Health Related Water Microbiology
Specialist Group Newsletter
Volume 21 – June 2020

Contents
 Message from our chair (pg 1)
 IWA Membership (pg 2)
 IWA COVID-19 Task Force in Operation (pg 2)
 Water, Sanitation, Hygiene and Waste
Management for the COVID-19 virus: Interim
Guidance published by WHO (pg 3)
 Review Paper- SARS-CoV-2 in wastewater: Stateof the knowledge and research needs (pg 4)
 Upcoming webinar alert (pg 5)
 Wastewater surveillance to monitor COVID-19:
Inter-laboratory assessment of virus detection
methods in Australia and Japan (pg 6)
 Virtual International Water Research Summit on
Environmental Surveillance of COVID-19
Indicators in Sewersheds (pg 7)
 Water Research Commission (WRC), South Africa
Research Programme on Water Quality, Sanitationand Health in light of COVID-19 (pg 8)
 South African SARS-CoV-2 working group (pg 10)
 Water Reuse (pg 10)
 Beach and Sand – Mycosands (pg 11)
 Young Water Professionals (YWP) – SA (pg 12)
 Microbial Source Tracking in a River with
Agricultural Land Use in Thailand (pg 13)
 Journal of Water and Health Welcomes New Editor(pg 15)
 News from IWA Headquarters (pg 16)
 News from IWA Publishing (pg 17)

Message
chair

from

our

Dear colleagues and friends of the HRWM family!
It is almost exactly 100 years ago that a virus caused
one of the most severe pandemics in humanhistory. The so-called Spanish flu (1918-1919),
caused by the H1N1 influenza A virus, infected 500
million people and has cost several million people
their lives. Now, in the last few months, we arefacing the COVID-19 pandemic and the virus SARSCoV-2 has changed our lives dramatically, both
personally and professionally, and will continue toaffect them. Our sympathy goes out to all those
who have lost family members or friends or who
have had worries about them.
In contrast to 1918, all scientific forces have now
been activated and bundled on a global scale andinterdisciplinary knowledge about this infectious
disease was developed almost online. Methods,
analyses, models, statistics and prognoses weredeveloped by virologists, epidemiologists,
infectiologists and statisticians, measures withdifferent approaches were implemented by thegovernments and complied with by the population.

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This way of cooperation and activities gives hopethat global crises can be successfully solved
together in the future, like global warming andclimate change.

IWA COVID-19 Task
Force in Operation

Our SG HRWM had many plans for activities forthe year 2020. We were involved in the program
development for the 9th Singapore International
Water Week and for the Regional IWA Diffuse
Pollution Conference in Vienna and as a highlight
we prepared contributions to the IWA World
Water Congress in Copenhagen, Denmark.
However, good news, these events were notcancelled but postponed until next year. I am
confident that these events will be carried out
with even greater success next year.

- Article credit: Daisuke Sano

As a very positive prospect, we can look forwardthat we all will meet again at the 21st HRWM
symposium in Darwin in September 2021.
Good wishes to you and all the best!
Regina Sommer
HRWM Chair

In April 2020, IWA launched the COVID-19 Task
Force for providing fellow water professionals
with science and practical measures required toprotect both workers in water/wastewater sectors
and public health. This Task Force is chaired by
Prof. Joan Rose, the advisory board member of
HRWM SG, and composed of representatives fromrelevant SGs. Topics that the Task Force will becommitted to include the fate and inactivation of
SARS-CoV-2 during water and wastewater
treatment including disinfection, sewage
surveillance for monitoring SARS-CoV-2 spread insewersheds, and health risks of water
professionals through aerosol exposure in
wastewater treatment, water reuse and sludge
reuse schemes.
The Task Force will also contribute to theidentification of resources to be included in IWA
Connect, the preparation of authoritative White
Papers/fact sheets, the enhancement of sector
dialogues, and organize webinars on key topics. So
far, the following four webinars have beendelivered:
Apr. 8th: COVID-19: A Water Professional’s
Perspective
Panelists: Joan B. Rose, Charles Haas, Rosina
Girones, Gertjan Medema
https://iwa-network.org/learn/covid-19-a-waterprofessionals-perspective/

Become an IWA member
Not yet a member and interested in joining IWA andspecifically HRWM? Then click on the link below andsee how you can become a member of this family.
http://www.iwa-network.org/membership.php

Apr. 17th: COVID-19: A Utility Leaders’ Response,
moderated by Diane d'Arras
Panelists: Claudio Cosentino, Shuangyi Zhang,David
Gadis,
Christopher
Loughlin,T.
Prabhushankar
https://iwa-network.org/learn/a-utility-leadersresponse-to-covid-19/_________Pg2
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Apr. 29th: COVID-19: The Regulators’ Response,
moderated by Carolina Latorre Aravena
Panelists: Sai-wai Chau, Ana Albuquerque, Andrea
Guerrini, Jorge Werneck
May 12th: WASH in Vulnerable Communities,
moderated by Brian Arbogast
Panelists: Eunice Ubomba-Jaswa, Puneet Kumar
Srivastava, Juste Hermann, Maggie Montgomery
June 19th: Sewage Monitoring for Public
Health,moderated by Per Nielsen
Panelists: Gertjan Medema, Tatiana Prado, Chuck
Gerba, Tulio Machado Fumian, Rosina Girones
All these webinars are available on IWA Learn:
https://iwa-network.org/iwa-learn-webinars
through IWA Connect.
The IWA COVID-19 Task Force is expected to be
active over the coming 6-12 months (from April
2020 onwards). HRWM are one of the main SG’s
involved in the response to COVID-19. Please
support the Task Force’s activities!!!

Water,
Sanitation,
hygiene, and waste
management for the
COVID-19
virus:
Interimguidance
published by the WHO- Article credit: Takayuki Miura1, Maggie Montgomery2
1 Department of Environmental Health, National Institute of
Public Health, Japan
2 Water, Sanitation, Hygiene and Health Unit, World HealthOrganization, Switzerland

As we all know, the access to safely managed
water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) is essential
for protecting human health from all infectious
disease including coronavirus disease 2019
(COVID-19). The WHO’s interim guidance wasoriginally published on March 3, 2020 as atechnical brief to supplement the infection
prevention and control documents bysummarizing WHO guidance on water, sanitationand health-care waste relevant to viruses,
including coronaviruses. The guidance wasprepared for water and sanitation practitioners
and providers, and health-care providers toprovide evidence-based and consistently applied
WASH and waste management practices, which
help prevent human-to-human transmission of
the COVID-19 virus.
As there is emerging evidence on the presence of
SARS-CoV-2 RNA fragments in excreta from
infected individuals and in untreated sewage,
additional information has been collected in
response to the many questions that WHO
received about the prevention and control of
COVID-19 in settings where WASH services arelimited. On April 23, 2020, the first update wasmade to provide details on hand hygiene,
sanitation, protecting WASH workers, andsupporting the continuation and strengthening of
WASH services, especially in underserved areas.
The interim guidance composed of three chapters:1) Background, 2) WASH in health care settings,
and 3) Considerations for WASH practices inhomes and communities. For further information,please
visit
the
WHO’s
website:https://apps.who.int/iris/handle/10665/331846.
The interim guidance was written by staff from
WHO and UNICEF. In addition, a number ofexperts and WASH practitioners contributed. They
include Matt Arduino, David Berendes, Rick
Gelting, Thomas Handzel, Molly Patrick (USCenters for Disease Control and Prevention, USA);
Lisa Casanova (Georgia State University, USA);David Cunliffe (SA Health, Australia); Paul Hunter(University of East Anglia, UK); Ana Maria de Roda
Husman (National Institute for Public Health andthe Environment, the Netherlands); Peter Maes
(Médicins Sans Frontières, Belgium); Mark Sobsey(University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill, USA).

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Review paper – SARS-CoV-2 in wastewater: Stateof the knowledge and research needs- Article credit: Eiji Haramoto

A review paper entitled ‘SARS-CoV-2 in wastewater: State of the knowledge and research needs’ has been
published in Science of the Total Environment on April 30, 2020, as an online-early article, which was written
by Dr. Masaaki Kitajima (Hokkaido University, Japan), Dr. Warish Ahmed (CSIRO Land and Water, Australia),
Dr. Kyle Bibby (University of Notre Dame, USA), Prof. Annalaura Carducci (University of Pisa, Italy), Prof.
Charles P. Gerba (The University of Arizona, USA), Dr. Kerry A. Hamilton (Arizona State University, USA), Prof.
Eiji Haramoto (University of Yamanashi, Japan), and Prof. Joan B. Rose (Michigan State University, USA).
This is the first review paper that summarizes the current knowledge and future research directions on severe
acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) in wastewater and other aquatic environments,
referring to more than 200 references. The following topics are discussed in this paper:‒

Gastrointestinal symptoms in coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) and shedding of SARS-CoV-2 inexcreta‒

Evidence for the presence of SARS-CoV-2 and related coronaviruses (CoVs) in wastewater‒

Understanding COVID-19 epidemiology through wastewater surveillance‒

Methods for SARS-CoV-2 detection in wastewater‒

Survival and inactivation of CoVs and enveloped surrogate viruses in water and wastewater
matrices‒

Respiratory viruses in wastewater and the occupational risk‒

Quantitative microbial risk assessment (QMRA) for respiratory viruses and SARS-CoV-2‒

Dose-response of SARS-CoV-2 and relevant respiratory viruses‒
Knowledge gaps and research needs
Summary of this paper is as follows:
SARS-CoV-2 is a member of the family Coronaviridae that consists of a group of enveloped viruses with singlestranded RNA genome, some of which have been known to cause common colds. Although the majortransmission routes of SARS-CoV-2 are inhalation from person-to-person and aerosol/droplet transmission,
currently available evidence indicates that the viral RNA is present in wastewater, suggesting the need tobetter understand wastewater as potential sources of epidemiological data and human health risks. In thisreview paper, the current knowledge related to the potential of wastewater surveillance to understand theepidemiology of COVID-19, methodologies for the detection and quantification of SARS-CoV-2 in wastewater,
and information relevant for human health risk assessment of SARS-CoV-2 are reviewed. There has been
growing evidence of gastrointestinal symptoms caused by SARS-CoV-2 infections and the presence of viral
RNA not only in feces of infected individuals but also in wastewater. One of the major challenges in SARSCoV-2 detection/quantification in wastewater samples is the lack of an optimized and standardized protocol.
Currently available data are also limited for conducting a QMRA for SARS-CoV-2 exposure pathways.
However, modeling-based approaches have a potential role to play in reducing the impact of the ongoing
COVID-19 outbreak. Furthermore, QMRA parameters obtained from previous studies on relevant respiratory
viruses help to inform risk assessments of SARS-CoV-2. Our understanding on the potential role ofwastewater in SARS-CoV-2 transmission is largely limited by knowledge gaps in its occurrence, persistence,_________Pg4
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and removal in wastewater. There is an urgent need for further research to establish methodologies for
wastewater surveillance and understand the implications of the presence of SARS-CoV-2 in wastewater.
The full text of this review paper is freely available at: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2020.139076 .
There is also web-based community available on wastewater-based epidemiology (WBE) for SARS-CoV-2:
COVID-19 WBE Collaborative (https://www.covid19wbec.org/). The purpose of this website is to empower
global collaboration on WEB of SARS-CoV-2, which is supported by the Sewage Analysis CORe group Europe(SCORE) and the Global Water Pathogen Project. Two main communication spaces are available: Slack andProtocols.io. On the Slack Workspace, you can find many interesting and useful channels for disseminating
information relevant to WBE for SARS-CoV-2. Protocols.io provides the latest methodological resources for
sewage surveillance and data analysis which are useful to generalize the findings of WBE studies. Anyone
who are interested in the COVID-19 WBE can register to this website.

Title: COVID-19: Wastewater-based Epidemiology

Summary:
Wastewater-based epidemiology (WBE) has recently gained global attention, since scientific reports
indicate that the concentration of SARS-CoV-2 in wastewater is proportional to the number of COVID-19
patients in a sewershed. This webinar is presented by the IWA Specialist Group on Health-Related Water
Microbiology (HRWM SG). The members of this group are specialised water professionals who have beendeveloping and applying detection techniques for pathogenic viruses over decades. During the webinar,
HRWM SG specialists will provide updated information about WBE for SARS-CoV-2 and other importantviral water pathogens, including poliovirus, Hepatitis E virus, adenovirus and norovirus. And they will
present and discuss with the audience the potential of wastewater-based epidemiology (WBE) as early
warning system for public health.
Time: 15:00 CEST, 21 July 2020

Duration: 90 min
Location Host: IWA Secretariat
Keywords: Wastewater-based epidemiology, SARS-CoV-2, water pathogens
Language: English
Target audience: microbiologists, researchers from universities and Institutes, epidemiologists, risk
evaluators, modelers, officers from public health sector
Registration: www.iwa-network.org/iwa-learn (coming soon)_________Pg5
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Wastewater
surveillancetomonitor
COVID-19:
Inter-laboratory
assessment of virus
detection methods inAustralia and Japan

Dr. Warish Ahmed, CSIRO, Australia- Article Credit: Warish Ahmed1 and Masaaki Kitajima2
1.CSIRO Land and Water, Ecosciences Precinct, 41 Boggo
Road, Dutton Park, QLD 4102, Australia.
2.Division of Environmental Engineering, Faculty ofEngineering, Hokkaido University, North 13 West 8, Kita-ku,
Sapporo, Hokkaido 060-0032, Japan.

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused bysevere acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2(SARS-CoV-2) is a global public health concern.
SARS-CoV-2 RNA has been detected in untreatedwastewater in Australia (Ahmed et al., 2020,
STOTEN), the Netherlands, USA, France, China,
Israel, Turkey, Spain, and Italy.
This suggests that wastewater surveillance could
monitor the incidence of COVID-19 in thecommunity and serve as an early warning sign
before the virus spreads widely in the community,
as highlighted in our recent paper (Kitajima et al.,2020).
This approach is known as wastewater-based
epidemiology (WBE) and it has many potential
applications such as monitoring the diseaseprevalence in a service area, closed settings suchas planes, ships, old homes, boarding houses andalso remote/isolated communities.
The most common approach that is currently
being used to detect and quantify SARS-CoV-2 inwastewater involves the concentration of viruses
from wastewater, followed by RNA extraction and
RT-qPCR analysis.

Dr. Masaaki Kitajima, Hokkaido University, Japan

This workflow works quite well when theconcentration of virus in wastewater is high.
However, countries such as Australia, Japan and
New Zealand, where the number of cases is low,
we need the most sensitive methods to detect
SARS-CoV-2 RNA in wastewater.
To combat this issue, CSIRO, Australia andHokkaido University, Japan have teamed up andworking on several aspects of the methodologicalimprovements. We have evaluated seven virus
concentration methods for the recovery of murine
hepatitis virus (a surrogate coronavirus) inwastewater with recovery efficiencies ranging
from 26.7 to 65.6% (Ahmed et al. (2020) in press,
STOTEN). As the cases are declining and we are
anticipating a “second wave”, we needstandardized methodologies to detect SARS-CoV2 in wastewater with great sensitivity andprecision. Currently, we are exploring a better
concentration method for the detection of SARSCoV-2 RNA in 200-300 mL of untreatedwastewater. We plan to determine the_________Pg6

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persistence of SARS-CoV-2 RNA in different
matrices of water under different temperatures inorder to understand how long the signal isdetected in the environment.
We also plan to assess the sensitivity of currently
used RT-qPCR assays and identify the best
performing assay(s) for environmental samples.
Our ongoing efforts include the comparison of RTqPCR with ddPCR to investigate whether thesensitivity and precision can be increased by
ddPCR. Our ultimate goal is to improve the assay
limit of detection and establish a standardized
protocol by optimizing the existing methods.

Virtual International
Water
Research
Summiton
Environmental
Surveillanceof
COVID-19 Indicators
in Sewersheds- Article credit: John Scott Mescke

The rapid global spread of COVID-19 has resulted
in the first global pandemic since the 2009 H1N1
swine flu pandemic. This has led to a high demandfor public health tools to help understand the
spreadof
SARS-CoV-2.
Environmental
surveillance, or wastewater-based epidemiology,
is an emerging tool that offers great promise forearly detection, tracking of the disease burden in
a population, and guiding mitigation efforts. The
current pandemic has sparked unprecedented
interest in this tool for monitoring SARS-CoV-2 inwastewater.

These discussions led to the formation of four
working groups consisting of more than 50 global
experts, including several prominent IWA-HRWM
members, to assess the state of the science andidentify research needs. The four working groups
were tasked to:
1. Develop best practices and standardized
procedures for the collection and storage of
wastewater samples,
2. Develop best practices for the use of molecular
genetics tools to identify the concentration ofindicators of COVID-19 in wastewater samples,
3. Develop recommended approaches for use of
indicator concentrations to inform trends andestimates of community prevalence,
4. Develop strategies to communicate theimplications of environmental surveillance resultswith the public health community, elected
officials, wastewater workers, and the public.
The working group efforts culminated in a two day
Virtual International Water Research Summit on
Environmental
Surveillanceof
COVID-19
Indicators in Sewersheds. This two day web based
event was viewed by over a thousand individuals
in real time and recordings of the summit session
canbeviewedathttps://www.waterrf.org/event/virtualinternational-water-research-summit-covid-19

Building on the experience from previous
outbreaks, the Water Research Foundation has
coordinated wastewater treatment experts fromaround the globe to participate in a series ofphone conferences and webinars on this topic.
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Water Research Commission (WRC), South
Africa Research Programme on Water
Quality, Sanitation and Health in light of
COVID-19- Article credit: Dr. Jay Bhagwan, Dr. Nonhlanhla Kalabaila, Dr. John Zvimba, and Dr. StanleyLiphadzi
The role of water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) services in as the first defence mechanism for preventing
the spread and managing the transmission pathways of this pandemic has been widely acknowledged by theWorld Health Organisation (WHO). In addition, active surveillance and management COVID-19 infections isnecessary for curbing the spread of the disease. South Africa’s approach to curbing the spread of COVID-19
has been widely acknowledged. Some of the key measures COVID-19 interventions implemented include;
rapid identification, testing and isolation of symptomatic people for treatment, tracing of contact cases andregular issuing of regulations on travel and social distancing. Recently, a community-wide (mass) testing
initiative for COVID-19 has been rolled out.
In view of the prevailing water and sanitation services delivery and wastewater treatment plant operation
challenges in South Africa, there is a need to investigate the presence, persistence and infectivity of the virus
in water and sanitation environments. In this regard, an investigation of the role of water and sanitation
environments in the possible transmission of SARS-CoV-2 through exposure to contaminated surface water
sources, poorly treated municipal wastewater, poorly managed domestic greywater, urine and faeces ofinfected people is necessary.
Surveillance of wastewater treatment plants offers an opportunity for near–real-time outbreak data and as
an early warning for resurgence of the outbreak. To date, the wastewater-based epidemiology approach has
been successfully piloted in developed countries where there is wide coverage of waterborne sanitation,such as the Netherlands, France, United States of America, etc. However, given the varied water andsanitation services delivery mechanisms in South Africa (and lack of), the country, through the Water
Research Commission, is in a unique position to pioneer the development and piloting of an all-encompassing
water and sanitation-focused approach for the surveillance of COVID-19 spread in less developed
communities.
In view of the above, the Water Research Commission launched a special programme on surveillance of
COVID 19 in wastewater, sanitation and health. The main aim of this programme is to share knowledge,
stimulate research and innovations on water quality, sanitation and health in support of government’s
initiatives aimed at curbing the spread of COVID -19. The programme consists of planned, inter-related
activities aimed at achieving the defined objectives, by producing specified outputs. The aims and objectivesof the programme will be achieved through the following initiatives:•••

Pilot and full-scale implementation of wastewater surveillance as a non-invasive approach formonitoring the spread of COVID-19 in communities -based epidemiological surveillance of COVID-19
spread in communities.
Research work and capacity building on COVID-19 in relation to water and sanitation and health
Knowledge dissemination through webinars, workshops_________Pg8
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Implementation of a national programme for monitoring COVID-19 infections in communities using awater and sanitation-focused approach
To date, a few countries have been able to demonstrate the presence of SARS-CoV-2 nucleic acids in the
faeces of infected people and the potential use of the WBE approach for monitoring wastewater for COVID19 infections. The number of cases in these countries is 5-10 times more the reported cases in South Africa,
thus it remains to be seen if the same approach can be successfully applied. For this reason, implementationof the wastewater surveillance initiative will follow a three phased approach.
• Phase one – proof of concept - A proof of concept study, aimed at optimizing sample design, testing andfine-tuning sampling protocol, preliminary sampling and analysis of wastewater samples from selected
metropolitan cities.
• Phase two – pilot scale monitoring - Partnerships for pilot-scale monitoring will be sought through aspecial call to collaborators, funders and partners (research and laboratory service providers, water utilities,
government and private sector). This phase will see the commissioning of a collaborative monitoring initiativein provincial hotspots (Gauteng, KZN & Western Cape) using the sampling and testing protocols developedin phase one.
• Phase three – national wastewater surveillance - Once partnerships with capable and compliant
laboratories have been formalized, the Water Research Commission and partners will coordinate theimplementation of the national programme.

The expected outputs of the programme are as follows:•

Novel water and sanitation-based approach for the surveillance of COVID-19 spread in less developed
communities•
Real time tracking of COVID-19 spread and resurgence in communities•
Understanding the fate of the virus in the water, sanitation and wastewater environment.
In order for wastewater surveillance to be successful and sustainable, there is need to develop best practiceand considerations for wastewater sample design, collection and storage. Such best practice will ensure that
all the challenges associated with credibility of data are addressed and safeguard the integrity of thesurveillance outcome. Rapid action is vital to outpace COVID-19. Wastewater and water quality surveillanceof COVID 19 offers this opportunity and can contribute to the second wave and longer term management of
this virus.
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South African SARSCoV-2 working group

Water Reuse- Article credit: Elisabete Valério, Departamento de Saúde
Ambiental, Instituto Nacional de Saúde, Lisboa, Portugal- Article Credit: Bettina Genthe

The South African SARS-COV-2 working group,
have been collaborating and sharing information
over the last month. The working group includes
Universities, private laboratories, government
departments, government laboratories andresearch councils (MRC and CSIR). In addition, thegroup are in consultation with KWR in the
Netherlands and Universities in the USA, wheremuch of the initial sewage-based testing was
initiated as well as the WHO.
“We are in the proof of concept stage withlaboratories testing wastewater from wastewater
treatment works in 2 provinces. As of 14 June,
2020, South Africa had 70,038 cases, with theWestern Cape having over 60% of positive cases(but only 12% of the population), followed by
Gauteng, the most populace province (26% of theSouth African population) with only 16% of
positive cases. The total national deaths are 1,480
with a mortality rate of 2,1%, predominantly
concentrated in the Western Cape, accounting for
1,083 deaths. Since the start of testing early in
2020, the first confirmed positives in wastewater
were detected late May 2020, whereas the first
positive patient in South Africa occurred on 5
March, 2020”.
With South Africa being a country of contrasts
where approximately 10 million people do nothave access to improved sanitation, never mind
being served with water-borne sanitation, thechallenge to include surveillance of those without
sewered systems remains onerous and is being
addressed in this initiative. The research is aimed
at being able to provide an early warning system
for re-emergence of COVID -19; to measure theprevalence of the outbreak; provide decision
support and assess the extent of impact; and trackthe effectiveness of any interventions made.

Nowadays, water availability, both in quantity andwith quality is scarce worldwide, partially due toover-population, but also due to climate changes
that currently are being felt more intensely. These
problems have raised the need to reuse treatedwastewater (also referred as reclaimed water orrecycled water) for various non-potable uses, suchas landscape irrigation or street cleaning andagriculture, to suppress part of the water demandcrisis. However, aware that water reuse may carrysome risks for the environment and Public Health,therefore its quality must be evaluated to ensurea safe reutilization. Monitoring every pathogenic
microorganism potentially present in water,
namely viruses, bacteria, protozoa, or fungi, isunrealistic given the number of resources needed
for that purpose.
However, can we state that currently there is aguaranty that the few existing parameters for
wastewater reuse are enough to ensure Public
Health safety? The microbial indicators being
considered in Portuguese Law-Decree n.º
119/2019 are Escherichia coli (E. coli) as fecal
indicator bacteria (FIB) and parasite eggs. Somestudies revealed that human enteric viruses may
be present in the treated wastewater (several
references
listedin
doi:10.1128/microbiolspec.ERV-0001-2019).
We conducted a preliminary test, based on theamplification of viral genomes of enteric viruses
NoV GI and GII and HepA, using Real-Time RTqPCR, where 45 samples collected fromwastewater at three different treatment stages of
one Waste Water Treatment Plant (WWTP). Also
FIB (E. coli, enterococci and fecal coliforms)
concentrations were assessed. HepA virus was
only detected in one untreated influent sample,
whereas NoV GI/ NoV GI were detected in
untreated wastewater (100/100%), secondary
treated effluent (47/73%), and tertiary treatedeffluent (33/20%). Our results demonstrated thatthe absence of FIB does not imply the absence of_________Pg10

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pathogenic viruses, namely NoV GI and GII in
tertiary treated wastewater (obtained after sandfiltration and UV irradiation). Our study suggeststhat NoV GI and GII should be studied further inorder to provide the support as suitable indicators
for wastewater treatment efficiency assessment,
regardless of the level of treatment. We intend to
expand this study to more WWTPs and viralparameters to provide more evidence, andeventually support a legislation update.
This study was recently published:
Teixeira P, Costa S, Brown B, Silva S, Rodrigues R,
Valério E. 2020. Quantitative PCR detection ofenteric viruses in wastewater and environmental
water sources by the Lisbon municipality: a casestudy.
Water
12(2):
544;
https://doi.org/10.3390/w12020544.

Beach and
Mycosands

Sand-- Article credit: João Brandão, Departamento de Saúde
Ambiental, Instituto Nacional de Saúde, Lisboa, Portugal

Sand contaminants are not a new subject but areunder-developed in terms of worldwide
knowledge. Fungi, in particular, are very muchlagging behind bacterial contaminants. However,most fungi of clinical relevance present a problem
for regulation because they are opportunistic innature, not pathogenic. This implicates a lack of an
infectious dose that could be used for quantitative
microbial risk assessment, as an alternative toepidemiologicalstudiestodeterminerecommended exposure thresholds. These alsopresent a regulatory challenge, since fungal
outbreaks consist of small numbers and often
diverging in time. So how can this be resolved?

covering most of eastern, western northern andcentral Europe that is looking into over 70 inlandand coastal beaches. The team aims to investigate
what is the normal sand mycobiome of beaches in
Europe, in order to assess the regulatory value formonitoring taxa. Exposure to some fungi isrelevant for beach visitors suffering fromunderlying conditions that render themsusceptible to certain fungal ailments. These
visitors should have the possibility to make an
informed decision based on monitoring reports of
the relevant fungal taxa.
Additionally, anti-microbial resistance in fungi is adangerous tendency, and if not intrinsic of aparticular species, it is believed to have originatedin the environment due to the extensive use ofazole-based anti-fungals in agriculture. An
expanding appearance of azole resistant Aspergilli
belonging to the Section Fumigati has alreadyoriginated many fatalities and it is an emergent
opportunist. Mainly outside of Europe, also
endemic fungi are of relevance because some canbe found in the vicinity of recreational waters, like
Blastomyces dermatitidis, or Cryptococcus
deuterogattii (genotype) VGIIa.
Lastly, some fungi can give an indication of thetype of microbial pollution on a beach sand; if
originating from beach users, scavenging wildlife,
birds, vegetable mater or faecal pollution, forexample.
For the rationale sustaining this information check
DOI
10.1017/S0025315415000843
and10.1016/j.coesh.2020.03.001.4.

Fungal contaminants in beach sand is a European
initiative functioning under the auspices of theEuropean Confederation of Medical Mycology(ECMM) and the International Society for Humanand Animal Mycology (ISHAM). It is composed of ateam representing twenty-nine laboratories,_________Pg11
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Young Water Professionals (YWP) – South Africa- Article credit: Ashton Busani Mpofu, Nontando Mkhize, Pfananani Ramulifho and Suvritha Ramphal

The Young Water Professionals (YWPs) is a programme of activities by the International Water Association(IWA) and locally by the Water Institute of Southern Africa (WISA). Young Water Professionals South Africa(YWP-ZA) is an empowerment platform of WISA and chapter under IWA which was established in 2008 by agroup of volunteers in response to the water sector needs of the country and the African continent.
YWP-ZA aims to provide an all-inclusive, non-racial and non-discriminatory home for young professionals in
the water sector, to fulfil the present and future needs of the water and wastewater industries in South
Africa. The YWP-ZA National Committee is in its fifth term, and is now governed by WISA terms of reference,
serves on the IWA YWP Emerging Leaders Committee (EWL, sits on the WISA Board as a Non-Executive
Director, and is established in eight Provinces in South Africa.
The IWA and WISA YWP programme offers practical and effective ways for those interested in a water sector
career to follow their interests and gain experience. Our programme presents opportunities for careerdevelopment at workshops, technical events, and online initiatives. These activities help young professionals
to develop their skills and expand their network in social and professional environments. Participants canpresent their work in a peer-to-peer learning environment at conferences and forums and can takeadvantage of a suit of initiatives that support the development of the future workforce in the water sector.
YWP-ZA hosts two national flagship events over a two-year committee cycle; A biennial Conference, now in
its 7th year and a highly successful Environmental Entrepreneurship Bootcamp (Imvelisi) in its 3rd edition.
YWP-ZA hosted its first African conference in 2015 in Pretoria and this was followed by an international IWA
YWP conference in 2017 in Cape Town. In addition to these flagship national events, YWP-ZA coordinates arange of technical, academic, outreach and skills development events at provincial level which are carriedout by the provincial committees.
YWP has a very active global presence since its establishment, which is directly attributed to its position in
the IWA EWLs Steering Committees since 2012. Between 2018-2020 YWPs participated in a number ofinternational events; IWA International Young Professionals Conference in Toronto, IWA YWP Chapter global
coordination calls, AfWA in
Uganda and in the publishingof IWA Position Papers from
YWPs perspectives in Digital
Water.
Website: http://www.ywpza.org/
Twitter: YWPZA;
Facebook: YWP ZA

6th YWPZA Biennial conference
held at the Durban ICC in October
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Microbial Source Tracking in a River with
Agricultural Land Use in Thailand- Article credit: Kwanrawee Joy Sirikanchana
For the first time, researchers in Thailand have conducted a microbial source tracking (MST) study using avariety of culture- and DNA-based methods in a freshwater river in Thailand. The two-year project aimed to
pinpoint fecal pollution sources from livestock farming and dense residential communities along the 325-km
Tha Chin River.
The Tha Chin has for decades been listed among the rivers with the most deteriorated water quality. It
originates from the Chao Phraya River and flows through four provinces before disgorging into the Gulf ofThailand. Activities along the river include agriculture, livestock farming, and community life, with industrial
activities concentrated downstream near the river’s mouth. The Tha Chin is divided into upper, middle, andlower sections, each of which follows different water quality standards according to designated beneficial
uses. Standard type 2 water is designated for aquatic animal conservation, fisheries, and recreation while
standard types 3 and 4 are designated for irrigation and industry, respectively.
A representative of the Pollution Control Department’s (PCD) Water Quality Management Bureau (WQMB)
joined a team of research scientists from Chulabhorn Research Institute. The WQMB is charged with
monitoring and reporting on Thailand’s water quality, establishing water quality standards, and formulating
action plans for water protection, pollution prevention, and remediation. The team’s multi-sectoral
membership made possible a better understanding of problems and ensured that the delivered outcome
met the needs of governmental end users.
This project initially validated 16 published MST quantitative PCR (qPCR) primers for their performance in thewatershed using 81 composite fecal samples (from over 1,620 individual samples) of farm animals and 19
human sewage samples. The sample sizes were calculated using a stratified random sampling design toachieve a 90% confidence interval and an expected prevalence (i.e., desired assay sensitivity) of 0.80. The
best universal and human-, swine-, and cattle-specific fecal markers were the GenBac3, crAssphage CPQ_056,
Pig-2-Bac, and Bac3 assays, respectively. The high agreement (87.5%–100%) between the end-point PCR andthe qPCR results suggested that the end-point PCR could serve as a lower-cost MST screening test that
requires less technical expertise.
The Tha Chin River was monitored for MST markers at 12 PCD monitoring stations for four events covering
the wet and dry seasons. Universal markers were detected in all 48 samples, indicating persistent, continuing
fecal contamination. The sewage-specific markers were found at all stations along the river, and animalspecific markers were detected in the lower section of the Tha Chin, which is characterized by intensive
animal farming. Interestingly, swine-specific marker concentrations did not vary among the sampling events
whereas cattle-specific qPCR markers were detected only in the wet season.

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Sampling the Tha Chin river by boat

The bacteriophages of the Enterococcus faecalis strains AIM06 (DSM100702) and SR14 (DSM100701) havepreviously been validated as human sewage-specific MST markers in Thailand with high sensitivity (0.90) andideal specificity (1.00). Sewage-specific bacteriophages were detected at every station, confirming thecrAssphage qPCR results with 66% agreement among the total samples. This low-cost, culture-based
technique provides results in an incubation time as short as four hours and is therefore suitable in lowresource settings for preliminary use in prioritizing risk management between human and animal sources.

MST monitoring results in Tha Chin riverThis project also generated Thailand’s first MST laboratory guideline and a policy brief on MST. Toward theend of the project, a workshop was held to engage stakeholders in the development of tools to support
Thailand’s water-quality management policy. The 44 participants included representatives of the academic
and governmental sectors from universities, research institutes, the Metropolitan and Provincial Water_________Pg14
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Works, Wastewater Management Authority, PCD, Regional Environmental Office, Department ofEnvironmental Quality Promotion, Department of Health, Department of Livestock Development,
Department of Agriculture, Department of Agriculture Extension, Department of Disease Control, andCommunity Development Department. Two networks of participants, one from the academic and one fromthe governmental sector, were established for future collaborative action to improve water-quality
monitoring and management approaches.

Stakeholder Engagement Workshop Participants

Journal of Water and Health Welcomes a New
Editor- Article credit: Daisuke Sano

Dr. Samendra (Sam) Sherchan is an assistant professor in the department of Environmental Health
Sciences at Tulane University, New Orleans, LA, USA. He received both his bachelor’s and master’s
degrees from the department of Biology and Environmental
Science, Georgia College. He completed his Ph.D. degree in thedepartment of Soil, Water and Environmental Science at the
University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ under the guidance of Drs.
Charles Gerba, Shane Snyder and Ian Pepper, focusing his workon online sensors, water quality and water reuse. Dr. Sherchan
received his postdoctoral training from the University of
Arizona, focusing on the survival, fate, and transport ofemerging pathogens in natural and engineered water systems.
Currently, Dr. Sherchan is conducting research and advising students at Tulane, focusing on
pathogen detection, disinfection, antibiotic resistance, water reuse, microbial source tracking,
WASH and environmental virology. He also serves as an Associate Editor for the Journal of BMC
Infectious Diseases.
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News from IWA Headquarters
COVID-19: The post-pandemic outlook for water utilities
Water and wastewater utilities provide essential services – the good management of these resources
saves lives. This global health crisis has put a special spotlight on water utilities and they are
managing the crisis with innovative solutions and high ethical standards.
World Environment Day: Nature for Water and Sanitation Resources
World Environment Day 2020. This is the most renowned day for environmental action. Since 1974, it
has been celebrated every year on 5 June; engaging governments, businesses, celebrities and citizens
to focus their efforts on a pressing environmental issue.
New dates for IWA World Water Congress & Exhibition
Due to the unprecedented impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, the IWA World Water Congress &Exhibition is being postponed and will now take place on 9-14 May 2021. It will still be held in thewonderful city of Copenhagen.
What does COVID-19 mean for WASH and Vulnerable Communities?
Imagine being in the middle of a pandemic with no access to safe sanitation or clean drinking water,and no room for personal space. What do you do when 2 of the most useful measures of prevention
are regular hand-washing and social distancing? Vulnerable communities face this daunting reality
amidst this COVID-19 pandemic while trying to reduce the possibility of infection.
Taking Office: Programme Committee of the 6th International Water Regulators ForumAt the first online meeting of the Progamme Committee of the International Water Regulators Forum(IWRF) its members ratified their nomination, accepted the Terms of References and outlined theirworkplan for 2020-2021. They will present their work at the 6th IWRF in October 2020.
Regulators – a joint response to face the COVID-19 crisis
Regulatory agencies are at the forefront of making sure citizens and industry have access tofundamental services. They operate in a context of increasing complexity, technological disruption
and constrained resources and in these days water regulators work in a critical health area of oursocieties.
Utility Insight into the COVID-19 Pandemic
Worldwide, water and wastewater utilities provide essential services. Regular and thorough handwashing is one of the basic protective measures advised by the World Health Organization (WHO)against COVID-19. But also for any other household activity, safe drinking water and sanitation
services are critical.
A Technical Perspective on COVID-19
The COVID-19 (SARS-CoV-2) pandemic is raising many questions for the water sector around theworld. While operators provide their services within a national context, scientific and operational
concerns and insights are relevant across borders.
Information resources on water and Covid-19
The Covid-19 (SARS-CoV-2) pandemic is raising many questions for the water supply and wastewatersector around the world. This includes the public seeking reassurance about potential concerns. The
organisations who provide water and wastewater services have to respond to this and cope with thedirect impact of the pandemic on their workforces.
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News from IWA Publishing
Selected books
Environmentally Friendly (Bio) Technologies for the Removal of Emerging Organic andInorganic Pollutants from Water
Editors: Eldon R. Rene, Li Shu and Veeriah Jegatheesan
ISBN: 9781789060270
August 2019 • 224 Pages • Paperback
IWA Members price: £94.00 / US$ 141.00 / €118.00
https://www.iwapublishing.com/books/9781789061017/environmentally-friendlybiotechnologies-removal-emerging-organic-and-inorganic
The goal of this book is to present the emerging technologies and trends in the field ofwater and wastewater treatment. The papers in this book provide clear proof thatenvironmentally friendly (bio)technologies are becoming more and more important andplaying a critical role in removing a wide variety of organic and inorganic pollutants fromwater.
Coming Soon: Pharmaceutical Residues in Freshwater: Hazards and Policy Responses
Authors: Organization for Economic Co-Operation and Development
ISBN: 9781789061819
July 2020 • 136 pages • Paperback
IWA Members Price: £ 19.00 / US$ 29.00 / € 24.00
https://www.iwapublishing.com/books/9781789061819/pharmaceutical-residuesfreshwater-hazards-and-policy-responses
This report calls for a better understanding of the effects of pharmaceutical residues inthe environment, greater international collaboration and accountability distribution, andpolicy actions to prevent and remedy emerging concerns. Laboratory and field tests
show traces of oral contraceptives causing the feminisation of fish and amphibians, andresidues of psychiatric drugs altering fish behaviour. Antimicrobial resistance, linked tothe overuse of antibiotics, has rapidly escalated into a global health crisis.

Coming Soon: Biological Wastewater Treatment: 2nd Edition
Editors: Guang-Hao Chen, Mark C.M. van Loosdrecht, G.A. Ekama and Damir Brdjanovic
ISBN: 9781789060355
August 2020 • 866 Pages • Hardback
IWA Members Price: £101.00 / US$ 152.00 / €126.00
https://www.iwapublishing.com/books/9781789060355/biological-wastewatertreatment-2nd-edition
The target readership of this second edition remains the young water professionals, whowill still be active in the field of protecting our precious water resources long after the
aging professors who are leading some of these advances have retired. The authors, allstill active in the field, are aware that cleaning dirty water has
become more complex but that it is even more urgent now than 12 years ago, and offer
this second edition to help the young water professionals engage with the scientific andbioprocess engineering principles of wastewater treatment science and technology withdeeper insight, advanced knowledge and greater confidence built on stronger competence.

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Selected journal papers
Sanitary quality (bacteriological and physical-chemical) of drinking water in urban slums in Rio de Janeiro, RJ,
BrazilNatasha Berendonk Handam, José Augusto Albuquerque dos Santos, Antonio Henrique Almeida de Moraes
Neto, Maria de Fátima Leal Alencar, Caroline Ferraz Ignacio and Adriana Sotero-Martins
Journal of Water, Sanitation & Hygiene for Development, June 2020
https://doi.org/10.2166/washdev.2020.118
Water quality aspects related to domestic drinking water storage tanks and consideration in current
standards and guidelines throughout the world – A review
Irene Slavik, Keila Roberta Oliveira, Peter Baptista Cheung and Wolfgang Uhl
Journal of Water & Health, June 2020
https://doi.org/10.2166/wh.2020.052
Water Research X
As the gold open access mirror journal of Water Research, with Water Research X you benefit from the sameunified editorial team, reputable peer-review and high standards for all articles.
Water Research X offers you the opportunity to publish your research open access where it will be
immediately, permanently, and freely accessible to everyone. For all articles submitted before 31 December
2020, a 50% discount applies, so authors pay USD 1875, excluding taxes.
For more information please visit the Journal Homepage.

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