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EPA/540/S03/500

Movement and Longevity of Viruses in the Subsurface (PDF)

 (25 pp, 1.1MB, About PDF)
Abstract

Since about half of the drinking water supplies in this country are taken from underground sources, and about half of the waterborne diseases are attributed to contaminated ground water with viruses being the principal pathogens, the transport and survival of particles in the subsurface is an important public health issue.

This issue paper discusses conditions affecting the transport and survival of viruses in the subsurface, identifies their sources as well as indicators of viral contamination, outlines the effects of hydrogeologic settings on their movement, and presents the current state of transport modeling along with an example of a screening model.

The transport, as well as survival, of pathogens in the subsurface is strongly virus dependent and subject to their retention to soil and aquifer materials. The more important factors affecting virus transport are soil water content, temperature, sorption and desorption, pH, salt content, type of virus, and hydraulic stresses.

For further information contact Dr. Ann Azadpour-Keeley (580) 436-8890 at the Ground Water and Ecosystems Restoration Division of the National Risk Management Research Laboratory, Office of Research and Development, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Ada, Oklahoma. keeley.ann@epa.gov

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