Fate and persistence of emerging contaminants and multiresistant bacteria in a continuum of surface water groundwater from laboratory scale to regional scale

Emerging organic contaminants (EOCs), such as pharmaceutical compounds, and mutli-resistant bacteria (MRB) represent a growing public health concern. Their source are better characterized than their fate, especially in groundwater. In this context, the PERSIST project aims to increase the knowledge on the behaviour of a selection of targeted pharmaceutical products and multi resistant bacteria in both surface water and groundwater bodies. The study will be carried out at two complementary hydrogeological field sites, in France, the Vistrenque basin (WP1), where the primary source of EOCs is WWTP effluents, and in Spain, the Empordà basin (WP2), where the primary source of EOCs is agriculture. To better constrain the sources and transfer processes of these compounds, their occurrence will be correlated to environmental tracers to define the origin and residence time of water. Complementary column experiments will allow to evaluate transport parameters (WP3) and these results will be up-scaled with the aim to model the fate and migration of EOCs at the catchment scale. Hence results will be useful to identifying areas of vulnerability, delineate guidelines for groundwater pollution prevention, and aquifer restoration,  contributing to the development and implementation of EU directives for EOCs occurrence in water bodies.

Funding agencies
French National Agency for Water and Aquatic Environments (ONEMA) – France

Ministerio de Economia y Competitividad (MINECO) – Spain

Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) – Germany