Spatiotemporal analysis of fluorescent dissolved organic matter to identify the impacts of failing sewer infrastructure in urban streams

Abstract

Failing sewer infrastructure introduces raw wastewater into streams. We used fluorescence excitation-emission matrix (EEM) spectroscopy and parallel factor analysis (PARAFAC) to track hotspots of raw wastewater in low- and medium-order urban streams that do not receive wastewater effluent but are impacted by sanitary sewer overflows, septic systems, and sewer exfiltration. After analyzing 296 surface water samples from 27 sites in two watersheds over a one-year period, we proposed that the (i) area-normalized ratio of soluble microbial product-like to humic acid-like fluorescence (R4/R5 ≥ 0.85) and (ii) ratio of EEM-PARAFAC components with tryptophan-like and fulvic acid-like fluorescence (C4/C3 ≥ 1.45) could distinguish when and where untreated wastewater is introduced to urban streams. The proposed ratios were validated by co-detection of contaminants of emerging concern, such as sucralose, antibiotics, and UV filters, at concentrations as high as 1354, 108, and 212 ng L⁻¹, respectively. Based on the aggregate data, we identified three sites in rural/suburban areas that were impacted by septic systems and ten sites in urban sections affected by sanitary sewer overflows and/or sewer exfiltration. Moreover, the ratiometric C4/C3 and R4/R5 parameters were immune to dilution effects caused by rain events. Impacts on upstream sites were mostly identified in spring and early summer, but urban hotspots occurred in almost every month. These findings confirmed the potential for EEM-PARAFAC-based wastewater indicators as a quick, easy, cost-effective, and scalable technique to screen for failing sewer infrastructure in low-order streams.