Challenge 1 Challenge 2 Conceptual framework - 1. Define 2. Sources 3. Management (awareness & prevention, treatment technologies, novel tools & analysis) Drinking water treatment (surface water & ground water) Small scale (PWS) …. Large scale (WTP) Wastewater treatment (Rural & urban) Small scale (septic tank) ….. Large scale (WWTP)

Emerging Wastewater Drinking water Types & sources Microplastics Hospital/veterinary & domestic pharmaceutical waste AMR genes Agro chemicals (e.g. emerging strains of human pathogens) Unknowns! Interactions……. Management challenges Decentralised local scale Centralised treatment Types and Sources Disinfection by-products (urban and rural source) Hydrocarbons (urban source) Groundwater (leaking underground reservoirs) Natural sources (arsenic, fracking by-products, mineral deposits, mining risks, etc.) Landfill sites Leaching from wastewater sludge Agro chemicals (e.g. emerging strains of human pathogens) Unknowns! Interactions……… Management challenges Private supplies Urban supply

Beginnings of key research needs (to develop into questions) Behavioural change – awareness, individual actions scaled up to community Extreme events – different geographical contexts Bioaccumulation….(for some)? Technological innovation & monitoring / analysis (can we monitor them, analyse in real time, costs? Datasets?) - Prevention better than cure……

Ideas What is going on internationally? Critical review of best practice / understanding of managing emerging pollutants in decentralised systems – Horizon scanning Behaviour change – assessing current behaviours in rural communities (e.g. disposal, usage, knowledge) Crowdsourced data collection for decentralised wastewater systems (inclusive of Septic tanks, pit latrines, SUDS, constructed wetlands etc etc)….(novel disposable kits – real time info on emerging contaminants) – low-cost solution kits…international transferability Transferability of knowledge of ‘known’ emerging pollutants to newer emerging pollutants (multiple benefits) Fate of emerging pollutants in decentralised systems – dynamics over time – not just human health benefits, appreciating wider ecosystem service benefits Economics – expensive to transfer sludge from local rural communities to treatment plants – how address? New localised technology? Is new technology effective? Wastewater as a resource – we must understand fate of emerging pollutants in WWT systems to have confidence in closing the loop (safe reuse)

Immediate hit, quick win…(within a year?....) Critical review of best practice / understanding of managing emerging pollutants in decentralised systems …. (International knowledge) Check what Jannette said – difference here may be emerging pollutant angle …. (potential reinvention of wheel – lets ask!) Any angle we could take to complement & add value? (risks of loss/export of emerging pollutants….) MSc project? Maps onto risks/interfaces/processes/equity/behavioural change

Medium term (2-5 years) Assessing current behaviour, attitudes & patterns of understanding across contrasting stakeholder groups - e.g. Rural communities, Vets, Hospital staff, Farmers (e.g. disposal, usage, knowledge) – impacts on emerging pollutants in wastewater – issues vary across sectors and route of emergence of pollutants….. Assessing current behaviour – fine tune target groups How dispose? Levers to promote change? Different options? Acceptability? Scenarios analysis / choice-based experiments? Extensive survey-based approach – social science expertise needed plus….. Complementary monitoring Policy formulation- provide the evidence base Scottish Water / SEPA interest? ... (CASE studentship)?????? HydroNation Scholar (if funding continues….) Maps onto risks/interfaces/processes/equity/behavioural change

Research Project 3-5 yrs : Fate of Emerging Pollutants in wastewater infrastructure, wastes & the wider environment Fate of emerging pollutants in decentralised systems – dynamics over time – not just human health benefits, appreciating wider ecosystem service benefits Wastewater as a resource – we must understand fate of emerging pollutants in WWT systems to have confidence in closing the loop (safe reuse) Transferability of knowledge of ‘known’ emerging pollutants to newer emerging pollutants (multiple benefits) Role of seasonality / extreme event impacts on degradation / decay Sludge & emerging contaminants – Field-based experiments, controlled lab complementarity Septic tanks as ‘real world labs’ Accumulation of emerging pollutants in sediments and other habitats (a new legacy impact) Maps onto risks/interfaces/processes/equity/behavioural change

Longer term aspirational project: Crowdsourced data collection for decentralised water & wastewater systems Citizen Science – citizen science portal Monitoring opportunities for septic tanks, pit latrines, SUDS, constructed wetlands etc etc Requirement for novel low cost disposable kits – real time info on emerging contaminants …international transferability – develop in UK, wider applicability to other areas of the world (rapidly developing, less developed) Coupled with online logging – capture large scale datasets Mobile phone apps Quality control…….. Expertise: informatics plus……. Maps onto risks/interfaces/processes/equity/behavioural change