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More about Nikken - Buy Nikken product - About Me - Wellness Home - Environment - Rest & Relaxation - Contact Me - Fitness - Nutrition - Business Opportunity - Success Stories - Whole Foods - Sleep Center Health risks in aquifer recharge using reclaimed water - State of the art reportFreshwater is an important resource and will become more so in the future as population increases. Within the next fifty years, it is estimated that 40% of the world’s population will live in countries facing water stress or water scarcity. The figure may actually be higher than 40%, because these data are calculated on a national basis, and therefore often do not take into account uneven distribution of water within national boundaries. Buy a Water systeme (USA)Buy a Water systeme (CAN) In many areas of the world, aquifers that supply drinking-water are being used faster than they recharge. Not only does this represent a water supply problem, it may also have serious health implications. Moreover, in coastal areas, aquifers containing potable water can become contaminated with saline water if water is withdrawn faster than it can naturally be replaced. The increasing salinity makes the water unfit for drinking and often also renders it unfit for irrigation. Buy a Water systeme (USA)Buy a Water systeme (CAN) To remedy these problems, some authorities have chosen to recharge aquifers artificially with treated wastewater, using either infiltration or injection. Aquifers may also be passively recharged (intentionally or unintentionally) by septic tanks, wastewater applied to irrigation and other means. Buy a Water systeme (USA)Buy a Water systeme (CAN) Aquifer recharge with treated wastewater is likely to increase in future because it can:
Buy a Water systeme (CAN) If aquifer recharge is haphazard or poorly planned, chemical or microbial contaminants in the water could harm the health of consumers, particularly when reclaimed water is being used. Wastewater may contain numerous contaminants (many of them poorly characterized) that could have health implications if introduced to drinking-water sources. Buy a Water systeme (USA)Buy a Water systeme (CAN) Ensuring that the use of treated wastewater for aquifer recharge does not result in adverse health effects, a systematic science-based approach is needed, designed around critical control points, as used in the hazard analysis critical control point (HACCP) approach. Such an approach to potable aquifer recharge requires a thorough evaluation of the best practices that will protect public health, and consideration of environmental and sociocultural concerns. Buy a Water systeme (USA)Buy a Water systeme (CAN) The Mediterranean region has high levels of water stress but only limited water recycling. During the Barcelona Convention*, the contracting parties to the convention agreed to reconsider the state of wastewater reuse by assessing current practice. The Barcelona Convention is part of the legal framework supporting the Mediterranean Action Plan, which involves 21 countries bordering the Mediterranean Sea as well as the European Union. The plan was established to protect the Mediterranean region by addressing environmental degradation and linking development with sustainable resource management. The World Health Organization (WHO) supports the Mediterranean Action Plan through a permanent presence in the joint Secretariat administering the plan. Buy a Water systeme (USA)Buy a Water systeme (CAN) At about the same time as the Barcelona Convention and the establishment of the Mediterranean Action Plan, the WHO Regional Office for Europe received a growing number of expressions of concern from member states that were experiencing increasing levels of water stress. The regional office decided, in consultation with the WHO Water, Sanitation and Health Unit, to hold an expert consultation on health risks associated with recharge of aquifers by means of treated wastewater. Buy a Water systeme (USA)Buy a Water systeme (CAN) The meeting was eventually hosted at the Fodor Joszef Institute for Environmental Health in Budapest, Hungary, from 9 to 10 November 2001. The meeting was attended by experts from nine different countries and six different organizations. The full report of the meeting is available online. Buy a Water systeme (USA)Buy a Water systeme (CAN) Following the meeting, WHO decided to invite selected experts to contribute to a state of the art report to capture their experience. The present volume contains this report. Its aim is to compile examples of the current state of research into aquifer recharge and, more specifically, to highlight how the important issue of assessing and managing health risks has been addressed by different experts, either in academic research or in practical application. The report does not present formal WHO guidelines, and should not be interpreted as such. Buy a Water systeme (USA)Buy a Water systeme (CAN)
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