The utility of flow cytometry for potable reuse

Protecting public health from pathogens is critical when treating wastewater to drinking water standards (i.e., planned water reuse). Viruses are a principal concern, yet real-time monitoring strategies do not currently measure virus removal through reuse processes. Flow cytometry (FCM) has enabled rapid and sensitive bacteria monitoring in water treatment applications, but methods for virus and protozoa monitoring remain immature. We discuss recent advances in the FCM field and FCM applications for quantifying microorganisms in water. We focus on flow virometry (FVM) developments, as virus enumeration methods show promise for water reuse applications. Ultimately, we propose FVM for near real-time monitoring across treatment to more accurately validate virus particle removal and for pilot studies to characterize removal through understudied unit processes.