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The goal of this project is to use reclaimed water for aquaculture and biosolids for agriculture enterprises for rural municipalities and their limited resource farmers. <P>Specific objectives are: 1) To evaluate and compare fish production, water quality and bioeconomics using ozone-treated, UV-treated, and UV combined with ozone-treated reclaimed water technology; 2) To biomonitor fish for contaminants using reclaimed water; 3) To biomonitor plants for contaminants using biosolids; 4)To develop a demonstration farm and provide workshops for dissemination and transfer of sustainable technology to rural communities, and 5) To develop on-line course on theory and application of reclaimed water treatment. The results of this project will provide technological information for using reclaimed water facilities (RWF) for agriculture enterprises. As by-products from conventional RWF, reclaimed water will be used for aquaculture in combination with sewage sludge that will be introduced as an alternative agricultural resource. The project will provide information to verify the safety of the crops grown from reclaimed water and biosolids by evaluating contaminants in fish, fruits, soil and water. <P>A key emphasis will be to monitor endocrine disrupting compounds in fish culture in reclaimed water and plants grown in biosolids. The use of reclaimed water and biosolids to augment safe and healthy food supplies will have a significant potential for helping to relief the global food crisis in a changing world. In addition, this novel research information will be delivered by holding workshops in the demonstration farm that promotes rural development. This new way to produce food and income will be outreached to rural communities by helping individuals learn alternative ways of sustainable agriculture. Rural communities could create jobs by embracing the use of reclaimed water and biosolids for agricultural production. Furthermore, the transfer of knowledge generated from this project will be incorporated into an online course. This course will expand and diversify our curriculum at KSU for teaching students. This project will create jobs for a Co-Investigator, a graduate student and two undergraduate workers and expand the KSU curriculum to include theory and application of reclaimed water treatment thereby attracting a broader base of students. These persons will be qualified to pursue further education and careers in agriculture, aquaculture, environmental science, economics and education and to increase the diversity of the U.S. food and agricultural science base. Funding a demonstration farm and learning center will greatly expand the research, teaching and extension capabilities of the aquaculture and environmental programs and other related programs at KSU. Fish and plants from these operations would provide steady supplies of consumer-safe products and alleviate use of groundwater. Reclaimed water and biosolids management alternatives have the potential for expanding the Nation's food supply through reuse of these resources.
Non-Technical Summary:<br/>
It is estimated that there are over 16,000 publicly owned wastewater treatment plants in the U.S. that treat 35 billion gallons per day, and produce 6.5 million metric tons of dried sewage sludge. Only 6% of the municipal wastewater is reused. This mean that millions of gallons of reclaimed water are released daily back to the river systems without any further use. This project support the development of a cutting edge technology in which wastewater resources and biosolids are used to produce commercial levels of fish and plants. The use of reclaimed water for aquaculture is an innovative approach to secure food production through the integration of decommissioned wastewater treatment plants with sustainable agricultural technologies. With better methods for processing wastewater, many municipalities are now building new, larger facilities, and decommissioning the old ones, many of which have tanks and ponds that could be converted for fish culture. Many are being needlessly demolished when recycling them as fish production facilities could save the community demolition costs, create new jobs and generate revenue. The new facilities are being built adjacent to the old, and would allow reclaimed water to be used for aquaculture. One concern of using reclaimed water for food production is the chemicals that could be present in the water especially persistent organic pollutants such as endocrine-disrupting compounds (EDCs). There are different methods for the treatment of reclaimed water. During the final treatment stage, water could be disinfected by ozone or ultraviolet light (UV). The goal of this integrated project is to use reclaimed water for aquaculture and agriculture enterprises for rural municipalities and their limited resource farmers. Specific objectives are to: 1) evaluate and compare fish production, water quality and bioeconomics using ozone-treated, UV-treated, and UV combined with ozone-treated reclaimed water technology; 2) biomonitor fish for contaminants using reclaimed water; 3) biomonitor plants for contaminants using biosolids; 4) develop a demonstration farm and provide workshops for dissemination and transfer of sustainable technology to rural communities, and 5) develop on-line course on theory and application of reclaimed water treatment. In this project we want to prove that fish culture in reclaimed water and plants grown in biosolids are safe for human consumption. This project will compare the removal and bioaccumulation of EDCs from reclaimed water treated. The results of this project will provide technological information for using reclaimed water facilities for agriculture enterprises with UV and ozone. In addition, the results will be an important and critical step in understanding the accumulation of EDCs within the particular food when reclaimed water or biosolids are used. This project will serve as a model to other universities, federal and state agencies and stakeholders involved in water reuse and agriculture by providing bench-mark information and educational opportunities pertinent to the advancement of sustainable agriculture production systems that uses reclaimed water and biosolids.
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Approach:<br/>
Reclaimed Water Experiment: will monitor fish growth and survival and water quality in tanks with flow-through reclaimed water (a.k.a. disinfected secondary effluent) under experimental and commercial conditions. This experiment will use hybrid striped bass and paddlefish as test species. The experiment will be conducted at Frankfort and Winchester Reclaimed Water Facilities. The Frankfort Reclaimed Water Facility (FRWF) uses ozone at the final disinfection treatment stage while the Winchester Reclaimed Water Facility (WRWF) uses UV irradiation. We will install an ozone generator at WRWF for advanced oxidation processes (UV/Ozone). Fish will be culture at WRWF in decommissioned tanks filled with UV-treated and UV/Ozone treated. In FRWF, fish will be culture in ozone-treated reclaimed water. Data on fish survival, growth and water quality will be analyzed using a mixed ANOVA procedure. Economic and financial analyses will be generated. Indicators such as production efficiency (i.e. gross yield), input use efficiency (i.e. feed conversion ratio), and profitability will be used to measure performance of aquaculture operations. Fish Biomonitoring for Contaminants Experiment: will biomonitor fish grown at FRWF and WRWF for contaminants. For the long-term experiment, fishes from the UV-treated and UV/Ozone-treated group from WRWF, and from the ozone-treated from FRWF will be stocked in cages and pond and biomonitor for one year. Fishes will be analyzed for bioaccumulation of endocrine disrupting compounds and heavy metals. Other sources of contamination that will be analyzed are: lived food, prepared diet, and water sample. Data will be analyzed using a mixed ANOVA procedure. It is anticipated that contaminants if present might be higher in fish from the UV-treated group than those in other disinfectant treatments. Plants Biomonitoring for Contaminants Experiment: will biomonitor plant grown at WRWF for contaminants. The experiment design is a 4 x 3 randomized complete block design with four treatments including the two high-value niche crops (poblano pepper and Roma-type tomato) and two soil types (biosolid Class A from WRWF and no sludge soil). Other sources of contamination that will be analyzed are: soil, seedling plant, and water sample. Demonstration Farm for Extension Services: will provide formal training, demonstrations and workshops for dissemination and transfer of sustainable technology to rural communities. The aim of this model farm is to increase food production by using existing resources such as decommissioned reclaimed water facilities. This innovative approach will promote sustainable agriculture systems by producing safe and healthy food sources and by increasing consumer awareness of the potential of reclaimed water and biosolids for agriculture purposes. On-line Course Development: will develop a course on theory and application of reclaimed water treatment and include the most recent water reuse sustainability practices and other sustainable options for management of the solids at RWF. Information generated by the research part of this integrated project will be incorporated into the course.