countries - cultural influences on water safety plan (WSP) implementation in urban water utilities. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2017; 576:895-906. [PMID: 27842293 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2016.10.131] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/02/2016] [Revised: 10/18/2016] [Accepted: 10/18/2016] [Indexed: 06/06/2023]
Abstract
We investigated cultural influences on the implementation of water safety plans (WSPs) using case studies from WSP pilots in India, Uganda and Jamaica. A comprehensive thematic analysis of semi-structured interviews (n=150 utility customers, n=32 WSP 'implementers' and n=9 WSP 'promoters'), field observations and related documents revealed 12 cultural themes, offered as 'enabling', 'limiting', or 'neutral', that influence WSP implementation in urban water utilities to varying extents. Aspects such as a 'deliver first, safety later' mind set; supply system knowledge management and storage practices; and non-compliance are deemed influential. Emergent themes of cultural influence (ET1 to ET12) are discussed by reference to the risk management, development studies and institutional culture literatures; by reference to their positive, negative or neutral influence on WSP implementation. The results have implications for the utility endorsement of WSPs, for the impact of organisational cultures on WSP implementation; for the scale-up of pilot studies; and they support repeated calls from practitioner communities for cultural attentiveness during WSP design. Findings on organisational cultures mirror those from utilities in higher income nations implementing WSPs - leadership, advocacy among promoters and customers (not just implementers) and purposeful knowledge management are critical to WSP success.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yahya Y Omar
- Cranfield University, Cranfield Water Science Institute, Bedford, UK, MK43 0AL
| | - Alison Parker
- Cranfield University, Cranfield Water Science Institute, Bedford, UK, MK43 0AL
| | - Jennifer A Smith
- Cranfield University, Cranfield Water Science Institute, Bedford, UK, MK43 0AL
| | - Simon J T Pollard
- Cranfield University, Cranfield Water Science Institute, Bedford, UK, MK43 0AL.
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Chang FJ, Chen PA, Chang LC, Tsai YH. Estimating spatio-temporal dynamics of stream total phosphate concentration by soft computing techniques. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2016; 562:228-236. [PMID: 27100003 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2016.03.219] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/09/2015] [Revised: 03/24/2016] [Accepted: 03/28/2016] [Indexed: 06/05/2023]
Abstract
This study attempts to model the spatio-temporal dynamics of total phosphate (TP) concentrations along a river for effective hydro-environmental management. We propose a systematical modeling scheme (SMS), which is an ingenious modeling process equipped with a dynamic neural network and three refined statistical methods, for reliably predicting the TP concentrations along a river simultaneously. Two different types of artificial neural network (BPNN-static neural network; NARX network-dynamic neural network) are constructed in modeling the dynamic system. The Dahan River in Taiwan is used as a study case, where ten-year seasonal water quality data collected at seven monitoring stations along the river are used for model training and validation. Results demonstrate that the NARX network can suitably capture the important dynamic features and remarkably outperforms the BPNN model, and the SMS can effectively identify key input factors, suitably overcome data scarcity, significantly increase model reliability, satisfactorily estimate site-specific TP concentration at seven monitoring stations simultaneously, and adequately reconstruct seasonal TP data into a monthly scale. The proposed SMS can reliably model the dynamic spatio-temporal water pollution variation in a river system for missing, hazardous or costly data of interest.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fi-John Chang
- Department of Bioenvironmental Systems Engineering, National Taiwan University, Taipei 10617, Taiwan, ROC.
| | - Pin-An Chen
- Department of Bioenvironmental Systems Engineering, National Taiwan University, Taipei 10617, Taiwan, ROC
| | - Li-Chiu Chang
- Department of Water Resources and Environmental Engineering, Tamkang University, New Taipei City 25137, Taiwan, ROC
| | - Yu-Hsuan Tsai
- Department of Bioenvironmental Systems Engineering, National Taiwan University, Taipei 10617, Taiwan, ROC
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8
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Khan SJ, Deere D, Leusch FDL, Humpage A, Jenkins M, Cunliffe D. Extreme weather events: Should drinking water quality management systems adapt to changing risk profiles? WATER RESEARCH 2015; 85:124-36. [PMID: 26311274 DOI: 10.1016/j.watres.2015.08.018] [Citation(s) in RCA: 76] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/14/2015] [Revised: 08/08/2015] [Accepted: 08/10/2015] [Indexed: 05/23/2023]
Abstract
Among the most widely predicted and accepted consequences of global climate change are increases in both the frequency and severity of a variety of extreme weather events. Such weather events include heavy rainfall and floods, cyclones, droughts, heatwaves, extreme cold, and wildfires, each of which can potentially impact drinking water quality by affecting water catchments, storage reservoirs, the performance of water treatment processes or the integrity of distribution systems. Drinking water guidelines, such as the Australian Drinking Water Guidelines and the World Health Organization Guidelines for Drinking-water Quality, provide guidance for the safe management of drinking water. These documents present principles and strategies for managing risks that may be posed to drinking water quality. While these principles and strategies are applicable to all types of water quality risks, very little specific attention has been paid to the management of extreme weather events. We present a review of recent literature on water quality impacts of extreme weather events and consider practical opportunities for improved guidance for water managers. We conclude that there is a case for an enhanced focus on the management of water quality impacts from extreme weather events in future revisions of water quality guidance documents.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stuart J Khan
- School of Civil & Environmental Engineering, University of New South Wales, NSW, Australia.
| | | | - Frederic D L Leusch
- Smart Water Research Centre, School of Environment, Griffith University, QLD, Australia.
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