Date of Award:

5-2017

Document Type:

Thesis

Degree Name:

Master of Science (MS)

Department:

Civil and Environmental Engineering

Committee Chair(s)

William J. Doucette

Committee

William J. Doucette

Committee

David K. Stevens

Committee

Laurie S. McNeill

Abstract

Pharmaceuticals and personal care products (PPCPs) consist of a large group of compounds including medicines, lotions, soaps, shampoos, and even flame retardants and insect repellants. After use, PPCPs often enter waste streams that are directed to municipal wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs). Due to inefficient removals in conventional wastewater treatment processes, WWTP discharges into streams and rivers are a major source of PPCPs to the environment.

The East Canyon Water Reclamation Facility (ECWRF) is a WWTP in Park City, Utah. After treatment, the ECWRF effluent is discharged into a small constructed wetland area before it enters East Canyon Creek. Due to low base flows in the late summer months, East Canyon Creek is a stream that is effluent-dominated seasonally. There is concern that PPCP levels in the creek might negatively impact aquatic organisms.

The focus of this study was to determine the concentrations of selected PPCPs in East Canyon Creek over different seasons and at varying distances from the ECWRF. A secondary objective of this study was whether the small constructed wetlands that receives ECWRF effluent decreases PPCP concentrations before entering the creek. Additionally, it was investigated whether sorption to wetland and stream sediments played a role in the fate of PPCPs in the wetlands and creek.

Except for caffeine, the ECWRF was found to be the major source of PPCPs in East Canyon Creek. In general, the highest concentrations of PPCPs in the creek were observed during late July, when approximately 76% of downstream water originated from ECWRF. Also, the lowest PPCP concentrations were observed during May, coinciding with a period of high spring snowmelt runoff. Downstream concentrations tended to decrease with increasing distance downstream (up to 10 km) for five out of the eleven selected PPCPs. For all selected PPCPs, concentrations did not tend to decrease within the small constructed wetlands, indicating that the wetlands are too small to have an impact. Analysis of sediment samples indicated that PPCPs tended to sorb more to wetland sediments than stream sediments, likely because of higher levels of organic carbon content.

Comparison of instream PPCP concentrations to risk value concentrations indicates that individual levels of PPCPs in East Canyon Creek are too low to have an impact on fish and other aquatic organisms, although little is known about the potential impact of PPCP mixtures.

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