Proposed EU minimum quality requirements for water reuse in agricultural irrigation and aquifer recharge: SCHEER scientific advice

“This manuscript summarizes the opinion of the Scientific Committee on Health, Environmental and Emerging Risks (SCHEER) on the report prepared by the European Commission Joint Research Centre entitled “Proposed EU minimum quality requirements for water reuse in agricultural irrigation and aquifer recharge” (draft V.3.3, February 2017). The SCHEER concludes that, while the methodology chosen is appropriate and the report considers many important elements, the document is deficient in key details. In particular the report inadequately addresses (i) contaminants of emerging concern, (ii) antibiotic resistance spread through urban wastewater treatment plants’ effluents, and (iii) possible risks associated with disinfection and/or advanced treatment of urban wastewater (e.g. formation of disinfection by products and related toxicity). Therefore, the SCHEER is of the opinion that the minimum quality requirements proposed provide insufficient protection both to environmental and human health. The SCHEER supports the case-by-case approach proposed, but recommends that common criteria be defined for the development of case-by-case assessments, in order to ensure comparable minimum quality requirements across EU Member States.”

(Citaat: Rizzo, L., Krätke, R., Linders, J., Scott, M., Vighi, M., de Voogt, W.P. – Proposed EU minimum quality requirements for water reuse in agricultural irrigation and aquifer recharge: SCHEER scientific advice – Current Opinion in Environm Science and Health (2018)2, 7-11)