Critical Evaluation and Assessment of Health and Environmental Risks from Antibiotic Resistance in Reuse and Wastewater

Managing the spread of antibiotic resistance is one of today’s greatest public health challenges. A growing body of monitoring data on the occurrence of antibiotic resistant bacteria and antibiotic resistance genes in wastewater, recycled water, and drinking water is becoming available, but it is unclear how to interpret and act upon the data with the need to balance other water quality objectives and water demands. The primary objective of this project was to develop and disseminate a risk assessment framework for water-based sources of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) that is grounded in the state-of-the-science and vetted by academic experts and water professionals. This effort produced several tangible products of value to water utilities managing AMR risk and an accessible database to inform future risk assessment efforts. Co-sponsored by: Global Water Research Coalition. Published in 2024.

Originally funded as WERF project LINK-17-10 .