Do Contaminants Originating from State-of-the-Art Treated Wastewater Impact the Ecological Quality of Surface Waters?

In urban areas, the water quality of small streams is predominantly impacted by structural degradation of stream morphology (e.g., channelization and straightening), agricultural land use in the catchment, and a high load of treated wastewater (WW). These are also the most apparent drivers of ecological conditions in anthropogenically disturbed surface waters. Together, these stressors have led to significant declines in aquatic fauna populations and biodiversity, in particular in freshwater ecosystems, which in turn has had a profound impact on the ecological integrity of many aquatic ecosystems [1]–[5].