TITLE:
Fate of Nutrients, Trace Metals, Bacteria, and Pesticides in Nursery Recycled Water
AUTHORS:
Yun-Ya Yang, Gurpal S. Toor
KEYWORDS:
Water Quality, Recycled Water, Nutrients, Trace Metals, Pathogen, Pesticides
JOURNAL NAME:
Journal of Water Resource and Protection,
Vol.7 No.4,
March
4,
2015
ABSTRACT: Faced
with rapid population growth and fresh water scarcity, reuse of reclaimed water
is growing worldwide and becoming an integral part of water resource
management. Our objective was to determine the fate of nutrients, trace metals,
bacteria, and legacy organic compounds (organochlorine pesticides) in the
recycled water from five commercial nursery ponds in Florida. The pH of recycled
water at all sites was 8.1 - 9.3, except one site (6.5), while the electrical
conductivity (EC) was 0.31 - 0.36 dS/m. Concentrations of trace metals in
recycled water were low: Fe (0.125 - 0.367 mg/L), Al (0.126 - 0.169 mg/L), B
(0.104 - 0.153 mg/L), Zn (0.123 - 0.211 mg/L), and Mn (α-chlorodane, with concentrations Escherichia
coli (E. coli) in recycled water
were 20 - 50 colony forming units (CFU)/100 mL. We conclude that the
concentrations of various inorganic and organic compounds in recycled water are
very low and do not appear to be problematic for irrigation purposes in
Florida’s nursery recycled water ponds.