Using Watershed Characteristics for Improving Fecal Source Identification

Abstract

Fecal pollution is one of the most prevalent forms of pollution affecting waterbodies across the United States, threatening public health and negatively impacting aquatic environments. Microbial source tracking (MST) applies polymerase chain reaction (PCR) technology to help identify the source of fecal pollution. In this study, we combine spatial data for two watersheds with general and host-specific MST markers to target human, bovine, and general ruminant sources. Two different PCR technologies were applied for quantifying the targets: quantitative PCR (qPCR) and droplet digital PCR (ddPCR). We found that ddPCR had a higher detection rate (75%) of quantifiable samples compared to qPCR (27%), indicating that ddPCR is more sensitive than qPCR. The three host-specific markers were detected at all sites (n=25) , suggesting that humans, cows, and ruminants are contributing to fecal contamination in these watersheds. MST results, combined with watershed characteristics, suggest that streams draining low-infiltration soil groups, high septic system prevalence, and high agricultural land use are at an increased risk for fecal contamination. Microbial source tracking has been applied in numerous studies to aid in identifying the source of fecal contamination, however these studies lacked information on the involvement of watershed characteristics. This study combined MST results, applying more sensitive PCR techniques, in addition to watershed characteristics to provide more comprehensive insight into the factors that influence fecal contamination in order to implement the most effective best management practices.