Celebrating 10 years of Environmental Science: Water Research & Technology
Graham A.
Gagnon
*a,
Paige J.
Novak
b and
David M.
Cwiertny
c
aDepartment of Civil and Resource Engineering, Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada. E-mail: Graham.Gagnon@Dal.Ca
bDepartment of Civil, Environmental, and Geo-Engineering, University of Minnesota, 500 Pillsbury Drive SE, Minneapolis, Minnesota 55455, USA. E-mail: novak010@umn.edu
cDepartment of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Iowa, 4655 Seamans Center, Iowa City, USA. E-mail: david-cwiertny@uiowa.edu
Abstract
As the current and past Editors-in-Chief of Environmental Science: Water Research & Technology (ES:WRT), we are thrilled to celebrate the journal's 10-year anniversary!
This accomplishment speaks to the vibrant research community that has supported the journal to “showcase high-quality research about fundamental science, innovative technologies, and management practices that promote sustainable water”. This very straightforward mission for the journal has guided three Editors-in-Chief over the journal's first decade, as has the journal's ambitious scope, in which ES:WRT “aims to provide a comprehensive and relevant forum that unites the diverse communities and disciplines conducting water research relevant to engineered systems and the built environment. This includes fundamental science geared toward understanding physical, chemical, and biological phenomena in these systems as well as applied research focused on the development and optimisation of engineered treatment, management, and supply strategies”. As Editors (former and current), we are grateful to have been a part of launching and stewarding the journal, and helping you, our authors and readers, in facilitating its growth and impact on the water research and technology field. As a Society-based journal, we are fortunate to be connected to a vibrant community of practice that is committed to advancing new science and innovation.
Ten years ago, in 2015, Dave Cwiertny introduced ES:WRT as a “better alternative”. We believe that it has lived up to this promise. Over the past 10 years, the journal has published more than 1700 papers. In its first year, the journal broke new ground as a place to go for the latest water research with an engineered system focus. Many other journals have followed in our footsteps since. In that first year, there were 81 papers published. One of our first publications has also been one of its most cited, “The consumptive water footprint of electricity and heat: a global assessment” by Mekonnen and colleagues (https://doi.org/10.1039/C5EW00026B). In that paper, the global consumptive water footprint of electricity and heat was estimated as 378 billion m3 per year. In a world with more people and new forms of electricity generation, it would be fascinating to understand how this research area has evolved and changed. Michielssen and colleagues (2016) wrote one of the original microplastic papers, “Fate of microplastics and other small anthropogenic litter (SAL) in wastewater treatment plants depends on unit processes employed” (https://doi.org/10.1039/C6EW00207B). This highly cited paper found that wastewater facilities with granular sand filtration or membrane filtration resulted in the highest possible removal of microplastics, which importantly set a course for future discourse and debate in microplastics research. Finally, the journal's most cited paper to date, entitled “Waterworks-specific composition of drinking water disinfection by-products (DBPs)” by Andersson and colleagues (https://doi.org/10.1039/C9EW00034H), is a paper that exemplifies the spirit of ES:WRT. The team utilized non-target analysis to detect DBPs at four Swedish waterworks. The authors showed that the largest portion of DBPs formed at these water treatment facilities were unique for each plant, which the authors attributed to the unique water matrices of each water system. Five years after its publication, this article remains incredibly relevant, connecting current water treatment challenges of disinfection, opportunistic pathogen control, and the prospective challenges of brownification brought on by climate change.
As Paige Novak took over the helm of the journal in 2019 she commented that “journals should be responsive, reliable, and (hopefully) thought-provoking. …I would like to make these the three characteristics that immediately come to mind when you think of ES:WRT”. Over the past decade, the journal has attracted thought leadership from many of the leading researchers in the world. In 2015, 39 of the 81 published papers were led by USA authors. Now, in 2024, ES:WRT is expected to publish more than 200 papers, with authorship from the USA remaining strong, while attracting more authors from China, Europe and India. These statistics suggest that others feel that ES:WRT is indeed responsive and reliable, and is offering the field papers covering a range of thought-provoking topics.
As the journal enters its eleventh year, we remain energized by the journal's community and mission. We truly look forward to reading the next exciting paper that will shape and advance water research technology. As stated at the beginning of this 10-year journey, “We do not take your trust and commitment to ES:WRT for granted, and we will continue our efforts to help grow ES:WRT into a respected and sought-out research journal for the latest and greatest research in the fields of water research, technology and sustainability”.
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