How Luxembourg detects microbes in its water supply before they pose a health risk

Water microbes are like invisible travelers – and some have a disease with them. Keeping the water circulating through our treatment plants, our healthy rivers and taps and sheltered from microbial infections is a challenge.

The distribution of microbes varies considerably in time and space. This makes them difficult to follow through conventional surveillance programs which are based on infrequent sampling (monthly or per week at best) in fixed locations.

When contamination occurs, it can be very episodic (for a few hours, for example) and microbial concentrations can be extremely low. Without advanced and highly sensitive detection methods, some microbes will remain unteashed.

Continuous monitoring is the best way to detect epidemics before exploding, identifying contamination before spreading and proactively protecting public health. In the small country in Luxembourg, we have tested new online surveillance initiatives such as microbs and cyanowatch to achieve it at the national level.

Luxembourg acts as a “life laboratory” where, by collaborating directly with the local authorities, our team from the Luxembourg Institute of Sciences and Technology (List) develops means of preventing the exposure of swimmers to toxic bacteria, for example, or to protect people during viral epidemics such as the COVVI-9 pandemic.

Water flows from natural sources through streams and rivers to treatment plants, then through distribution networks to our homes, and finally to wastewater treatment – before returning to the environment. At each stage, our dedicated observatories, equipped with multiple sampling and measurement instruments, continuously collect samples and continuously monitor the quality of microbial water.

These observatories mean that we can continuously assess the health risks of the Luxembourg public and make rapid and significant decisions early if necessary.

Meet the microbes

These advanced surveillance systems become even more crucial because the world changes intensify the microbial threats that we face. Climate change, demographic growth, loss of biodiversity and agricultural intensification create an explosive cocktail for emergence – or re -emergence – human and animal pathogens, allowing more contacts between people and animals.

Blue-green algae known as cyanobacteria are old bacteria that can become toxic when flooded with excess nutrients (phosphorus and nitrogen) from wastewater and agricultural runoff. In warm and stagnant waters, this can create massive algae flowers that cost billions of companies each year.

These flowers can disrupt natural ecosystems by the release of toxins in water. In acute cases of human exposure, they can trigger gastrointestinal, skin or neurological symptoms.

Viruses have a different challenge. These tiny invaders survive in the water for long periods, quickly spreading through interconnected wastewater and the supply of drinking water. From SARS-COV-2 (the virus that causes COVID-19) to noroviruses which cause vomiting and diarrhea, they can trigger large outbreaks of diseases.

This triple threat – increased water temperature induced by climate change, nutrient pollution and the complex ways of pathogens circulate – requires monitoring approaches that can detect these dangers before hitting.

Monitoring of these microbes

At List, we create innovative tools to protect public health by closely monitoring microbial dangers.

For example, in the Haute-Sûre tank (the country’s main leisure site and the drinking water supplier), a field observatory is equipped with automated instruments for surveillance 24-7 of cyanobacteria. Automated cameras take hourly images to key locations, and water buoys in water detect the first signs of harmful proliferations.

When a risk is detected, on -site toxin tests are carried out, with results available in one hour. Local authorities can be immediately alerted to issue swimming prohibitions in contaminated areas while keeping the safe areas open. These prohibitions can also be lifted faster using this system.

Another water observatory has recently been installed in Luxembourg to keep bacteria back and continuously in drinking water. Using sensors that transmit high resolution data in almost real time, this observatory follows changes in microbial water quality in strategic places through the drinking water supply network. This helps improve water management and supports long -term supply of drinking water.

During this time, our observatory based on wastewater, microbs, brings together information from the entries of 13 wastewater treatment plants across the country to monitor viruses such as Sras-COV-2 and flu. On -site instruments independently collect wastewater samples which are analyzed in the laboratory to provide an early warning of viral epidemics – often before they appear in the community.

Covering about 75% of the Luxembourg population, this observatory played a key role during the COVVI-19 pandemic. The data, shared regularly with the health authorities, have become as important as cases or hospitalization numbers, helping to guide targeted tests and implement an early response to protect the population.

To complete our technology -oriented observatories, we have also launched a citizen observatory. With British scientists, we have adapted an application called Bloomin ‘algae which allows the public to report and download photos of Cyanobacteria Blooms on the Luxembourg bath sites. These can then be verified by experts, confirmed observations appearing on a public card.

As climate change and demographic growth have tested precious water resources, technology and the contribution of citizens, used together, are an important way to quickly improve water surveillance and protect public health.

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