Addressing Human Health Impacts from Emerging Contaminants in Reclaimed Water Used for Urban and Peri-Urban Agriculture

The long-term goal of the proposed project is to enhance the use of reclaimed water for urban and peri-urban agriculture by identifying, minimizing, and mitigating potential human health impacts associated with the constituents in the reclaimed water. The three main objectives of the proposed long-term goal of this project are:Identify chemical contaminants in reclaimed water used for urban and peri-urban irrigated agriculture (forage crop and animal production); determine pathways (namely, water, soils, and sediments) of contaminant entrainment into agricultural products; determine associated human health risks; and develop strategies for mitigation of those risks over the agricultural production chain, particularly focusing on reclaimed water production and point-of-use;Educate undergraduate, graduate, and post-graduate students to increase knowledge, skills, and capacity to practice sustainable agriculture and water resource management for enhancing food security and water resiliency of the nation; andIntegrate scientific research with extension outreach to educate and enhance decision-making capacity of:agricultural producers concerning the benefits and risks associated with reclaimed water use; water reclamation facility and water utility staff about the potential risks and mitigation needs and methods to improve suitability of reclaimed water for use in irrigated agricultural production; and affected stakeholder communities and policy makers about the feasibility and benefits/risks of using reclaimed water resources for irrigated agriculture.