Development of Simulation Models and Biosensors to Detect Biological Agents in Water Distribution Systems (NSF)

The primary objective of this project is to establish a research infrastructure that will improve our ability to detect and quantify exposure to biological agents of concern at the newly-established Water Village at The University of Arizona.

CAMRA - The Center for Advancing Microbial Risk Assessment (Co-sponsored by Dept. of Homeland Security & U.S. Environmental Protection Agency): CAMRA Website

CAMRA is a consortium of scientists who have extensive expertise in quantitative microbial risk assessment (MRA) methods, biosecurity and infectious disease transmission through environmental exposures. CAMRA has two main goals. The first goal is a technical mission to develop critically reviewed and interpreted sets of models, tools, and information that will be used in a credible risk assessment framework to reduce or eliminate health impacts from the deliberate use of biological agents of concern (BAC) or as bioterrorist agents in the indoor and outdoor environment. The second mission is to build a national network for MRA for knowledge management, learning, and transfer, not only for scientists and professionals in the field but also for members of our communities.

There are five major research projects which will define the goals and activities of CAMRA. Each project goal was developed through the collaborative efforts of engineers and scientists and will be integrated via a management structure that facilitates interaction. Project goals (or scientists?) address exposure, methods and models; dose-response; population outcomes; risk frameworks; and knowledge management, transfer and learning.

Overall these projects will focus on assessments, lessons learned, new science and research, databases, tools and methods, and finally knowledge-building for learning and communication purposes.

Specific Tasks: The primary objective of this task is to establish a research infrastructure at the newly-established Water Village at The University of Arizona. The system will be designed based on EPANET. Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) will be used to examine the accuracy of the EPANET Water Quality model, which will be revised if necessary. The Artificial Neural Network (ANN) model will be tested to identify the unknown parameters that lead to concentration histories, release locations, and the release time of hypothesized biological agents.

Feasibility of Monitoring Biological Agents in Water Distribution and Collection Systems (DARPA-DOD, UA-VP Office)

The overall objective is to assess the feasibility of monitoring biological agents in water systems as an early warning of the release of biological weapons. This is accomplished by a review of the published literature, reports, field experiments, and modeling.

Role of Irrigation Methods on Microbial Food Safety (FDA)

The overall goal of this project is to provide guidelines through interdisciplinary research between Biosystems Engineering and Environmental Microbiology to minimize produce contamination during production. The degree of microbial contamination is dependent upon the type of crop, irrigation method, concentration of pathogens in the irrigation water, and harvesting methods. We are investigating the fate of pathogens on the crop, which are dependent on the climate (temperature, humidity, and rainfall), the type of microorganism, and the type of crop.

Subsurface Drip Irrigation using Effluent in Arid Lands (IALC)

The present research evaluates the water use efficiency of two irrigation systems (Subsurface Drip Irrigation - SDI and Furrow Irrigation - FI) in Arizona, Israel, and Palestine. The primary objectives include: evaluation of the water use efficiency of SDI (vs. FI), assessment of the quality of produce, determination of the effectiveness of SDI in preventing plant and soil contamination by indicating bacterial viruses during the irrigation of iceberg lettuce with reclaimed wastewater, and establishment of a protocol for SDI system design, maintenance, and irrigation scheduling for lettuce in arid- and semi-arid lands.

This research evaluates water use efficiency and health risk issues of irrigation systems.