Cyanobacteria and their taste and odor (T&O) compounds are a growing concern in water sources globally. Geosmin and 2-methylisoborneol (MIB) are the most commonly detected T&O compounds associated with cyanobacterial presence in drinking water sources. The use of ultraviolet and hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂) as an advanced oxidation treatment for T&O control is an emerging technology. However, residual H₂O₂ (>80% of the initial dose) has to be removed from water prior final disinfection. Recently, granular activated carbon (GAC) is used to remove H₂O₂ residual. The objective of this study is to assess the impact of H₂O₂ quenching and aging processes on GAC capacity for the removal of geosmin and MIB. Pilot columns with different types of GAC and presence/absence of H₂O₂ have been used for this study. H₂O₂ removal for the operational period of 6 months has no significant impact on GAC capacity to remove the geosmin and MIB from water.

Potable reuse is implemented in several countries around the world to augment strained water supplies. This article presents a public health perspective on potable reuse by comparing the critical infrastructure and institutional capacity characteristics of two well-established potable reuse schemes with conventional drinking water schemes in developed nations that have experienced waterborne outbreaks. Analysis of failure events in conventional water systems between 2003 and 2013 showed that despite advances in water treatment technologies, drinking water outbreaks caused by microbial contamination were still frequent in developed countries and can be attributed to failures in infrastructure or institutional practices. Numerous institutional failures linked to ineffective treatment protocols, poor operational practices, and negligence were detected. In contrast, potable reuse schemes that use multiple barriers, online instrumentation, and operational measures were found to address the events that have resulted in waterborne outbreaks in conventional systems in the past decade. Syndromic surveillance has emerged as a tool in outbreak detection and was useful in detecting some outbreaks; increases in emergency department visits and GP consultations being the most common data source, suggesting potential for an increasing role in public health surveillance of waterborne outbreaks. These results highlight desirable characteristics of potable reuse schemes from a public health perspective with potential for guiding policy on surveillance activities.