This document discusses SARS-CoV-2 and its presence in water and wastewater. It provides background on the utility company and existing water quality challenges. It then summarizes research on Coronaviruses, COVID-19, and the survivability and treatability of SARS-CoV-2 in wastewater. The document concludes with best practices for wastewater workers during the pandemic.

1. 1
SARS-CoV2 and
Water/Wastewat
er
June, 2020Zia Bukhari,
PhD

2. 22
SARS-CoV2 pandemic

3. 33
History of Pandemics

4. 4
Who We Are
Largest and most
geographically diverse
publicly traded water and
wastewater service provider
in the United States
• We serve a broad national
footprint and a strong local
presence
• We provide services to
approximately 15 million people
in 46 states
1
BILLIONGallons of water treated and delivered
every day
Employees serving communities
nationwide
6,80
0
25+
Every day, we operate and manage:
• 52,500 miles of transmission,
distribution and
collection mains and pipes
• 80 surface water treatment plants
• 140 wastewater

5. 5
Our Research Purpose
5
• Establish water quality and customer health
impacts from existing and emerging contaminants
of human health concern
• Provide technical solutions for operational and
water quality issues in drinking water and
wastewater

6. 6
Existing Water Quality Challenges
6
• >150 million unique chemicals
• novel substances synthesized 2.6 sec
• Organics, inorganics, radiologicals, disinfectants
and Disinfectant By Products (DBPs)
• >1,400 microbes can potentially impact water
II. Microbes
I. Chemicals- organics and inorganics

7. 7
Multi-Barrier Treatment
7
• Treatment
• Barriers: Performing
treatment with certified
operator to improve the
quality of the source
water
• Storage and Distribution
• Barriers: Constructing,
operating and maintaining
well engineered storage
facilities and distribution
systems
Barrier # 3:
Compliance
• Monitoring and Public
Information
• Barriers: Providing
customers with
information on water
quality and health
effects
Barrier # 4:
Public Information
• Source Water
• Barriers: Selecting
& protecting the
best source of
supply
Barrier # 2:
Risk Management
Barrier # 1:
Risk Prevention

8. 8
Emerging Challenges
8
• Source: Emerging chemicals/accidental spills/ weather impacts,
waterborne outbreaks, PFAS, Algal toxins, microplastics
Treatment/DS: Nitrosamines, DBPs, various metals, corrosion control
• Microbial regrowth in DS
• Free living amoebae
• Acanthamoeba spp.,
• Naegleria fowleri
• Pseudomonas aeruginosa
• Aeromonas hydrophila
• Non tuberculous mycobateria
• Antimicrobial resistant bacteria/genes
Premise plumbing: Lead/Copper
• Opportunistic pathogens
• Legionella pneumophila
• Mycobacterium avium
Water Scarcity:
• Desalination, Direct Potable Reuse

9. 9
Coronavirus
• 100’s of coronaviruses: mostly in animals (e.g. pigs,
camels, bats and cats). In humans mostly responsible
for mild to moderate upper-respiratory tract illnesses,
like the common cold.
• Last 20 years 3 new coronaviruses emerged from
animal reservoirs causing serious and widespread
illness and death.
• SARS-CoV: emerged in November 2002 and caused
severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS).
Disappeared by 2004.
• MERS: Transmitted from camels & identified in
September 2012. Continues to cause sporadic and
localized outbreaks.
• SARS-CoV-2: Began in China Dec 2019, caused COVID-
19 and declared a global pandemic by the World
Health Organization on March 11, 2020.
Diameter: approx. 100 nm, mass: 1 fg

10. 10
COVID-19

11. 11
Microbial Loads in Wastewater

12. 12
Environmental Significance
• SARS-CoV2 levels in wastewater similar to other enteric viruses
• 32 billions gallons daily and approx. 2 billion reused
• Most microbes have a tendency attach to particles.
• Surrogates for enveloped viruses (e.g. murine hepatitis virus (MHV) and Pseudomonas phage
ϕ6) confirm higher partitioning to solids than non-enveloped viruses.
• Partitioning to solid phase helps removal through settling or separation (e.g. coagulation,
filtration, etc.)
Other factors contributing to reduction in virus loads in water and wastewater include:
• Dilution effects in wastewater or large water bodies
• Natural die-off or death due to environmental stress, time or through treatment
• Rapid inactivation through chemical or physical disinfection

13. 13
Virus survival
• SARS-CoV-2 is enveloped and less stable than non-enveloped human enteric viruses (e.g.
adenoviruses, norovirus, rotavirus and hepatitis A) usually encountered in drinking or wastewater
Human coronaviruses survival
• Like SARS-CoV1 survival for 2 hours to 9 days on surfaces.
• Influencing factors: type of surface, temperature, relative humidity and the strain of the virus
Common disinfectants (i.e. 70% ethanol or 0.1% sodium hypochlorite) kill within 1 min
• 4 weeks in reagent grade water at 25°C.
• 2 days in dechlorinated tap water at 20°C.
• > 4 log removal of influenza virus in drinking-water with 0.3 mg/L chlorine for 5 min
• 3 log of coronaviruses in primary sewage effluent at 23°C after 2 days
No evidence so far that SARS-CoV2 transmitted through wastewater with or
without treatment

14. 14
Treatability Summary
Higher temperature, high or low pH and
sunlight all kill virus
• Human feces
• 2%-27% people with COVID-19 have diarrhea
• Class B biosolids
• Class A biosolids

15. 15
Best Practices for Wastewater
Workers
Important to adhere to appropriate PPE requirements:
• Protective outerwear
• Heavy-duty gloves
• Boots
• Goggles or a face shield, and a mask
• Hand hygiene
• Avoid touching their eyes, nose or mouth
• Social distancing
Risk is low…but not Absent

16. 16
Basic recommendations

17. Thank you
Zia Bukhari, PhD.
American Water
1 Water Street
Camden, NJ 08102
Tel: 856 672 1758
Email : zia.Bukhari@amwater.com