Research Projects

SNWA researchers are studying a variety of topics to help make drinking water safer for all consumers. Below is a brief description of current research projects. For more information about these projects, please fill out a contact form and note your area of interest.

Toxicological relevance of endocrine disruptors and pharmaceuticals in drinking water

SNWA is the principal investigator along with 10 other utilities. The project will develop drinking water reference doses for the most prevalent endocrine disruptors and pharmaceuticals using Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) risk assessment guidelines. The study will compare concentrations of endocrine disruptors found in drinking water to those found in food and beverages.

Utility guide

SNWA is developing a utility guide on endocrine disruptors and pharmaceutical treatment, toxicology, occurrence, analytical methods and public outreach.

Treatment processes evaluation

This project will determine the effectiveness of various treatment processes to remove emerging contaminants. The project involves evaluating conventional and advanced treatment processes to remove endocrine disruptors and pharmaceutically active compounds.

Reclaimed water aquifer storage and recovery

This project is designed to investigate the fate of a large group of organic contaminants when wastewater effluent is stored in underground aquifers. The study includes groundwater injection sites in Australia, Kuwait and the United States.

Impacts of household chemicals

What happens to the cleaning chemicals you pour down your drain or that rain washes into the gutter? SNWA is investigating the fate of household products through wastewater treatment and transport into source waters.

Development of indicators and surrogates for chemical contaminant removal

This project will determine the most appropriate indicators and surrogates to evaluate water treatment performance and to track contaminants in natural waters. The results will minimize the need to investigate all emerging contaminants individually and will instead designate key surrogates to evaluate water for chemical contaminant removal during wastewater treatment.