Coupling Hydrological and Sanitation Datasets to Simulate Wastewater-Derived Contamination in Europe : Model Development and Calibration

Wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) discharges of microcontaminants have been shown to have negative impacts on freshwater streams, highlighting the need for accurate mapping of wastewater-derived contamination in water bodies across Europe (EU). In this study, we present a fast and open-source code for a microcontaminants fate and transport (MFT) model, capable of simulating contamination at a high resolution (15 arc second scale) across the EU in just 25 seconds. The model was developed using the best publicly available hydrological (HydroSHEDS) and sanitation (UWWTD) datasets and was rigorously calibrated, with a goodness of fit (r2 of 77.5%) that is the largest reported in the literature for MFT models. Importantly, the model demonstrated the ability to predict wastewater-derived contamination in water bodies, making it a valuable tool for planning the upgrade of WWTPs and improving the ecological condition of freshwater streams in the EU