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INVESTIGATOR: Ray, A. J.; Antonious, G.; Dasgupta, S.; Durborow, R.; Cochran, N.; Weibel, C.; Silitonga, M.; Malone, R.

PERFORMING INSTITUTION:
KENTUCKY STATE UNIVERSITY
FRANKFORT, KENTUCKY 40601

INTEGRATED APPROACH FOR SUSTAINABLE AQUACULTURE AND AGRICULTURE PRODUCTION WITH THE USE OF RECLAIMED WATER FROM RURAL COMMUNITIES

NON-TECHNICAL SUMMARY: It is estimated that there are over 16,000 publicly owned wastewater treatment plants in the U.S. that treat 35 billion gallons per day, and produce 6.5 million metric tons of dried sewage sludge. Only 6% of the municipal wastewater is reused. This mean that millions of gallons of reclaimed water are released daily back to the river systems without any further use. This project support the development of a cutting edge technology in which wastewater resources and biosolids are used to produce commercial levels of fish and plants. The use of reclaimed water for aquaculture is an innovative approach to secure food production through the integration of decommissioned wastewater treatment plants with sustainable agricultural technologies. With better methods for processing wastewater, many municipalities are now building new, larger facilities, and decommissioning the old ones, many of which have tanks and ponds that could be converted for fish culture. Many are being needlessly demolished when recycling them as fish production facilities could save the community demolition costs, create new jobs and generate revenue. The new facilities are being built adjacent to the old, and would allow reclaimed water to be used for aquaculture. One concern of using reclaimed water for food production is the chemicals that could be present in the water especially persistent organic pollutants such as endocrine-disrupting compounds (EDCs). There are different methods for the treatment of reclaimed water. During the final treatment stage, water could be disinfected by ozone or ultraviolet light (UV). The goal of this integrated project is to use reclaimed water for aquaculture and agriculture enterprises for rural municipalities and their limited resource farmers. Specific objectives are to: 1) evaluate and compare fish production, water quality and bioeconomics using ozone-treated, UV-treated, and UV combined with ozone-treated reclaimed water technology; 2) biomonitor fish for contaminants using reclaimed water; 3) biomonitor plants for contaminants using biosolids; 4) develop a demonstration farm and provide workshops for dissemination and transfer of sustainable technology to rural communities, and 5) develop on-line course on theory and application of reclaimed water treatment. In this project we want to prove that fish culture in reclaimed water and plants grown in biosolids are safe for human consumption. This project will compare the removal and bioaccumulation of EDCs from reclaimed water treated. The results of this project will provide technological information for using reclaimed water facilities for agriculture enterprises with UV and ozone. In addition, the results will be an important and critical step in understanding the accumulation of EDCs within the particular food when reclaimed water or biosolids are used. This project will serve as a model to other universities, federal and state agencies and stakeholders involved in water reuse and agriculture by providing bench-mark information and educational opportunities pertinent to the advancement of sustainable agriculture production systems that uses reclaimed water and biosolids.

OBJECTIVES: The goal of this project is to use reclaimed water for aquaculture and biosolids for agriculture enterprises for rural municipalities and their limited resource farmers. Specific objectives are: 1) To evaluate and compare fish production, water quality and bioeconomics using ozone-treated, UV-treated, and UV combined with ozone-treated reclaimed water technology; 2) To biomonitor fish for contaminants using reclaimed water; 3) To biomonitor plants for contaminants using biosolids; 4)To develop a demonstration farm and provide workshops for dissemination and transfer of sustainable technology to rural communities, and 5) To develop on-line course on theory and application of reclaimed water treatment. The results of this project will provide technological information for using reclaimed water facilities (RWF) for agriculture enterprises. As by-products from conventional RWF, reclaimed water will be used for aquaculture in combination with sewage sludge that will be introduced as an alternative agricultural resource. The project will provide information to verify the safety of the crops grown from reclaimed water and biosolids by evaluating contaminants in fish, fruits, soil and water. A key emphasis will be to monitor endocrine disrupting compounds in fish culture in reclaimed water and plants grown in biosolids. The use of reclaimed water and biosolids to augment safe and healthy food supplies will have a significant potential for helping to relief the global food crisis in a changing world. In addition, this novel research information will be delivered by holding workshops in the demonstration farm that promotes rural development. This new way to produce food and income will be outreached to rural communities by helping individuals learn alternative ways of sustainable agriculture. Rural communities could create jobs by embracing the use of reclaimed water and biosolids for agricultural production. Furthermore, the transfer of knowledge generated from this project will be incorporated into an online course. This course will expand and diversify our curriculum at KSU for teaching students. This project will create jobs for a Co-Investigator, a graduate student and two undergraduate workers and expand the KSU curriculum to include theory and application of reclaimed water treatment thereby attracting a broader base of students. These persons will be qualified to pursue further education and careers in agriculture, aquaculture, environmental science, economics and education and to increase the diversity of the U.S. food and agricultural science base. Funding a demonstration farm and learning center will greatly expand the research, teaching and extension capabilities of the aquaculture and environmental programs and other related programs at KSU. Fish and plants from these operations would provide steady supplies of consumer-safe products and alleviate use of groundwater. Reclaimed water and biosolids management alternatives have the potential for expanding the Nation's food supply through reuse of these resources.