Intensified climate change is already affecting water quality around the world. The fundamental goal of water quality engineering is to ensure water safety to human and the environment. Traditional water quality engineering includes monitoring, evaluation, and control of key water quality parameters, most of which however do not consider potential health impact of mixture pollutants - a reality faced by terminal water users. To focus on one of the original goals of water quality engineering—human health and environmental protection—here we advocate toxicity-oriented water quality monitoring and control. This presentation showcases some of our efforts to achieve this goal. Specifically, as a complement to traditional water quality parameters, we assessed water toxicity using high-sensitivity toxicological endpoints, and subsequently investigated the performance of some water quality intervention strategies in modulating water toxicity. Furthermore, we applied the toxicity concept to existing water treatment design theories to facilitate toxicity-oriented water quality control designs. Suggestions for the next steps are also discussed. We hope that our work will stimulate the interest of water quality scientists and engineers in improving and adopting the toxicity-oriented approach to water quality monitoring and control.
The 28th IUGG General Assembly (IUGG2023) (Berlin 2023)