Pathogens in Urban Surface Water: Monitoring and Mitigation with Amsterdam as case study

Summary

During my PhD research, I investigated the occurrence and dynamics of pathogenic bacteria in the Amsterdam’s complex surface water system. Key pollution sources were identified, and the spatiotemporal variations in concentrations of a range of bacterial, viral and protozoan pathogens were investigated using traditional and more advanced sampling techniques with lower detection limits. Furthermore, the influence of local climatic and water matrix conditions on persistence and decay of Escherichia coli, as indicator for fecal bacterial pathogen, and Pseudomonas aeruginosa, as an indigenous opportunistic pathogen, in water was studied. Finally, the mechanisms and potential of porous media water filter technologies for removal of E. coli and P. aeruginosa were explored, to offer a basis for the design of nature-based approaches to cost effectively improve the microbial water quality accounting for the context of cities like Amsterdam.