Secondary wastewater disposal for crop irrigation with minimal risks
Oron, G.; Armon, R.; Mandelbaum, R.; Manor, Y.; Campos, C.; Gillerman, L.; Salgot, M.; Gerba, C.; Klein, I.; Enriquez, C.
Water Science and Technology a Journal of the International Association on Water Pollution Research 43(10): 139-146
2001
ISSN/ISBN: 0273-1223 PMID: 11436773 Document Number: 531796
A critical objective for any waste water reuse program is to close the gap between supply of and demand for water and to minimize health and environmental hazards. Thus, the effects of treated effluent on crops, soils and community health must be considered carefully. When applying waste water to soil-plant systems, it is to be noted that the passage of water through the soil reduces considerably the number of microorganism carried out by the reclaimed waste water. Nevertheless, there is a need to study the real rate of organism decay subject to water quality, soil and vegetable characteristics, and irrigation method. The aim of this work is to determine the fate of the faecal coliforms, coliphages F+ and CN13, and helminth eggs survival during the application of reclaimed waste water in a vineyard orchard near the City of Arad (Israel) via onsurface and subsurface drip irrigation systems. Waste water obtained from a stabilization pond and soil samples were tested and an important decrease of microorganisms was reached in both cases, with the better values obtained with the sub-surface drip irrigation system.