'Good' News On Crop Irrigation

Here's a study that is sure to have mixed reviews. The study released recently stated that treated waste-water is identical to fresh water in long-term irrigation use. The reasoning behind testing the water's quality is to understand the residual amount of antibiotic-resistant bacteria.

Studies have shown waste-water effluents as having an impact on natural reservoirs, which might be linked to increase in antibiotic resistance. The aim of this study was to find the long-term effect of using treated waste-water and antibiotic resistance.

Although the levels of antibiotic-resistant bacteria were similar between soils irrigated with fresh water and soils irrigated with treated waste-water in the samples tested, the author concluded with a "cautious" tone. With the population continuing to rise, the use of treated waste-water continues to rise among farmers as well;could this soon be a reality for everyone?