Publications

  • Cavanaugh, S & J Weidhaas (2023). Improved Extended Nernst Plank nanofiltration modeling via inclusion of pore size, electrostatic interactions, and compound shape and orientation. Desalination. Vol. 566. Published, 11/15/2023.
    https://doi.org/10.1016/j.desal.2023.116904
  • Imran, U, A Ullah, RB Mahar, K Shaikh, WA Khokhar & J Weidhaas (2023). An Integrated Approach for evaluating freshwater ecosystems under the influence of high salinity: A Case Study of Manchar Lake in Pakistan. Environmental Monitoring and Assessment. Vol. 195, 1-21. Published, 10/10/2023.
    https://doi.org/10.1007/s10661-023-11917-z
  • Zebelean, D, D Tran, R Goel & J Weidhaas (2023). Halophilic Biodegradation of 3-nitro-1,2,4-triazol-5-one (NTO) in Brine. Journal of Environmental Engineering. Vol. 149. Published, 07/04/2023.
    https://doi.org/10.1061/JOEEDU.EEENG-7319
  • Cavanaugh, S & J Weidhaas (2023). Response surface methodology for performance evaluation of insensitive munitions wastewater membrane filtration. Cleaner Engineering and Technology. Vol. 12. Published, 02/01/2023.
    https://doi.org/10.1016/j.clet.2023.100603
  • Tran, D & J Weidhaas (2022). Ion exchange for effective separation of 3-nitro-1,2,4-triazol-5-one (NTO) from wastewater. Journal of Hazardous Materials. Vol. 436. Published, 08/15/2022.
    https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhazmat.2022.129215
  • Weidhaas, J, M Olsen, J McLean, N Allen, L Ahmadi, K Duodu & R Dupont (2022). Microbial and chemical risk from reclaimed wastewater use for residential irrigation. Water Reuse. Vol. 12, 289-303. Published, 07/30/2022.
    https://doi.org/10.2166/wrd.2022.014
  • Jiang, G, Wu, J, Weidhaas, J, Li, X, Chen, Y, Mueller, J, Li, J, Kumar, M, Zhou, X, Arora, S, Haramoto, E, Sherchan, S, Orive, G, Lertxundi, U, Honda, R, Kitajima, M & Jackson, G (2022). Artificial neural network-based estimation of COVID-19 case numbers and effective reproduction number using wastewater-based epidemiology. Water Research. Vol. 218, 118451. Published, 06/30/2022.
    https://doi.org/10.1016/j.watres.2022.118451
  • Stein N., Podder A., Lee Weidhaas J. & Goel R. (2022). Simultaneous reduction of perchlorate and nitrate using fast-settling anoxic sludge. Chemosphere. Vol. 286. Published, 01/01/2022.
    https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chemosphere.2021.131788
  • Cavanaugh SJ (2021). Experimental diffusivity of energetic compounds determined by peak parking. Journal of hazardous materials. Vol. 424, 127681. Published, 12/01/2021.
    https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhazmat.2021.127681
  • Jamal R, X Li & J Weidhaas (2021). Template length, concentration and guanidine and cytosine content influence on multiple displacement amplification efficiency. Journal of microbiological methods. Vol. 181, 106146. Published, 09/01/2021.
    https://doi.org/10.1016/j.mimet.2021.106146
  • Weidhaas J, Aanderud ZT, Roper DK, VanDerslice J, Gaddis EB & Ostermiller J (2021). Correlation of SARS-CoV-2 RNA in wastewater with COVID-19 disease burden in sewersheds. The Science of the total environment. Vol. 775, 145790. Published, 04/01/2021.
    https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2021.145790
  • Pecson, BM, Darby, E, Haas, C, Y Amha, M Bartolo, R. Danielson, Y Dearborn, G Gionvanni, C Ferguson, S Fevig, E Gaddis, D Gray, G Lukasik, B Mull, L Olivas, A Olivieri, Y Qu, T Au, N Brinkman, K Chandran, J Dennehy, P Dennis, S Feng, M Flood, R Gonzalez, J Hernandez, K Janssen, S Jiang, M Johnson, D Kaya, H Lee, J Lee, X Li, C Mansfeldt, S Monhal, K Nelson, K Papp, A Pierri, C Pratt, A Quintero, T Raniecki, R Reinke, D Roper, T Sivy, B Swalla & J Weidhaas (2021). Reproducibility and sensitivity of 36 methods to quantify the SARS-CoV-2 genetic signal in raw wastewater: findings from an interlaboratory methods evaluation in the U.S. Environmental Science: Water Research & Technology. Published, 01/20/2021.
    https://pubs.rsc.org/en/content/articlehtml/2021/e...
  • Jamal R, Mubarak S, Sahulka SQ, Kori JA, Tajammul A, Ahmed J, Mahar RB, Olsen MS, Goel R & Weidhaas J (2020). Informing water distribution line rehabilitation through quantitative microbial risk assessment. The Science of the total environment. Vol. 739, 140021. Published, 08/01/2020.
    https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32758946/
  • Mehmood R, Imran U, Ullah A, Ullman JL & Weidhaas J (2020). Health risks associated with accumulation of heavy metals in fish of Keenjhar Lake, Pakistan. Environmental science and pollution research international. Vol. 27, 24162-24172. Published, 07/01/2020.
    https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11356-0...
  • Imran, U, Khan, M, Jamal, R, Sahulka, SQ, Goel, R, Mahar, R & Weidhaas, J (2020). Probabilistic risk assessment of water distribution system in Hyderabad, Pakistan reveals unacceptable health hazards and areas for rehabilitation. Journal of Environmental Sciences. Vol. 191, 110233. Published, 03/15/2020.
    https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/...
  • Acharya SP, Johnson J & Weidhaas J (2020). Adsorption kinetics of the herbicide safeners, benoxacor and furilazole, to activated carbon and agricultural soils. Journal of environmental sciences. Vol. 89, 23-34. Published, 01/01/2020.
    https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/...
  • Imran U., Weidhaas J., Ullah A. & Shaikh K. (2020). Risk associated with spatio-temporal variations in trace metals and a metalloid in a major freshwater reservoir of Pakistan. Human and Ecological Risk Assessment. Published, 01/01/2020.
    https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/10807...
  • Clark GG, Jamal R & Weidhaas J (2019). Roofing material and irrigation frequency influence microbial risk from consuming homegrown lettuce irrigated with harvested rainwater. The Science of the total environment. Vol. 651, 1011-1019. Published, 02/15/2019.
    https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/...
  • Weidhaas, J, Acharya, SP, Tran, D, Gupta, V & Goel, R (2018). Ion Exchange and Biological Treatment of NTO Wastewater. JANNAF. Published, 12/14/2018.
    https://www.jannaf.org/products/proceedings
  • Boney, JW, J Jaczynski, J Weidhaas, A Bergeron & J Moritz (2018). The effects of steam conditioning and antimicrobial inclusion on feed manufacturing and inactivation of Enterococcus faecium, a Salmonella surrogate. The Journal of Applied Poultry Research. Vol. 27, 472-484. Published, 10/11/2018.
    https://doi.org/10.3382/japr/pfy052
  • Acharya SP & Weidhaas J (2018). Solubility, partitioning, oxidation and photodegradation of dichloroacetamide herbicide safeners, benoxacor and furilazole. Chemosphere. Vol. 211, 1018-1024. Published, 09/01/2018.
  • Weidhaas J, Panaccione A, Bhattacharjee AS, Goel R, Anderson A & Acharya SP (2018). Whole community transcriptome of a sequencing batch reactor transforming 2,4-dinitroanisole (DNAN) and 3-nitro-1,2,4-triazol-5-one (NTO). Biodegradation. Vol. 29, 71-88. Published, 02/01/2018.
  • Mantha S, Anderson A, Acharya SP, Harwood VJ & Weidhaas J (2017). Transport and attenuation of Salmonella enterica, fecal indicator bacteria and a poultry litter marker gene are correlated in soil columns. The Science of the total environment. Vol. 598, 204-212. Published, 11/15/2017.
  • Weidhaas, J (2017). Engineering Student Self-Assessment of Performance in a Team Setting: Realism versus Fantasy. American Society of Engineering Education, Rocky Mountain Section Conference, September 22-23, Brigham Young University. Published, 09/22/2017.
  • Li, KW, Weidhaas J, Lemonakis L, Khouryieh H, Stone M, Jones L & Shen C (2017). Microbiological quality and safety of fresh produce in West Virginia and Kentucky farmers’ markets and validation of a post-harvest washing practice with antimicrobials to inactivate Salmonella and Listeria monocytogenes. (pp. 101-108). Vol. 79. Food Control. Published, 09/01/2017.
  • Bukhary S, Weidhaas J, Ansari K, Mahar RB, Pomeroy C, VanDerslice J, Burian S & Ahmad S (2017). Using Distributed Solar for Treatment of Drinking Water in Developing Countries. World Environmental and Water Resources Congress 2017. Vol. 2017, 264-276. Published, 05/21/2017.
    https://ascelibrary.org/doi/abs/10.1061/9780784480...
  • Weidhaas J, Lin LS & Buzby K (2017). A case study for orphaned chemicals: 4-methylcyclohexanemethanol (MCHM) and propylene glycol phenyl ether (PPH) in riverine sediment and water treatment processes. The Science of the total environment. Vol. 574, 1396-1404. Published, 01/01/2017.
  • Deng D, Weidhaas JL & Lin LS (2016). Kinetics and microbial ecology of batch sulfidogenic bioreactors for co-treatment of municipal wastewater and acid mine drainage. Journal of hazardous materials. Vol. 305, 200-208. Published, 10/01/2016.
  • Weidhaas JL, Dietrich AM, DeYonker NJ, Ryan Dupont R, Foreman WT, Gallagher D, Gallagher JE, Whelton AJ & Alexander WA (2016). Enabling Science Support for Better Decision-Making when Responding to Chemical Spills. Journal of environmental quality. Vol. 45, 1490-1500. Published, 10/01/2016.
  • Weidhaas J, Lin LS, Buzby K & Li X (2016). Biodegradation of MCHM and PPH in river microcosms and activated sludge. Vol. 142. Journal of Environmental Engineering. Published, 05/31/2016.
    https://ascelibrary.org/doi/full/10.1061/%28ASCE%2...
  • Nayak B, Weidhaas J & Harwood VJ (2016). LA35 Poultry Fecal Marker Persistence Is Correlated with That of Indicators and Pathogens in Environmental Waters. Applied and environmental microbiology. Vol. 81, 4616-25. Published, 03/01/2016.
  • Weidhaas J, Mantha S, Hair E, Nayak B & Harwood VJ (2015). Evidence for extraintestinal growth of bacteroidales originating from poultry litter. Applied and environmental microbiology. Vol. 81, 196-202. Published, 08/01/2015.
  • Richard T & Weidhaas J (2015). Biodegradation of IMX-101 explosive formulation constituents: 2,4-dinitroanisole (DNAN), 3-nitro-1,2,4-triazol-5-one (NTO), and nitroguanidine. (pp. 372-9). Vol. 280. Journal of hazardous materials. Published, 07/01/2015.
  • Richard T & Weidhaas J (2015). Dissolution, sorption, and phytoremediation of IMX-101 explosive formulation constituents: 2,4-dinitroanisole (DNAN), 3-nitro-1,2,4-triazol-5-one (NTO), and nitroguanidine. (pp. 561-9). Vol. 280. Journal of hazardous materials. Published, 07/01/2015.
  • Li X, Harwood VJ, Nayak B, Staley C, Sadowsky MJ & Weidhaas J (2015). A novel microbial source tracking microarray for pathogen detection and fecal source identification in environmental systems. Environmental science & technology. Vol. 49, 7319-29. Published, 05/27/2015.
  • Blanch A, Ballesté E, Weidhaas J, Domingo J, Ryu H, Harwood V, Yates. 2015. Methods of Targeting Animal Sources of Fecal Pollution in Water, p 3.4.4-1-3.4.4-28. In Yates M, Nakatsu C, Miller R, Pillai S (ed), Manual of Environmental Microbiology, Fourth Edition. ASM Press, Washington, DC. doi: 10.1128/9781555818821.ch3.4.4. Published, 05/2015.
  • Weidhaas J, Garner E, Basden T & Harwood VJ (2014). Run-off studies demonstrate parallel transport behaviour for a marker of poultry fecal contamination and Staphylococcus aureus. Journal of applied microbiology. Vol. 117, 417-29. Published, 11/01/2014.
  • Weidhaas J & Lipscomb E (2014). A new method for tracking poultry litter in the Potomac Basin headwaters of West Virginia. Journal of applied microbiology. Vol. 115, 445-54. Published, 02/01/2014.
  • Weidhaas J & Dupont RR (2013). Aerobic biotransformation of N-nitrosodimethylamine and N-nitrodimethylamine in methane and benzene amended soil columns. Journal of contaminant hydrology. Vol. 150, 45-53. Published, 10/01/2013.
  • Swift, D.L., J. Rothermel, L. Peterson, B. Orr, G. Bures, J. Weidhaas, 2012, Remediating TCE‐contaminated groundwater in low‐permeability media using hydraulic fracturing to emplace zero‐valent iron/organic carbon amendment, Remediation Journal, 22(2): 49-67, DOI: 10.1002/rem.21310. Published, 03/01/2012.
  • Weidhaas JL, Macbeth TW, Olsen RL & Harwood VJ (2011). Correlation of quantitative PCR for a poultry-specific brevibacterium marker gene with bacterial and chemical indicators of water pollution in a watershed impacted by land application of poultry litter. Applied and environmental microbiology. Vol. 77, 2094-102. Published, 06/01/2011.
  • Weidhaas JL, Macbeth TW, Olsen RL, Sadowsky MJ, Norat D & Harwood VJ (2011). Identification of a Brevibacterium marker gene specific to poultry litter and development of a quantitative PCR assay. Journal of applied microbiology. Vol. 109, 334-47. Published, 03/01/2011.
  • Weidhaas JL, Schroeder ED & Chang DP (2007). An aerobic sequencing batch reactor for 2,4,6-trinitrophenol (picric acid) biodegradation. Biotechnology and bioengineering. Vol. 97, 1408-14. Published, 09/01/2007.

Research Statement

Dr. Weidhaas’ research and teaching interests include environmental engineering with a particular emphasis on biological processes and the fate and transport of contaminants and microorganisms in the environment. Her recent projects include evaluation of emerging contaminants in environmental systems, chemical spills impacting water resources and bioremediation of hazardous materials. She also conducts research in the area of environmental microbiology including microbial source tracking, development of massively parallel pathogen detection methods, and evaluation of microorganism fate in environmental systems.

Research Keywords

  • Water Quality
  • Water Pollution
  • Waste Water Treatment
  • Sanitary Engineering, Environmental
  • Quantitative Microbial Risk Assessment
  • Microbial Source Tracking
  • Human Pathogens
  • Hazardous Waste Disposal or Clean-Up
  • Environmental Microbiology
  • Environmental Engineering
  • Chemical spill prevention and response
  • Bioremediation

Presentations

  • “Advantages and challenges with CRO wastewater surveillance at a rehabilitation hospital” Association of Public Health Laboratory (APHL) Wastewater Surveillance Community of Practice, February 12. Invited Talk/Keynote, Presented, 02/12/2024.
  • Cost Effective Treatment Trains for Wastewater Containing Legacy Munitions and Insensitive High Explosives, SERDP webinar, August 10, . Invited Talk/Keynote, Presented, 08/10/2023.
    https://serdp-estcp.org/toolsandtraining/details/e...
  • “Sustainable agriculture through water reuse, understanding the microbial risk,” USDA Workshop on Convergence in Bioengineering, Athens, GA, April 9. Invited Talk/Keynote, Presented, 04/09/2022.
  • “Environmental surveillance of infectious disease-causing organisms for informing quantitative microbial risk.” Jacksonville Area Microbiology society, April 5. Invited Talk/Keynote, Presented, 04/05/2022.
  • Weidhaas, JL, R. Dupont, M Olsen, L Ahmadi, K Duodu, J McLean, N Allen, R. Martin, C Flint, 2021, Human heath risks from exposure to reclaimed wastewater, Utah Water Users Association, May 18-19 2021, St. George, Utah. Other, Presented, 05/18/2021.
  • Guest speaker Water Research Foundation, Wastewater Surveillance Techniques and Applications Symposium, April 26. Invited Talk/Keynote, Presented, 04/26/2021.
  • Guest speaker WEAU webinar on “Wastewater epidemiology: Using SARS-CoV-2 genetic material to track COVID-19 trends in Utah communities.” Presentation on SARS-CoV-2 analytical methods. December 9, Water Environment Association of Utah. Invited Talk/Keynote, Presented, 12/09/2020.
    https://weau.org/Training
  • Guest speaker for MPDI Water webinar—Topic “Water Series - Sewage Screening as an Early Outbreak Alert Tool and Sars-Covid-2 Fate in the Aquatic Environment” . Invited Talk/Keynote, Presented, 07/09/2020.
    https://water-1.sciforum.net/#webinar_content
  • Weidhaas, JL, M. Olsen, 2019, Quantitative microbial risk from wastewater reuse for irrigation in a peri-urban setting, 12th International Water Association, International Conference on Water Reclamation and Reuse, June 16-19, Berlin, Germany. Other, Presented, 06/17/2019.
  • Weidhaas, JL, M. Olsen, 2019, Pathogen Monitoring and Quantitative Microbial Risk Assessment of Secondary Water in Cache Valley, UT, Universities Council on Water Resources, June 11-13, Snowbird, UT. Other, Presented, 06/12/2019.
  • Weidhaas, JL, SP Acharya, D. Tran, V Gupta, R. Goel, 2018, Ion Exchange and Biological Treatment of NTO Wastewater, JANNAF Conference, December 10-14, Vancouver, WA. Conference Paper, Refereed, Presented, 12/12/2018.
  • Weidhaas, JL, 2017, Engineering Student Self-Assessment of Performance in a Team Setting: Realism versus Fantasy, ASEE Rocky Mountain Section Conference, September 22-23, Provo, Utah. Conference Paper, Refereed, Presented, 09/23/2017.
    https://rms2017.byu.edu/sites/rms2017.byu.edu/file...
  • Weidhaas, JL, A. Anderson, R. Jamal, 2017, High density sampling of pathogenic microbial community in a fecally impaired watershed, International Water Association, May 15-19, Chapel Hill, NC. Other, Presented, 05/17/2017.
  • Weidhaas, JL, A. Panaccione, A. Anderson, S. Proudel Acharya, 2016, Sequencing batch reactor for biotransformation of 2,4-dinitroanisole (DNAN) and 3-nitro-1,2,4-triazol-5-one (NTO), Society for Industrial Microbiology and Biotechnology, July 24-28, New Orleans, LA (Invited Speaker). Invited Talk/Keynote, Presented, 07/2016.
  • Weidhaas, JL, X. Li, VJ Harwood, 2015, A Novel Microbial Source Tracking Microarray for Pathogen Detection and Fecal Source Identification in Environmental Systems, American Chemical Society National Meeting and Exposition, August 16-20th, Boston, MA . Other, Presented, 08/2015.
  • Weidhaas, JL, T Richard, 2015, Environmental Fate and Transport of a New Military Explosive, IMX-101, Third International Symposium on Bioremediation and Sustainable Environmental Technologies, May 18-21, Miami, FL (Invited Speaker). Invited Talk/Keynote, Presented, 05/2015.
  • Solo-Gabriele, H.M., Harwood, V.J., Ferguson, A., Byrne, A., Mena, K.D., Becker, A., Omachonu, V., Axelrad, D.M., Beamer, P., Buckley, B., Bursac, B., Canales, R., DiGiovanni, G.D., Dutton, M., Elmir, S., Gurian, P., Hollenbeck, J., Johnson, L., Kirkpatrick, B., Klaus, J., Lopez, I., Mormann, M., Plano, L.W., Rodriguez, R.A., Sadowsdky, M., Shalat, S., Solo-Josephson, P., Studts, J.L., Suther, S., Tarwater, P., Weidhaas, J., Wright, A., 2015. Approach for Improved Public Health Guidance for Beach Use During and After Oil Spills. Gulf of Mexico Oil Spill & Ecosystem Science Conference. February 16-19, Houston, TX. Other, Presented, 02/2015.
  • Mantha, SK, J. Weidhaas, 2014, A poultry litter marker gene correlates with pathogen and fecal indicator bacteria deposition, growth and transport from poultry bedding, West Virginia Academy of Science Conference, April 12, Shepardstown, WV. Other, Presented, 04/2014.
  • Weidhaas, J., T. Richard, 2013, Phytoremediation and Biodegradation of a new military explosive, IMX-101, ASCE Environmental Water Research Institute Conference, May 20-24, Cincinnati, OH. Other, Presented, 05/2013.
  • Weidhaas, J., P.W. Gautam, 2013, Spatial relationship between the trichloroethylene degrading bacteria Dehalococcoides sp., sulfate reducers and methanogens during reductive dechlorination, ASCE Environmental Water Research Institute Conference, May 20-24, Cincinnati, OH. Other, Presented, 05/2013.
  • Weidhaas, J., E. Lipscomb, 2013, Tracking Poultry Litter Contamination in the WV Potomac River Headwaters, ASCE Environmental Water Research Institute Conference, May 20-24, Cincinnati, OH. Other, Presented, 05/2013.
  • Weidhaas, J.L., 2013, Advances in the Use of Molecular Biological Tools for Site Investigation and Monitoring: An ITRC Perspective, RemTech Summit, March 5, Denver, CO. Other, Presented, 03/2013.
  • Richard, T, J. Weidhaas, 2012, Adsorption and bioremediation of explosive compound: IMX‑101 and constituents, West Virginia Academy of Science and the West Virginia Science, Technology and Research, April 12, Institute, WV. Other, Presented, 04/2012.
  • Wagle-Gautam, P, J. Weidhaas, 2012, Spatial relationship between the trichloroethylene degrading bacteria Dehalococcoides sp., sulfate reducers and methanogens during the reductive dechlorination process, West Virginia Academy of Science and the West Virginia Science, Technology and Research, April 12, Institute, WV. Other, Presented, 04/2012.

Research Groups

  • Ibukunoluwa Salako, Graduate Student. Civil and Environmental Engineering. 08/15/2023 - present.
  • Ean Warren, Graduate Student. 08/15/2022 - present.
  • Katrina Brown, Faculty Intern. Civil and Environmental Engineering. 01/06/2020 - 08/15/2022.
  • Dana Tran, Graduate Student. Civil and Environmental Engineering. 08/15/2019 - 12/30/2023.
  • Danielle Zebelean, Graduate Student. Civil and Environmental Engineering. 08/15/2019 - 08/15/2021.
  • Stephen Cavanagh, Graduate Student. Civil and Environmental Engineering. 08/15/2018 - 08/15/2022. Awards/Scholarships/Stipends: GCSC fellow, SERDP.
  • McKinley Olsen, Graduate Student. Civil and Environmental Engineering. 08/15/2017 - 12/30/2019.
  • Gemma Clark, Undergraduate Student. Civil and Environmental Engineering. 01/09/2017 - 05/04/2018. Awards/Scholarships/Stipends: UROP.
  • Saraswati Poudel Acharya, Graduate Student. Civil and Environmental Engineering. 08/15/2016 - 12/14/2018.
  • Rubayat Jamal, Graduate Student. Civil and Environmental Engineering. 08/15/2016 - 12/31/2021.

Geographical Regions of Interest

  • Pakistan