Emerging Contaminants in Australian Waters Dr. Jason Reynolds, Western Sydney University (School of Science and Health) Asia-Pacific Regional RCE Meeting 2018 25-27 September, 2018, Parramatta (Sydney), Australia

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The Presence of Illicit Compounds in the Hawkesbury-Nepean River System
Dr Jason Reynolds
School of Science and Health
Western Sydney University

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3. Illicit drugs in Sydney
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4. Emerging environmental pollutants
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Emerging environmental pollutants include
compounds that are not routinely monitored but which
have the potential to cause adverse ecological impacts.
During the 20th century, population growth and aging and
the development of the agrochemical, chemical, cosmetic
and pharmaceutical industries led to the synthesis and
increased production of innumerous compounds which are
currently and continuously consumed and disposed of in a
daily basis by millions of people worldwide.
Key criteria for an ‘emerging pollutant’ is that it is not
routinely monitored, or that its public presence is not
reported.
Cadmium
Diclofenac
Fluoroquinolones
Approximate removals during WWTP using
activated sludge
100%0 50%
Hydrocarbons
Ibuprofen
Naproxene
PFOS and PFAS
Parabens?
Silver
Triclosan
Cocaine?
Methamphetamine?

5. Pressures on WWTP in Sydney
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There are 25 WWTP in the Sydney basin and south
coast region
In Sydney alone, over 150 ML/day of treated
wastewater are discharged into river and creek systems
with over 130 ML/day directly into the Hawkesbury
Nepean River system which is the largest river in the
Sydney Basin
Hawkesbury-Nepean
1
2 3
4

6. National Influent Monitoring Program
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1,200 mg / 1,000 people / day
Or, 1.2 mg per person each day
Source: Australian Crime Intelligence Commission (2018)
National Wastewater Drug Monitoring Program – Report 4.

7. National Influent Monitoring Program
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700 mg / 1,000 people / day
Or, 0.7mg per person each day
Source: Australian Crime Intelligence Commission (2018)
National Wastewater Drug Monitoring Program – Report 4.

8. Australian Criminal Intelligence Commission Data (2018)
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Source: Australian Crime Intelligence Commission (2018)
National Wastewater Drug Monitoring Program – Report 4.

9. Our sampling program
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North Richmond – average 0.9 ML / day Penrith – average 22 ML / day
Quakers Hill – average 40 ML / day Rouse Hill – average 7 ML / day
Breakfast Creek into which Rouse Hill WWTP discharges

10. Results from effluent study
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Mean Illicit drug concentration (g/l) at discharge sites per sampling event
Seasonal variations (greater in winter than in autumn)
Other studies demonstrate weekday / weekend variations
Source: Plosz et al. 2013
Note units ng/L
WWTP in Oslo, Norway
Redbank Creek into which North Richmond WWTP discharges

11. Total loads
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Measured concentration at discharge point
multiplied by volume of discharge water
Boundary Creek into which Penrith WWTP discharges

12. Data normalised for population
10/4/2018 PAGE 12R
Average influent
Average effluent
Approximate 20% reduction

13. Data normalised for population
10/4/2018 PAGE 13R
Average influent
Average effluent
Approximate 10% reduction

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Environmental and ecological effects
1 Kasprzyk-Horden et al. 2008
2 Zuccato et al. 2008
The skeletal muscle of silver eels exposed to
20 ng L−1 of cocaine for 50 days. Their skeletal muscle
showed evidence of serious injury, including muscle
breakdown and swelling, similar to that typical of
rhabdomyolysis.
Source: Capaldo et al. 2018
Redbank Creek Boundary Creek Breakfast Creek Cattai Creek International
studies
ML / day 0.9 23.4 40 7
Methamphetamine 13.9 - 22.7 71.2 - 174.5 155 - 363 35.0 - 41.1 0.1 - 301
Benzoylecognine 3.8 - 19.4 25.7 - 76.0 57.2 - 210 113 - 123 8 – 3911
Cocaine 0.5 - 2.6 1.7 - 15.7 4.7 - 26.5 5.1 - 5.6 1.9 – 602
Artificial streams exposed to an environmentally relevant
concentration (1 μg L–1) for 22 days. There was up to 45%
lower biofilm chlorophyll, 85% lower biofilm gross
primary production, and 30% lower seston community
respiration compared to control streams.
Source: Lee et al. 2016
Concentration range (μg L–1) and comparative studies
Cattai Creek into which Quakers Hill WWTP
discharges

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Implications for recycled water
Western Sydney University has a long history of recycled water for
irrigation purposes.
WSU Hawkesbury campus.

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Implications for use of Hawkesbury-Nepean water
From colleague Ian Wright:
Available data are limited, but in the very low river flows in the recent
dry summer I estimate that treated sewage comprised almost 32% of the
Hawkesbury-Nepean flow in the North Richmond area for the first week
of January. The water is highly treated at the Sydney Water-owned
North Richmond plant to ensure it meets Australian drinking water
guidelines.
Source: Wright I (2018) More of us are drinking recycled sewage water than most people
realise. The Conversation. March 13, 2018.
With western Sydney being a growth corridor and an anticipated
population increase of 200,000 people and the introduction of a new
airport and ancillary businesses, the demands placed on WWTP’S will
increase. The question really is: how much more treated waste water
will be discharged into the Hawkesbury-Nepean system?
Rouse Hill water recycling plant. Source: Sydney Water

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Conclusions and opportunities
Concentrations of illicit drugs including cocaine and
methamphetamine were detected in WWTP
discharging into the Hawkesbury-Nepean river
system.
Cocaine and methamphetamine concentrations at
discharge points are at and/or above concentrations
reported in international literature.
Rough calculations suggest the removal efficiencies in
the WWTP process are in the order of 20%.
Increasing population growth in western Sydney will
result in greater WWTP discharge into the
Hawkesbury-Nepean river system.
There are few studies are being undertaken in this
area in an Australian setting.
Michelle Ryan completing a sampling transect from
WWTP discharge point and downstream

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Conclusions and opportunities

19. References
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Australian Crime Commission (2018) National Wastewater Drug Monitoring Program. Report 4. March 2018.
https://acic.govcms.gov.au/sites/g/files/net3726/f/nwdmp4.pdf?v=1522809564
Capaldo A, Gay, F, Lepretti (2018) Effects of environmental cocaine concentrations on the skeletal muscle of the European eel (Anguilla anguilla). Science of the
Total Environment. 1;640-641:862-873
Kasprzyk-Horden, B., Dinsdale, R. & Guwy, A. (2008) The occurrence of pharmaceuticals, personal care products, endocrine disruptiors and illicit drugs in surface
water in South Wales, UK., Water Research 42, 3498–3518.
Lee S, Paspalof A.M, Snow D et al. (2016) Occurrence and Potential Biological Effects of Amphetamine on Stream Communities. Environmental Science and
Techology. 50(17) 9727-9735
Plosz G.B, Reid M.J. et al Biotransformation kinetics and sorption of cocaine and its metabolites and the factors influencing their estimation in wastewater. Water
Research. 47:7 2129-2140
Sydney Water, (2018a) Wastewater treatment plants. http://www.sydneywater.com.au/SW/water-the-environment/how-we-manage-sydney-s-water/wastewater-
network/wastewater-treatment-plants/index.htm, (accessed 22nd January 2018)
Sydney Water, (2018b) Recycled water network. http://www.sydneywater.com.au/SW/water-the-environment/how-we-manage-sydney-s-water/recycled-water-
network/index.htm, (accessed 22nd January 2018)
Wright I (2018) More of us are drinking recycled sewage water than most people realise. The Conversation. March 13, 2018.
Zuccato, F., Castiglioni, S., Bagnati, R., Chiabrando, C., Grassi, P. & Fanelli, R., (2008) Illicit drugs, a novel group of environmental contaminants, Water Research
42, 961-968