This paper presents a developing tool to aid in watershed protection called microbial source tracking (MST). MST can be used to provide the
scientific basis for identifying microbial input sources to raw drinking water. Once a source is
identified by MST methods, a water utility can develop and implement effective remedial actions
in a targeted manner without spending money and effort on "false" sources that may be indicated
through land use analysis or sanitary surveys alone. Many MST tools involve molecular
analyses; however, this study focused on tools which could be more easily and less expensively
implemented by watershed managers. An integrated assessment approach was applied to two watershed "hotspots." Sites were selected
based on elevated fecal coliform counts enumerated during monitoring for regulatory
compliance. Land use analysis was used to identify the potential microbial contamination
sources, which included residential septic systems, agricultural animal operations,
commercial/industrial operations and wildlife activity. Water samples were collected seasonally at each site and analyzed for a suite of water quality
parameters. The MST methods employed included sorbitol-fermenting Bifidobacteria and
enterococci (indicators of human-related domestic wastewater), Rhodococcus coprophilus (an
indicator of grazing animal waste), and male-specific RNA coliphage serotypes (that discriminate between human and non-human microbial inputs). Traditional water quality
parameters were also measured to assess the general extent of contamination. These included
conductivity, turbidity and fecal coliforms. Includes tables.
| Edition : | Vol. - No. |
| File Size : | 1
file
, 390 KB |
| Note : | This product is unavailable in Ukraine, Russia, Belarus |
| Number of Pages : | 2 |
| Published : | 06/17/2005 |
