Publication Abstract

Raw water transfers (RWT) are artificial movements of untreated water, which are moved from areas of high supply and low demand to areas of low supply and high demand. Increasing demands on water infrastructure coupled with climate change mean that the reliance of the water industry on RWT will increase significantly within the next decade. This study aims to qualitatively assess the risk of introduction and establishment of invasive pathogens as a result of raw water transfer. Using the Source-Pathway-Receptor-Consequence model, the pathway and processes involved in microorganism movement due to RWT are mapped. The biological factors affecting the survival and persistence of pathogens are discussed, and how these interact with the physical parameters of RWT. Highlighted are potential freshwater diseases of importance to the UK and the evaluation of their potential to persist within the environment and to be transmitted via RWT. High and low risk scenarios with respect to pathogen spread via RWT are also presented. This risk analysis provides evidence that more detailed study of pathogen interactions with RWT variables is required for quantitative risk assessments to be made.

Rachel Foster*, David Bass*, Paul F. Clark, David Morritt, Paul Stebbing