Quantification of human-associated fecal indicators reveal sewage from urban watersheds as a source of pollution to Lake Michigan

Templar, Hayley A.; Dila, Deborah K.; Bootsma, Melinda J.; Corsi, Steven R.; McLellan, Sandra L.

doi:10.1016/j.watres.2016.05.056

Cited by 59 publications

(62 citation statements)

References 32 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…Multiple studies conducted have indicated that rivers and canals, in addition to inlets and marshes, are substantial sources of FIB (Grant et al 2001, Sadowsky and Whitman 2011, Bradshaw et al 2016, Templar et al 2016). Our results strongly support these observations.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Significance of beach geomorphology on fecal indicator bacteria levels

Donahue

Feng

Kelly

et al. 2017

Marine Pollution Bulletin

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Large databases of fecal indicator bacteria (FIB) measurements are available for coastal waters. With the assistance of satellite imagery, we illustrated the power of assessing data for many sites by evaluating beach features such as geomorphology, distance from rivers and canals, presence of piers and causeways, and degree of urbanization coupled with the enterococci FIB database for the state of Florida. We found that beach geomorphology was the primary characteristic associated with enterococci levels that exceeded regulatory guidelines. Beaches in close proximity to marshes or within bays had higher enterococci exceedances in comparison to open coast beaches. For open coast beaches, greater enterococci exceedances were associated with nearby rivers and higher levels of urbanization. Piers and causeways had a minimal contribution, as their effect was often overwhelmed by beach geomorphology. Results can be used to understand the potential causes of elevated enterococci levels and to promote public health.

show abstract

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Significance of beach geomorphology on fecal indicator bacteria levels

Donahue

Feng

Kelly

et al. 2017

Marine Pollution Bulletin

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…The assays employed in this study targeted E. coli (55), Enterococcus spp. (Entero) (68), human-associated Lachnospiraceae (Lachno2) (26), human-associated Bacteroides (HB) (19,67,69), gull-associated Catellicoccus marimammalium (Gull2) (28,70), and ruminant-associated Bacteroidetes (BacR) (22). Standard curves were created using six serial 1:10 dilutions from 1.5 ϫ 10 6 to 15 copies per reaction of a linearized plasmid containing the target sequence.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Distribution and Differential Survival of Traditional and Alternative Indicators of Fecal Pollution at Freshwater Beaches

Cloutier

McLellan

2017

Appl Environ Microbiol

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Alternative indicators have been developed that can be used to identify host sources of fecal pollution, yet little is known about how their distribution and fate compare to traditional indicators. Escherichia coli and enterococci were widely distributed at the six beaches studied and were detected in almost 95% of water samples (n ϭ 422) and 100% of sand samples (n ϭ 400). Berm sand contained the largest amount of E. coli (P Ͻ 0.01), whereas levels of enterococci were highest in the backshore (P Ͻ 0.01). E. coli and enterococci were the lowest in water, using a weight-to-volume comparison. The gull-associated Catellicoccus marimammalium (Gull2) marker was found in over 80% of water samples, regardless of E. coli levels, and in 25% of sand samples. Human-associated Bacteroides (HB) and Lachnospiraceae (Lachno2) were detected in only 2.4% of water samples collected under baseflow and post-rain conditions but produced a robust signal after a combined sewage overflow, despite low E. coli concentrations. Burdens of E. coli and enterococci in water and sand were disproportionately high in relation to alternative indicators when comparing environmental samples to source material. In microcosm studies, Gull2, HB, and Lachno2 quantitative PCR (qPCR) signals were reduced twice as quickly as those from E. coli and enterococci and approximately 20% faster than signals from culturable E. coli. High concentrations of alternative indicators in source material illustrated their high sensitivity for the identification of fecal sources; however, differential survival and the potential for long-term persistence of traditional fecal indicators complicate the use of alternative indicator data to account for the levels of E. coli and enterococci in environmental samples. IMPORTANCE E. coli and enterococci are general indicators of fecal pollution and may persist in beach sand, making their use problematic for many applications. This study demonstrates that gull fecal pollution is widespread at Great Lakes beaches, whereas human and ruminant contamination is evident only after major rain events. An exploration of sand as a reservoir for indicators found that E. coli was ubiquitous, while gull host markers were detected in only 25% of samples. In situ sand beach microcosms provided decay rate constants for E. coli and enterococci relative to alternative indicators, which establish comparative benchmarks that would be helpful to distinguish recent from past pollution. Overall, alternative indicators are useful for identifying sources and assessing potentially high health risk contamination events; however, beach managers should be cautious in attempting to directly link their detection to the levels of E. coli or enterococci.KEYWORDS beaches, water quality, human-associated indicators, gull-associated indicators, qPCR F ecal contamination of recreational waters can be a serious threat to public health. Due to the vast diversity of fecal-borne human pathogens, the USEPA has recommended the use of fecal indicator bacteria (FIB),...

show abstract

“…Flux computed for the current study provided relatively unique information for pathogen studies performed in rivers. Considering microorganism concentrations can vary substantially during short time periods and different phases of a hydrograph or during lowflow periods (Templar et al, 2016), a technique to characterize concentrations over relevant time periods is necessary to compare results among different hydrologic conditions and watersheds. The flow-compositing technique described herein allowed for determination of mean pathogen concentrations throughout entire runoff-event periods or over extended low-flow periods that included the full light cycle.…”

Section: Department Of Agriculturementioning

confidence: 99%

Hydrologic, land cover, and seasonal patterns of waterborne pathogens in Great Lakes tributaries

et al. 2017

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Great Lakes tributaries are known to deliver waterborne pathogens from a host of sources. To examine the hydrologic, land cover, and seasonal patterns of waterborne pathogens (i.e. protozoa (2), pathogenic bacteria (4) human viruses, (8) and bovine viruses (8)) eight rivers were monitored in the Great Lakes Basin over 29 months from February 2011 to June 2013. Sampling locations represented a wide variety of land cover classes from urban to agriculture to forest. A custom automated pathogen sampler was deployed at eight sampling locations which provided unattended, flow-weighted, large-volume (120-1630 L) sampling. Human and bovine viruses and pathogenic bacteria were detected by real-time qPCR in 16%, 14%, and 1.4% of 290 samples collected while protozoa were never detected. The most frequently detected pathogens were: bovine polyomavirus (11%), and human adenovirus C, D, F (9%). Human and bovine viruses were present in 16.9% and 14.8% of runoff-event samples (n = 189) resulting from precipitation and snowmelt, and 13.9% and 12.9% of low-flow samples (n = 101), respectively, indicating multiple delivery mechanisms could be influential. Data indicated human and bovine virus prevalence was different depending on land cover within the watershed. Occurrence, concentration, and flux of human viruses were greatest in samples from the three sampling locations with greater than 25% urban influence than those with less than 25% urban influence. Similarly, occurrence, concentration, and flux of bovine viruses were greatest in samples from the two sampling locations with greater than 50 cattle/km than those with less than 50 cattle/km. In seasonal analysis, human and bovine viruses occurred more frequently in spring and winter seasons than during the fall and summer. Concentration, occurrence, and flux in the context of hydrologic condition, seasonality, and land use must be considered for each watershed individually to develop effective watershed management strategies for pathogen reduction.

show abstract

Quantification of human-associated fecal indicators reveal sewage from urban watersheds as a source of pollution to Lake Michigan

Cited by 59 publications

References 32 publications

Significance of beach geomorphology on fecal indicator bacteria levels

Significance of beach geomorphology on fecal indicator bacteria levels

Distribution and Differential Survival of Traditional and Alternative Indicators of Fecal Pollution at Freshwater Beaches

Hydrologic, land cover, and seasonal patterns of waterborne pathogens in Great Lakes tributaries

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About