Public Health Aspects of Organics in Water

Conservationists in California have adopted two goals relating to the water environment: first, they are opposed to new water-resource development; second, they are opposed to discharging wastewaters into the water environment. In pursuit of both goals, the conservationists are strongly advocating wastewater reuse. With relation to the second goal, their position, not explicitly stated, is "don't discharge sewage into receiving waters and possibly damage the environment, drink it!" The Resources Agency of California in a preliminary statement of environmental goals and policy, not yet officially adopted, commits the state to wastewater reuse "as part of a comprehensive water supply and management program." Currently a number of specific project proposals' are being developed for major ground-water replenishment with reclaimed wastewater. In some instances, the ground-water basins at equilibrium would be almost 100 per cent reclaimed water. Other proposals, still in very preliminary form, would introduce reclaimed sewage into existing domestic-water impoundments and even (in the extreme) utilize treated sewage directly as a portion of the raw-water supply with or without dilution. Four factors appear relevant in connection with the utilization of reclaimed wastewaters as a significant portion of community domestic water supply. They are microorganisms, total minerals, mineral toxicants, and stable organics. The focus of this article is on the stable organic fraction. Two questions arise: what is known of the characteristics of these organics, and how significant are they to man's health?