Research Feature
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Pan-Canadian Study on Key Drivers of Organic Carbon Diversity and their Influence on DBP Formation and Composition
Key messages
Water Treatment Costs Reduced by
per cent
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Summary
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The drinking water for the majority of the U.S. and Canada originates in forested watersheds. Its treatability is significantly influenced by the concentration and quality of the organic matter dissolved in water. To better understand the characteristics of aquatic dissolved organic matter in Canadian forested watersheds and their influence on the formation of potential disinfection byproducts, more than 400 stream water samples were taken from six watersheds (in Ontario, Alberta, British Columbia, and Nova Scotia) representing the major forested ecozones of Canada. Water samples were analyzed for dissolved organic matter (DOM) characterization using advanced techniques to understand DOM variability and its linkage to key environmental conditions, as well as its impact on the composition of the various THM and HAA constituents after treatment. A range of key drinking water quality parameters including (pH, alkalinity, SUVA, DOC, UV254) were measured; disinfection byproduct-formation potentials (DBP-FPs) were evaluated, and further DOM characterization was conducted for a subset of samples using a mix of conventional and advanced analytical technologies including UV-VIS spectroscopy, FEEM, FT-ICR-MS and LC-OCD[DH1] .
The results of the liquid chromatography – organic carbon detection (LC-OCD) analyses showed that humic substances fraction of DOM was the major component of DOM for all watersheds, and while high DOC samples are mostly made of refractory organic matter, water samples with lower DOC contain higher amounts of biogenic organic matter; FT-ICR-MS results confirms the interdependency between organic matter character and concentration1. |
In acid-sensitive waters, lower molecular diversity was observed, and DOC concentration were negatively correlated to pH; negative linear correlation between DOC and pH suggests that concentration of DOM is a major driver of pH change in acid-sensitive stream waters. In alkaline waters, however, inorganic composition controls pH, and pH was not correlated with DOM concentration and character1.
DOM aromaticity and oxygen content were the two principal attributes that effectively described carbon quality differences across the diverse physiographic settings2; and while carbon concentration was the predominant factor that controls the formation of DBPs, DOM aromaticity directly impacted the composition of the various THM and HAA constituents, which corresponds to overall toxicity and human health hazards3,4. The specific formation potential of three major components of THMs and HAAs (TCM, TCAA, and DCAA) was found to be correlated to DOM aromaticity, but only TCAA formation was entirely dependent to it and could be estimated from SUVA by a linear regression model. The ratio of TCM to TCAA was higher when DOM was less aromatic, and DCAA tended to form and compete with TCAA formation when organic matter was composed of less aromatic constituents4.[DH1] As this pan-Canadian evaluation links DOM character and treatability implications to major watershed landscape attributes and associated measures of water quality, it has the potential for further application for anticipating land use change implications to drinking water treatability. |
Publications
F. Amiri, M.B. Emelko, S. Ngo, J. Orlova, D. Olefeldt, A.K. Bourgeois, J.M. Buttle, E. Cherlet, C.W. Cuss, K.J. Devito, W.C. Floyd, D.E. Foster, R.H.S. Hutchins, R. Jamieson, M.S. Johnson, H.J. McSorley, U. Silins, S.E. Tank, L.M. Thompson, K. Webster, C. Williams. 2023. AHM aromaticity drives DOC concentration and pH dynamics in forested stream waters at the continental scale. IWA 8th Iinternational Water Association Specialist Conference On Natural Oorganic Matter (NOM8), University of South Africa (UNISA), December 3 - 6.
Orlova J, Amiri F, Bourgeois AK, Buttle JM, Cherlet E, Cuss CW, Devito KJ, Emelko MB, Floyd WC, Foster DE, Hutchins RHS, Jamieson R, Johnson MS, McSorley HJ, Silins U, Tank SE, Thompson LM, Webster KL, Williams CHS, Olefeldt D, 2024. Composition of Stream Dissolved Organic Matter Across Canadian Forested Ecozones Varies in Three Dimensions Linked to Landscape and Climate. Water Resources Research, 60(5):e2023WR035196.
Bourgeois AK, Tank SE, Floyd WC, Emelko MB, Amiri F, 2024. Hydrology Predominates Over Harvest History and Landscape Variation to Control Water Quality and Disinfection By-Product Formation Potentials in Forested Pacific Coast Watersheds. ACS ES&T Water, 4(4):1335-1345.
F. Amiri, M.B. Emelko, S. Ngo, J. Orlova, D. Olefeldt, A.K. Bourgeois, J.M. Buttle, E. Cherlet, C.W. Cuss, K.J. Devito, W.C. Floyd, D.E. Foster, R.H.S. Hutchins, R. Jamieson, M.S. Johnson, H.J. McSorley, U. Silins, S.E. Tank, L.M. Thompson, K.L. Webster, C.H.S. Williams. 2023. Pan-Canadian Study of Organic Carbon Diversity Informs Key Drivers of DBP Formation and Composition. AWWA'S 2023 Annual Conference & Expo (ACE23), Toronto, June 11-14.
Orlova J, Amiri F, Bourgeois AK, Buttle JM, Cherlet E, Cuss CW, Devito KJ, Emelko MB, Floyd WC, Foster DE, Hutchins RHS, Jamieson R, Johnson MS, McSorley HJ, Silins U, Tank SE, Thompson LM, Webster KL, Williams CHS, Olefeldt D, 2024. Composition of Stream Dissolved Organic Matter Across Canadian Forested Ecozones Varies in Three Dimensions Linked to Landscape and Climate. Water Resources Research, 60(5):e2023WR035196.
Bourgeois AK, Tank SE, Floyd WC, Emelko MB, Amiri F, 2024. Hydrology Predominates Over Harvest History and Landscape Variation to Control Water Quality and Disinfection By-Product Formation Potentials in Forested Pacific Coast Watersheds. ACS ES&T Water, 4(4):1335-1345.
F. Amiri, M.B. Emelko, S. Ngo, J. Orlova, D. Olefeldt, A.K. Bourgeois, J.M. Buttle, E. Cherlet, C.W. Cuss, K.J. Devito, W.C. Floyd, D.E. Foster, R.H.S. Hutchins, R. Jamieson, M.S. Johnson, H.J. McSorley, U. Silins, S.E. Tank, L.M. Thompson, K.L. Webster, C.H.S. Williams. 2023. Pan-Canadian Study of Organic Carbon Diversity Informs Key Drivers of DBP Formation and Composition. AWWA'S 2023 Annual Conference & Expo (ACE23), Toronto, June 11-14.
Photo: Working onsite with partner X.
Contributors
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UWaterloo: Fariba Amiri, Monica B. Emelko, Ryan H.S. Hutchins, Steven Ngo
UofA: Alyssa K. Bourgeois, Kevin J. Devito, Erin Cherlet, Chad W. Cuss, David Olefeldt, Julia Orlova, Uldis Silins, Suzanne E. Tank, Lauren M. Thompson, Chris H.S. Williams Trent U: Jim M. Buttle |
VIU: William C. Floyd
DalhousieU: David E. Foster, Rob Jamieson UBC: Mark S. Johnson, Hannah J. McSorley NRCan: Kara L. Webster |
