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Joe Ryan spoke to the Colorado Sun about the use of viruses to kill bacteria in mining wastewater.

This wastewater, which can come with radioactive, cancer-causing materials, and yes, bacteria, often gets shoved back underground for storage. But increasingly, Colorado and other states are looking at ways to clean the wastewater enough that it can be used in other mining operations instead of fresh water. It’s an intriguing idea in Colorado, where fresh water supplies have been strained by a two-decade megadrought.

However, Ryan, an expert on contaminant fate and transport in waterways who was not involved in the research, has significant doubts about the utility of the development.

“It’s a questionable solution to a problem that just doesn’t seem at the top of the list of importance if you’re trying to do something with produced water,” Ryan said.