Evaluation of Chemical, Molecular, and Traditional Markers of Fecal Contamination in an Effluent Dominated Urban Stream

Litton, Rachel M.; Ahn, Jun Hyong; Sercu, Bram; Holden, Patricia A.; Sedlak, David L.; Grant, Stanley B.

doi:10.1021/es101092g

Cited by 31 publications

(27 citation statements)

References 38 publications

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“…22 Slow release of microbes from hyporheic porewater back to the water column can contribute significantly to overall downstream transport and disease transmission risks. 23,24 The repeated deposition and resuspension of microbes combined with long periods of immobilization between resuspension events leads to a wide distribution of in-stream residence times. Reversible storage of microbes occur at both the stream reach-scale (e.g., via hyporheic exchange) and locally within sediments (e.g reversible filtration).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Microbial Transport, Retention, and Inactivation in Streams: A Combined Experimental and Stochastic Modeling Approach

Drummond

Davies‐Colley

Stott

et al. 2015

Environ. Sci. Technol.

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Long-term survival of pathogenic microorganisms in streams enables long-distance disease transmission. In order to manage water-borne diseases more effectively we need to better predict how microbes behave in freshwater systems, particularly how they are transported downstream in rivers. Microbes continuously immobilize and resuspend during downstream transport owing to a variety of processes including gravitational settling, attachment to in-stream structures such as submerged macrophytes, and hyporheic exchange and filtration within underlying sediments. We developed a stochastic model to describe these microbial transport and retention processes in rivers that also accounts for microbial inactivation. We used the model to assess the transport, retention, and inactivation of Escherichia coli in a small stream and the underlying streambed sediments as measured from multitracer injection experiments. The results demonstrate that the combination of laboratory experiments on sediment cores, stream reach-scale tracer experiments, and multiscale stochastic modeling improves assessment of microbial transport in streams. This study (1) demonstrates new observations of microbial dynamics in streams with improved data quality than prior studies, (2) advances a stochastic modeling framework to include microbial inactivation processes that we observed to be important in these streams, and (3) synthesizes new and existing data to evaluate seasonal dynamics.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Microbial Transport, Retention, and Inactivation in Streams: A Combined Experimental and Stochastic Modeling Approach

Drummond

Davies‐Colley

Stott

et al. 2015

Environ. Sci. Technol.

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“…The surrounding marshy and muddy shoreline and river discharge may function as bacterial sources and may also provide necessary nutrients for bacterial growth within the sand (Litton et al, 2010). Ideally, sediment samples should be analyzed from the Big Bend beach sites in order to test the hypothesis that low energy beaches are conducive to bacterial accumulation.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Wave energy level and geographic setting correlate with Florida beach water quality

Feng

Reniers

Haus

et al. 2016

Marine Pollution Bulletin

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Many recreational beaches suffer from elevated levels of microorganisms, resulting in beach advisories and closures due to lack of compliance with Environmental Protection Agency guidelines. We conducted the first statewide beach water quality assessment by analyzing decadal records of fecal indicator bacteria (enterococci and fecal coliform) levels at 262 Florida beaches. The objectives were to depict synoptic patterns of beach water quality exceedance along the entire Florida shoreline and to evaluate their relationships with wave condition and geographic location. Percent exceedances based on enterococci and fecal coliform were negatively correlated with both long-term mean wave energy and beach slope. Also, Gulf of Mexico beaches exceeded the thresholds significantly more than Atlantic Ocean ones, perhaps partially due to the lower wave energy. A possible linkage between wave energy level and water quality is beach sand, a pervasive nonpoint source that tends to harbor more bacteria in the low-wave-energy environment.

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“…Field et al [19] evaluates the application of fecal source tracking as a better method for human health risk assessments and managing water quality compared to current reliance on FIB criteria. Litton et al [39] further identifies fecal markers and source tracking tools which could vastly change the approach to FIB monitoring and regulation. These studies and the one presented here provide data on FIB concentrations in selected streams with respect to concentration, relationship to recreational water-quality standards, and influence of environmental factors such as streamflow, rainfall, sediment, and runoff [36].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Fecal Coliform and E. coli Concentrations in Effluent-Dominated Streams of the Upper Santa Cruz Watershed

Sanders

Yuan

Pitchford

2013

Water

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This study assesses the water quality of the Upper Santa Cruz Watershed in southern Arizona in terms of fecal coliform and Escherichia coli (E. coli) bacteria concentrations discharged as treated effluent and from nonpoint sources into the Santa Cruz River and surrounding tributaries. The objectives were to (1) assess the water quality in the Upper Santa Cruz Watershed in terms of fecal coliform and E. coli by comparing the available data to the water quality criteria established by Arizona, (2) to provide insights into fecal indicator bacteria (FIB) response to the hydrology of the watershed and (3) to identify if point sources or nonpoint sources are the major contributors of FIB in the stream. Assessment of the available wastewater treatment plant treated effluent data and in-stream sampling data indicate that water quality criteria for E. coli and fecal coliform in recreational waters are exceeded at all locations of the Santa Cruz River. For the wastewater discharge, 13%-15% of sample concentrations exceeded the 800 colony forming units (cfu) per 100 mL sample maximum for fecal coliform and 29% of samples exceeded the full body contact standard of 235 cfu/100 mL established for E. coli; while for the in-stream grab samples, 16%-34% of sample concentrations exceeded the 800 cfu/100 mL sample maximum for fecal coliforms and 34%-75% of samples exceeded the full body contact standard of 235 cfu/100 mL established for E. coli. Elevated fecal coliform and E. coli concentrations were positively correlated with periods of increased streamflow from rainfall. FIB concentrations observed in-stream are significantly greater (p-value < 0.0002) than wastewater treatment plants effluent concentrations; therefore, water quality managers should focus on nonpoint OPEN ACCESSWater 2013, 5 244 sources to reduce overall fecal indicator loads. Findings indicate that fecal coliform and E. coli concentrations are highly variable, especially along urban streams and generally increase with streamflow and precipitation events. Occurrences of peaks in FIB concentrations during baseflow conditions indicate that further assessment of ecological factors such as interaction with sediment, regrowth, and source tracking are important to watershed management.

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Evaluation of Chemical, Molecular, and Traditional Markers of Fecal Contamination in an Effluent Dominated Urban Stream

Cited by 31 publications

References 38 publications

Microbial Transport, Retention, and Inactivation in Streams: A Combined Experimental and Stochastic Modeling Approach

Microbial Transport, Retention, and Inactivation in Streams: A Combined Experimental and Stochastic Modeling Approach

Wave energy level and geographic setting correlate with Florida beach water quality

Fecal Coliform and E. coli Concentrations in Effluent-Dominated Streams of the Upper Santa Cruz Watershed

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