Several studies investigated the presence of SARS-CoV-2 in water samples and raw urban wastewater collected from urban sewage treatment plants (STPs) during the COVID-19 pandemic and correlated viral load and epidemiological data. However, limited information is available regarding the potential of urban ditches as sampling sites for epidemiological surveillance. This study aimed to detect SARS-CoV-2 RNA in urban ditches and evaluate its correlation with epidemiological data. A total of 168 samples were collected from January 2021 to February 2022 in three urban ditches and two STPs in the metropolitan region of Vitória, Espírito Santo (ES). Physicochemical and microbiological water quality parameters were analyzed, and SARS-CoV-2 RNA was detected using a TaqMan RT-qPCR system. SARS-CoV-2 was detected in 145/168 of the samples, with 87.2% (75/86) found in the urban ditches and 85.3% (70/82) in the STPs. The viral load in the three urban ditches ranged from 1.59 × 104 to 2.56 × 104 genome copies/litre (GC/L) while in the two STPs, it ranged from 7.79 × 103 to 1.26 × 104 GC/L. A moderate to strong positive correlation was observed between viral load and confirmed COVID-19 cases, particularly for samples collected from urban ditches (ditch 1, r = 0.58; ditch 2, r = 0.78; ditch 3, r = 0.86). The results indicate greater correlation of SARS-CoV-2 RNA concentration in ditches of low sanitation areas as compared with STPs, showing that ditches could be an important and equivalent sampling point for viral epidemiological studies.
Many river catchments are exposed to eutrophication driven by anthropogenic activities. Despite substantial efforts to reduce nutrient enrichment in large river deltas, the water quality often remains poor and ecological improvements have stagnated. Here, we argue that the limited success of these efforts is partly due to a lack of insight into how anthropogenic landscapes drive eutrophication trends across different spatial scales. The aim of the present study was, therefore, to disentangle long-term trends of nutrients at scales ranging from the main river catchment to local water bodies in the Dutch lowland delta of the river Rhine. Specifically, changes in nutrient concentrations were compared between the main river scale, the sub-catchment large canals scale, the regional storage basin scale and two local scales: polder ditches and isolated lakes. Fifty years of monitoring the total nitrogen ([TN]) and total phosphorus ([TP]) concentrations in the Rhine delta revealed gradual decreases, yet stronger for [TP] than for [TN]. Despite significant improvements, the nutrient concentrations are nowadays still indicative of eutrophic to hypertrophic conditions, especially in the polder ditches at local scale. Moreover, the increase in N:P ratios in foremost the main river and isolated lakes will likely hamper ecological recovery. To conclude, the present study demonstrates an overall improvement of nutrient concentrations in the surface waters of the river Rhine delta over the last 50 years, and although polder ditches achieved the largest improvements they still lag behind. As land use at the local scale seems to be a dominant source of nutrient input, we suggest that implementing small-scale measures in the polder ditches could lead to large-scale improvements in the water quality of the Rhine delta.
Agriculture is one of the dominant types of land use worldwide. The land conversion and intensification of agriculture have severe impacts on biodiversity and the associated ecosystem functions in the production areas and in natural or semi-natural habitats embedded in the agricultural landscape. Ponds and ditches, while vulnerable to the negative impacts of agriculture, are valuable habitats for benthic invertebrates due to their heterogeneity and location in a rather homogeneous landscape. Due to a lack of sensitivity biodiversity metrics based on taxonomy, such as overall taxa number, Shannon or evenness index, might fail to detect changes in communities, which lead to changes in ecosystem functions resulting from agricultural practices. In contrast, functional approaches, such as the use of functional feeding groups and isotopic composition, better describe the utilization of resources by invertebrates and improve our understanding of the impact of agricultural stressors on benthic invertebrate communities in ponds and ditches. Benthic invertebrates, from six different functional feeding groups (FFGs), and water samples were collected from three ponds and four ditches in an agricultural landscape in Brandenburg, Germany. We analyzed the carbon and nitrogen stable isotope ratios of the invertebrates and the pesticides and nutrient residues of water samples. Estimates of community metrics were derived using a Bayesian approach for the two water body types and the FFGs present. A distance-based Redundancy Analysis was carried out to detect the environmental variables that show the maximum correlation with the derived metrics. Benthic invertebrates in ponds occupied a larger total area and showed greater spacing of individuals in the isotope space than communities in ditches, indicating that more resources and/or habitats were available and utilized in ponds. No clear pattern emerged when comparing the FFGs in the two water body types, but some differences were found, for example in FFG predator, which were found in the ditches with several different taxa and were thus more diverse. The strong fluctuations in biotic and abiotic parameters led to pronounced differences between the water bodies. Our study showed that benthic invertebrate communities in small unstable systems respond in complex ways to stressors. However, larger datasets may yield in more pronounced patterns on effects of agriculture on stable isotope composition in ponds and ditches.
Agricultural runoff containing elevated nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) exacerbates eutrophication and nitrous oxide (N2O) emissions. Eco-ditches with macrophytes and rice straw offer mitigation potential, yet their underlying mechanisms remain unclear. A mesocosm study evaluated six ditch configurations (bare, planted with emerged Iris or submerged Vallisneria natans, each with/without straw) under simulated runoff. V. natans with straw yielded optimal nutrient removal (N: 84.8%, P: 73.8%) and reduced the N2O emission factor by 33.8% versus bare ditches. Iris enhanced NO3--N removal but elevated N2O emissions. Straw improved N removal and lowered N2O fluxes by 47.2% in bare ditches, yet amplified emissions by 37.6-45.1% in vegetated systems. Vegetation shaped microbial community and functional genes, while straw fostered microbial cooperation. Key abiotic factors, including sediment properties (vegetation-driven) and water parameters (straw-influenced), governed N removal and N2O release. These findings provide actionable insights for optimizing eco-ditch to combat agricultural pollution and climatic impacts.
Agricultural ditches are recognized as hotspots of nitrous oxide (N2O) emissions, yet the contributions of different microbial pathways under varying environments remain largely unknown. In this study, we quantified N2O production from four microbial pathways (nitrifier nitrification, nitrifier denitrification, nitrification-coupled denitrification, and heterotrophic denitrification) across a gradient of ditch types (from large to small: main, branch, collector, and field ditches). Using a dual isotope tracing technique (15N-18O), we distinguished pathway-specific N2O production under different oxygen and organic carbon (C) conditions. Nitrifier denitrification dominated N2O production in the three largest ditch types (contributing 68.7-83.6 %), while heterotrophic denitrification accounted for 85.4 % of the total N2O production in the field ditch. As organic C increased, heterotrophic denitrification-derived N2O production increased significantly, whereas the contribution of nitrifier denitrification of N2O production decreased significantly. As oxygen concentration decreased, all pathways-derived N2O rates increased, while the contribution of nitrifier denitrification remained unchanged. Key nitrifiers, including Nitrososphaeraceae sp. TA-21, Nitrospira sp. Clade C and comammox Nitrospira kreftii, regulated N2O production across NH4+-derived pathways, with their influence modulated by environmental context. These findings improve our understanding of N2O production in agricultural ditches, providing insights into developing process-based models and mitigation strategies.
Tropical peatlands, which store 20% of global peat carbon, are increasingly threatened by conversion to alternative land-uses such as oil palm plantations, pulp wood plantations, crop growth or other economic activities. This transformation involves peatland drainage, which lowers water tables, exposes peat to oxygen, and alters greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions: increasing carbon dioxide (CO2) and nitrous oxide (N2O) fluxes while reducing methane (CH4) emissions from soils. However, drainage ditches created in the process may become significant sources of CH4 due to anoxic conditions. This study quantified GHG fluxes from drainage ditches in Sarawak, Malaysia, through spatial sampling conducted during the daytime in the transitional period between the drier and wetter seasons using portable trace gas analyzers. Median fluxes were 0.19 g CH4 m-2 d-1, 17.1 g CO2 m-2 d-1, and - 0.12 mg N2O m-2 d-1. Physical water parameters such as pH, oxygen concentration, temperature, and oxidation-reduction potential were found to be significant drivers of GHG fluxes. The median emissions from ditches in one hectare of land were 5.84 kg CO2 ha-1 d-1, 2.78 kg CH4 as CO2 eq ha-1 d-1, and - 0.001 kg N2O as CO2 eq ha-1 d-1. These findings underscore the role of drainage ditches as CH4 sources in tropical peatland agriculture, highlighting the need for further research into GHG management in these modified landscapes.
We presented the complete genome of Bacillus altitudinis NBTC-002 isolated from soil samples from ecological ditches on farmland, of which the total length is 3,799,862 bp and possesses 3,817 protein-coding sequences (CDS).
Mercury (Hg), specifically as methyl Hg (MeHg), is a potent neurotoxin with significant consequences for humans and wildlife. This study examines the interactions between sulfur used as a fungicide in California, U.S., vineyards and Hg methylation. We collected surface soils and soil porewater across a vineyard to wetland gradient situated at the terminus of the Napa Valley winegrowing region for analyses of sulfate, total Hg, and MeHg. We found that sulfate runoff from vineyards is transported into adjacent wetlands via drainage ditches and a grassland transition zone. In addition, concentrations of MeHg and percent of Hg present as MeHg in the wetland and drainage ditch were approximately three to eight times higher than values measured in vineyard and grassland transition soils, while potential net Hg methylation rates (kmeth) over a 48 h time period were approximately ten times higher in the wetland compared to the vineyard. Stimulation of Hg methylation in the wetlands and drainage ditch is likely driven by wet, reduced soil conditions. These results show that while Hg methylation is possible in vineyards and adjacent land covers, downstream drainage ditches and wetlands-which intercept sulfate added in vineyards-may be the most notable zones for MeHg production.
Freshwater systems embedded in agricultural landscapes serve as dynamic reservoirs and conduits for fecal-associated microbes, zoonotic pathogens, and antimicrobial resistance (ARG) and virulence factor (VF) genes. Yet factors that govern their densities and diversity remain a research challenge. From 2016 to 2021, we conducted a longitudinal water surveillance in an agriculturally dominated river basin in eastern Ontario, Canada; characterizing fecal-associated bacterial communities using 16S rRNA gene amplicon and shotgun metagenomic sequencing. Agricultural drainage ditches consistently harbored higher fecal-associated bacterial diversity with pronounced seasonal shifts; i.e., higher levels during larger flow periods in spring and fall. Elevated discharge was associated with enrichment of genera containing zoonotic or opportunistic pathogens, such as those in Pseudomonas, Sphingomonas, and Massilia. Conditionally rare taxa (CRTs), although typically low in abundance, accounted for ∼12.6% of all pathogen-associated genera and disproportionately contributed to community turnover, highlighting their role as transient reservoirs of microbial risk. Shotgun metagenomics detected 27 ARGs, primarily at mixed-use sites, and 14 VFs, mainly in agricultural ditches. Clinically relevant β-lactamase genes (e.g., oxa, imp, sme) co-occurred with metal-resistance operons, a pattern suggestive of possible co-selection, although selective agents were not directly measured. Although the prevalence of ARG and VF was low (<5% of samples), their ecological context indicates potential transmission pathways. Limited overlap in ARGs between short-read and metagenome-assembled genome (MAG)-based profiling reflects their complementary strength: gene-level sensitivity versus host-resolved analysis. Together, these findings demonstrate the utility of integrated amplicon and shotgun metagenomic surveillance for proactive One Health risk assessment in agricultural watersheds.
The recovery of degraded peatlands can make significant contributions to reducing greenhouse gas emissions and climate warming. This study examines restoration techniques on shallow ex-milled peatland and intensively grazed pasture on deeper peat, both subject to prior drainage. Carbon greenhouse gases (GHGs) were monitored for 3 years following restoration treatment. After drainage-blocking measures, the ex-milled peatland was 'companion planted' with Eriophorum species and Sphagnum. The carbon balance was highly dependent on plant age and condition, with a high CO2 equivalent (CO2e) uptake when plants were vigorously growing (year 1: -22.4 ± 32.9 t CO2e ha-1 yr-1), and high emission when plants were mature and in various stages of senescence (year 2: 26.1 ± 26.4 and year 3: 16.4 ± 9.7 t CO2e ha-1 yr-1). Bare peat controls had a mean emission of 6.21 ± 1.68 t CO2e ha-1 yr-1 over the study period. At the other site, the grazed pasture was stripped, the bare surface planted with Sphagnum plugs, and irrigation was intensively managed via bunding, ditches, and automatic water pumping. Carbon GHG emissions were significantly reduced on this 'carbon farm' (2.77 ± 0.95 t CO2e ha-1 yr-1) compared to a neighbouring drained, grazed pasture control (31.7 ± 10.3 t CO2e ha-1 yr-1) over the study period (mean ± SD throughout). It appears clear that the cyclical nature of Eriophorum plant growth may only deliver carbon benefits on shallow peat over the long term if groundwater levels can be adequately supported and if climatic conditions are favourable. Conversion of grazed pasture to wetter farming crops, such as Sphagnum, can potentially deliver immediate carbon benefits, although, in this pilot, any potential loss of CO2e due to degraded topsoil removal, creation of bunds and irrigation ditches was not accounted for.
A comprehensive understanding of the water chemistry and its hydrogen and oxygen isotope characteristics within irrigation areas and its water cycle mechanism are important for irrigation water resource management and ecological construction. In the study, these processes were investigated in irrigation areas using hydrochemical and stable isotopic data collected from April to August in 2022 and 2023. Water samples were gathered from different water bodies in irrigation and drainage units controlled by typical branch canals and ditches in the Hetao irrigation district, China. The results demonstrated that the dominant hydrochemical type changed from SO4·HCO3·Cl-Na·Mg (canals) to Cl-Na·Mg and Cl-Na (ditches and lakes, respectively), with sodium and chloride salts being the predominant constituents in the discharge from irrigation-drainage systems. Surface water and groundwater were closely hydraulically connected, and groundwater hydrochemistry was predominantly of the Cl-Na type, followed by the Cl-Na·Mg, Cl·SO4-Na·Mg, and SO4·HCO3-Na·Mg types. Rock weathering primarily governed the hydrochemical characteristics of the canals, whereas evaporation was the dominant controlling factor in ditches and lakes. Water-rock interactions, including the dissolution of evaporite and silicate rocks, precipitation of carbonate rocks, and cation exchange, served as the primary sources of hydrochemical components in these systems. Furthermore, we observed an increase in isotopic concentrations in the canal water as the grade of the canal system decreased, whereas the opposite trend was noted in ditch water. The contribution rates of precipitation, canal water, and ditch water to groundwater were 13.5%, 48.0%, and 38.5%, respectively, and the contribution rates of precipitation, canal, and groundwater to ditch water were 21.7%, 70.3%, and 7.9%, respectively. The study provides a theoretical basis for the development and utilization of agricultural water resources and ecological protection in arid and semi-arid regions.
In contrast to structured urban settings, road networks in post-disaster or unstructured wildland environments are often incomplete or compromised. Navigation in these contexts requires navigating complex terrains and mitigating potential hazards that impede unmanned ground vehicles (UGVs). While high-mobility off-road vehicles are specifically designed to traverse challenging features like ditches and steep slopes, traditional path planning algorithms often fail to exploit these capabilities. These algorithms typically suffer from a binary focus, either relying strictly on road networks or ignoring them altogether, thereby neglecting the synergy between infrastructure and vehicle mobility. This chapter introduces a global path planning method based on traversability analysis and terrain matching to bridge this gap. The methodology incorporates a grid-based traversability evaluation, a road network expansion algorithm for densifying critical segments, and a unified planning strategy. By correlating terrain characteristics with vehicle mobility limits and optimizing the road network density, the proposed framework achieves an integrated on-road and off-road planning solution that maximizes the operational efficiency of high-mobility vehicles in degraded environments.
Egypt faces growing water scarcity due to population pressure and inefficient on-farm irrigation practices. Improving on-farm water-use efficiency is essential for sustaining agricultural productivity. This study assesses the long-term impacts of rehabilitating on-farm ditches (Marwas) serving 3-5 acre farms in the Hafez El Sharkeya Canal command area, Menia Governorate, five years after implementation. A combined technical and socio-economic assessment was conducted using hydraulic measurements, geometric surveys, and interviews with 40 farmers (20 beneficiaries and 20 non-beneficiaries). Results showed that rehabilitated Marwas with uniform, prismatic cross-sections facilitated better water conveyance and consistently met peak summer demand, while unimproved ones suffered from water losses and weed proliferation. Application efficiency for wheat increased from 50-60% in unimproved to 63-89% in rehabilitated Marwas. Water use efficiency increased from 0.59-0.69 in unimproved fields to 0.72-0.87 in rehabilitated systems. Water productivity for wheat was higher in rehabilitated Marwas (1.75 kg/m3) compared to unimproved ones (0.93 kg/m3). More than 80% of surveyed farmers preferred rehabilitated Marwas, citing reduced irrigation time, lower maintenance costs, and improved land utilization. The findings indicate that Marwas rehabilitation is associated with improvements in hydraulic performance, equity in water distribution, and greater farmer satisfaction with water delivery. The results offer relevant insights for efforts aimed at improving water-use performance in similar smallholder irrigation systems. However, broader multi-season and multi-location studies remain necessary before drawing generalized conclusions at the national scale.
Inland water networks, comprising hydrologically integrated rivers, agricultural ditches, and aquaculture ponds, are significant N2O sources, yet their complexity impedes accurate quantification. Here we developed an integrated framework combining structural equation modeling (SEM), machine learning (ML), and SHapley Additive exPlanations (SHAP) to bridge causal inference with nonlinear predictive modeling in China's Taihu Basin. Our results demonstrate that NO3--N and water temperature (WT) dominate N2O variability, explaining significantly more variance than discrete water body categories. This framework successfully reconciled the dual role of dissolved organic carbon (DOC). SEM identifies DOC as a macroscopic sink driven by the complete denitrification of nitrate to N2 (standardized effect = -0.143), while SHAP reveals its role as a microscopic catalyst that enhances N2O production efficiency per unit of nitrate. Although the ensemble model achieved high accuracy (test R2 = 0.70), the parsimonious model using four routine parameters (NO3--N, DO, NH4+-N, and WT) proved more suitable for regional assessment, demonstrating satisfactory predictive capability (test R2 = 0.54) and successfully reconstructing basin-wide spatiotemporal patterns. This study provides a scalable and transferable methodology for unlocking the driving mechanisms of complex aquatic ecosystems, offering a robust tool for basin-scale N2O estimation and targeted greenhouse gas mitigation.
Mediterranean wetlands are exposed to multiple environmental stressors, including chemical pollution from agricultural practices. Difenoconazole, an azole fungicide used in rice fields to control rice blast, may reach concentrations in Mediterranean wetlands that exceed toxicity thresholds for aquatic organisms. However, its long-term effects on freshwater communities are still poorly understood. This study evaluated the impact of difenoconazole on zooplankton and macroinvertebrate communities using outdoor freshwater mesocosms that simulated Mediterranean wetland conditions over 90 days. Two ecological conditions were tested: vegetated mesocosms containing Myriophyllum spicatum and non-vegetated mesocosms. Four exposure concentrations were applied twice, with a 14-day interval: control (0 µg/L), low (2 µg/L), medium (20 µg/L), and high (200 µg/L). Difenoconazole caused significant effects on zooplankton and macroinvertebrate communities at concentrations above 20 µg/L. Cladocerans and copepods were particularly sensitive, with some population reductions observed even at 2 µg/L. Among macroinvertebrates, the snail family Planorbidae showed declines at concentrations above 2 µg/L, while the freshwater shrimp Dugastella valentina was affected at concentrations exceeding 20 µg/L. The presence of macrophytes slightly mitigated pesticide effects by enhancing their dissipation from the water column. Indirect effects were also detected, including increased chlorophyll-a concentrations at the highest concentration, suggesting reduced zooplankton grazing pressure. Overall, the results indicate that the chronic threshold value for difenoconazole derived from species sensitivity distributions obtained from the literature is generally protective under semi-field conditions. However, peak exposures in rice fields and drainage ditches may significantly reduce the abundance of some invertebrate taxa under Mediterranean conditions. The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s10646-026-03042-7.
2021 to 2024, the Cucuteni A3 settlement of Stăuceni-'Holm', Botoşani County in north-east Romania was surveyed geophysically and by systematic field collections. According to the geomagnetic results, on the plateau a settlement with about 45 houses was delimited by several ditch- and palisade systems. A comparatively large building (350 m2) was located in the area between the ditches, which is meant to be a mega-structure, mainly due to its size and the clearly visible position next to the probable entrance of the settlement. The mega-structure was partially excavated in 2023-2024. The observations, regarding the architecture and the dating of the feature in particular, provide valuable information for the discussion about the function of these special structures, of which only five others have been investigated in detail by excavation to date.
Larval source management (LSM) can be highly effective for controlling malaria vectors such as Anopheles funestus s.s., which typically exploit large and permanent aquatic habitats. While these habitats can persist year-round in endemic regions of Africa, their availability and use shift between wet and dry seasons. Understanding these seasonal changes is essential for identifying the habitats that sustain vector populations and for determining when and where LSM would be most effective. We investigated the availability and use of An. funestus larval habitats across wet and dry seasons in south-eastern Tanzania, and the environmental factors that influence these patterns. Cross-sectional surveys were conducted in five villages during the dry season (September-November 2021) and rainy season (February-May 2022) to map and characterize aquatic habitats and identify those colonized by An. funestus. In total, 2824 aquatic habitats were identified, of which 27% were positive for An. funestus. Remotely sensed land cover data and directly measured habitat characteristics were incorporated into generalized linear mixed models to evaluate seasonal and environmental predictors of larval presence and abundance. Larval occurrence and density were significantly influenced by habitat type, village, season, and their interactions, as well as by key physicochemical factors including water depth, vegetation type, algae, water clarity, and water source. An. funestus was commonly found in river streams, ground pools, and ditches across both seasons. During the wet season, however, it also occupied spring-fed wells, rice fields, and dug pits, indicating broader habitat use. These findings demonstrate a clear seasonal shift in larval habitat use by An. funestus, reflecting its ecological adaptability. While the species generally favors permanent habitats, its expanded use of diverse sites in the wet season has important implications for LSM. Targeting persistent habitats during the dry season may offer a more efficient and feasible window for implementing this intervention.
The Metropolitan Mosquito Control District, based in St. Paul, MN, has been protecting the residents of the Twin Cities metropolitan area of Minnesota from disease and annoyance from mosquitoes and other pests since 1958. Regarding mosquitoes, this mission is carried out by administering a wide-sweeping control program that is almost entirely larvicidal. For control of the Culex species, residual products containing the active ingredient S-methoprene have been heavily used for decades without product rotation in stormwater catch basins and ditches. In the fall of 2025, a preliminary investigation of S-methoprene and pyriproxyfen resistance was conducted using standardized laboratory bioassays. The preliminary data indicate that a field-collected population of Culex pipiens has developed high resistance to S-methoprene, with a resistance ratio at 50% mortality (RR50) value of 56.29 and were tolerant to pyriproxyfen with an RR50 of 4.35. Field-collected Cx. restuans remain susceptible to S-methoprene with an RR50 of 1.79. The preliminary data laid the groundwork needed to warrant further testing to determine where else this resistance is occurring and to what extent.
Environmental change can alter the species occurrence and seasonal distribution of malaria vectors to higher altitudes and latitudes. Highlands remain dynamic due to factors that favor their growth and development. Invasive species have proliferated into new ecological niches, increased. These studies aimed to determine the species occurrence and seasonal variation of malaria vectors in the selected study area. Entomological surveys were conducted in different types of larval habitats from October 2023 up to June 2024 within four purposively selected study villages. The species were morphologically identified using a stereomicroscope, and then data was analyzed using R version 4.3.1 (2023-06-16 ucrt) statistical analysis software. A total of 721 malaria vector larvae were collected, representing Anopheles gambiae s.l., An. funestus s.l., An. coustani, and An. pharoensis. An. gambiae s.l. was the dominant species, accounting for 43.82% (n = 316) of all collections, while An. pharoensis was the least abundant (7.9%, n = 57). Spatial variation was observed, with Shemo Boyo recording the highest number of larvae (45.50%, n = 328), whereas Kemecho Borara had the lowest (9.57%, n = 69). Among the habitat types, ditches had the highest mean larval density (2.61 larvae per sample), followed by swamps (1.5) and riverbeds (0.8), whereas water pans had the lowest density (0.14). Overall mean larval density was 1.11 larvae per sample, and larval abundance significantly differed across habitat categories (f (3,647) = 4.005, p = 0.012). These findings indicate that An. gambiae s.l. is the predominant malaria vector in the area and likely plays a primary role in local transmission. Further studies on spatial mapping, physicochemical characterization, habitat preference, and isolation of malaria parasites are recommended to guide targeted larval source management and reduce the burden of mosquito-borne diseases.
The impact of food wastes (FW) on suspended growth systems like the activated sludge process and in large plants with anerobic digestion has been widely studied. However, information on impact on hybrid systems and biofilm processes used for intensification, as well as with aerobic biosolids digestion, is scant. This modeling study investigated the performance, operational costs, and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions of multiple wastewater treatment technologies-membrane bioreactor (MBR), moving bed biofilm reactor (MBBR), integrated fixed film activated sludge (IFAS), membrane aerated biofilm reactor (MABR), and oxidation ditch at the 1 and 10 MGD scales. FW addition achieved effluent total nitrogen reductions of 30%-35% for the MBR, MBBR, and IFAS, up to 85% for the MABR, and up to 70% for the oxidation ditch systems. Aeration demand increased by up to 16%-34% while biosolids production and methane production rose by <13%, and 29%-38%, respectively. Food COD conversion efficiency to methane was 35%-48%. At 100% FW addition, despite a 30% increase in organic loading, the GHG emissions increased by 3.7%-11.2% for the MBR, MBBR, and IFAS, and decreased by 5.2%-11.2% for the MABR. Anaerobic digestion mitigated GHG emissions from food wastes compared to aerobic digestion, with COD-based carbon footprints 50%-90% lower than wastewater.