Healthy drinking water.

UK Water Engineers played a critical role in establishing the modern paradigm of clean drinking water. From the first slow sand filtration plant in Paisley, Scotland in 1804 to the first water chlorination facility in Lincoln, England in 1905; UK Water Engineers have been at the forefront in the provision of clean drinking water for over two centuries. Yet over this extended period, the idea "clean" water has remained immune to change. Consider the fact that all major water treatment technologies developed to date focus on two objectives: remove contamination and kill microorganisms. The fulfilment of these two objectives - as challenging as it might be - is considered sufficient for the provision of safe drinking water. Iterative engineering applied to this centuries old idea has stifled innovation and ushered in decades of complacency that has relied on regulatory pressures to trigger technology development, without reflection on whether "safe" water itself is the appropriate ultimate goal.

This project proposes to transform the old paradigm of "safe" drinking water to one that aspires to produce and supply "healthy" drinking water. This will be accomplished by the development of technologies and water management strategies that utilise naturally occurring microbes to deliver (biologically active) healthy drinking water to the customer's tap. Specifically, this project will develop two distinct ways of beneficially utilising microbial communities in drinking water. First, this project will explore engineered assembly of a beneficial microflora consisting of a cocktail of naturally occurring microbes that can be used to kill pathogens with precision at the water treatment plant and act as a protective barrier in the water supply system, thus eliminating the need for chemical disinfection. Second, the latest breakthroughs in 'omic technologies and databases on human microbiome will be used to identify microorganisms in drinking water that can be of potential benefit to human health. This information will be utilised to develop engineering approaches to cultivate these microbes in the drinking water treatment plant and facilitate their effective delivery to the customer's tap.

Both of these approaches, embedded within the larger vision of engineering beneficial drinking water biology, have the potential to set a new direction for research and innovation in the drinking water industry and could also significantly transform public health. First, by eliminating the need for chemical based disinfection, this research will pave the way for comprehensively chemical free drinking water industry of the future. Second, the identification of drinking water microbes that are beneficial for human health will lead to radical change in our perceptions about the role of drinking water in public health and well-being. It will provide the water industry with a new framework and set of principles on which to build the water infrastructure of the future.

From preventing biofilms in water pipes to eliminating biofouling layers on water treatment membranes, for over a hundred years a significant focus of the drinking water industry has been on controlling biology by means of eradicating it. The ambition of this project is to challenge the notion that microbial presence in drinking water is undesirable and to develop approaches that harness the beneficial aspects of the drinking water microbiome. As a result, this project will shape the future of the drinking water research over the foreseeable future by catalysing the development of a brand new research theme focused on beneficial biology.

Medium term impacts: The water industry has long recognised that chemical treatment is unsustainable and has been gearing up for a move away from it. However, chemical disinfection (e.g. chlorine) and/or newer energy intensive treatments (e.g. UV treatment) are considered as effective means of ensuring safe water. As a result, the development of alternatives ways of eliminating pathogenic microorganisms has been sorely lacking. I envision that research on selective pathogen deletion using beneficial microbes will play a key role in helping the drinking water industry consider biological alternatives to disinfection - thus providing a path towards comprehensively chemical free and low energy water treatment. Given the novelty of this approach, several related research themes are certain to emerge. For example, future research (beyond lifetime of this grant) will likely pursue (1) comprehensive pathogen deletion (beyond those tested in this project), (2) development of approaches to maintain the beneficial microbiota in the water supply systems as a protective barrier against pathogen contamination (e.g. 3D printing beneficial biofilms on water pipes), and (3) biostability of drinking water with the presence of beneficial microbes. These are just three examples of the types of research avenues that are likely to emerge within drinking water field over the medium term with direct benefits for the water industry.

Long term impacts: This project will the first of its kind to identify microorganisms in drinking water that are beneficial towards public health and start developing approaches to promote their growth at the water treatment plant and facilitate their effective delivery through the water supply system. I anticipate that in the long-term this research will have a significant impact on not only biology-centric technology development in the water industry but also on public health. Consider the fact that increased incidence of autoimmune disorders is attributed to the lack of exposure to microbiological agents. The NHS spends ~11% (>£1.5 billion) of its drug budget on autoimmune disorders every year; whereas US spends ~$100 billion each year on healthcare costs associated with autoimmune disorders. Facilitated exposure to beneficial microbes through drinking water has a significant potential to improve public health and thus reduce the healthcare burden of autoimmune disorders. This benefit may also translate to a vast array of health problems that are increasingly being linked to disruption of the healthy human associated microbial communities. The realisation of probiotic drinking water will have a significant impact on public health and the healthcare industry.