Stay in the know on all things drinking water
Dr. William B. Anderson is a Research Associate Professor and the Associate Director of the Water Science, Technology & Policy Group at the University of Waterloo. He has been active in drinking water quality and treatment research for more than 40 years, recently focusing on pathogen identification/removal/inactivation, assessment of adsorbed and desorption of contaminants on microplastics, better understanding of the role of colloidal nutrients on cyanobacterial growth in drinking water reservoirs, perfluorinated compounds, and biological filtration.
The past 15 years, Bill has maintained an email service drawing attention to items of interest to drinking water professionals including, for example, the latest research articles, regulatory updates, outbreak reports, topical issues, and media stories. Bill’s email service has expanded over time to include all interested individuals. These emails are now also archived here in a blog format as they are released, which can be explored by category or simply by scrolling through the posts below.
If you would like to join Bill’s email list for updates straight to your inbox, you can send an email to Bill to be added to the list.
Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19)—Water and Sanitation
Synthesis of what is known about the virus, similar viruses, and the management of viruses in terms of water and sanitation systems.
Sampling Guidance for Unknown Contaminants in Drinking Water
This Sampling Guidance for Unknown Contaminants in Drinking Water provides comprehensive guidance that integrates recommendations for pathogen, toxin, chemical, and radiochemical sample collection, preservation, and transport procedures to support multiple analytical approaches for the detection and identification of potential contaminants in drinking water.
Assessment of Treatment Plant Performance and Water Quality Data: A Guide for Students, Researchers and Practitioners
The International Water Association (IWA) has just made a 639 page guide for the “Assessment of Treatment Plant Performance and Water Quality Data” freely available for download.
Multiple Sources of the Outbreak of Legionnaires’ Disease in Genesee County, Michigan, in 2014 and 2015-during Flint lead crisis
A community-wide outbreak of Legionnaires’ disease (LD) occurred in Genesee County, Michigan, in 2014 and 2015. Previous reports about the outbreak are conflicting and have associated the outbreak with a change of water source in the city of Flint and, alternatively, to a Flint hospital. OBJECTIVE: The objective of this investigation was to independently identify relevant sources of Legionella pneumophila that likely resulted in the outbreak.
Management of Legionella in Water Systems (2019)
The National Academies of Science, Engineering, and Medicine were asked by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (DVA), the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation to address the state of the science with regard to Legionella including its ecology, disease diagnosis, amplification within water systems, quantification, prevention and control, policy and guidance, and all associated research needs.
Cyanobacteria and their toxins in Canadian waters: guidelines from Health Canada Webinar
Health Canada is hosting a webinar entitled “Cyanobacteria and their toxins in Canadian waters: guidelines from Health Canada” on Jan 13 presenting the updated Guideline for Canadian Drinking Water Quality on Cyanobacterial Toxins.