Monitoring source water for microbial contamination: evaluation of water quality measures. 2007

Jeanine D Plummer, and Sharon C Long
Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Worcester Polytechnic Institute, 100 Institute Road, Worcester, MA 01609, USA. jplummer@wpi.edu

Watershed management programs often rely on monitoring for a large number of water quality parameters to define contaminant issues. While coliforms have traditionally been used to identify microbial contamination, these indicators cannot discriminate among potential contaminant sources. Microbial source tracking (MST) can provide the missing link that implicates the sources of contamination. The objective of this study was to use a weight-of-evidence approach (land use analysis using GIS, sanitary surveys, traditional water quality monitoring, and MST targets) to identify sources of pollution within a watershed that contains a raw drinking water source. For the study watersheds, statistical analyses demonstrated that one measure each of particulate matter (turbidity, particle counts), organic matter (total organic carbon, dissolved organic carbon, UV(254) absorbance), and indicator organisms (fecal coliforms, enterococci) were adequate for characterizing water quality. While these traditional parameters were useful for assessing overall water quality, they were not intended to differentiate between microbial sources at different locations. In contrast, the MST targets utilized (Rhodococcus coprophilus, sorbitol-fermenting Bifidobacteria, and male-specific coliphages) pinpointed specific sources of microbial pollution. However, these targets could not be used for routine monitoring due to a high percentage of non-detects.

UI MeSH Term Description Entries
D005618 Fresh Water Water containing no significant amounts of salts, such as water from RIVERS and LAKES. Freshwater,Fresh Waters,Freshwaters,Water, Fresh,Waters, Fresh
D001419 Bacteria One of the three domains of life (the others being Eukarya and ARCHAEA), also called Eubacteria. They are unicellular prokaryotic microorganisms which generally possess rigid cell walls, multiply by cell division, and exhibit three principal forms: round or coccal, rodlike or bacillary, and spiral or spirochetal. Bacteria can be classified by their response to OXYGEN: aerobic, anaerobic, or facultatively anaerobic; by the mode by which they obtain their energy: chemotrophy (via chemical reaction) or PHOTOTROPHY (via light reaction); for chemotrophs by their source of chemical energy: CHEMOLITHOTROPHY (from inorganic compounds) or chemoorganotrophy (from organic compounds); and by their source for CARBON; NITROGEN; etc.; HETEROTROPHY (from organic sources) or AUTOTROPHY (from CARBON DIOXIDE). They can also be classified by whether or not they stain (based on the structure of their CELL WALLS) with CRYSTAL VIOLET dye: gram-negative or gram-positive. Eubacteria
D014871 Water Microbiology The presence of bacteria, viruses, and fungi in water. This term is not restricted to pathogenic organisms. Microbiology, Water
D014876 Water Pollution Contamination of bodies of water (such as LAKES; RIVERS; SEAS; and GROUNDWATER.) Thermal Water Pollution,Water Pollution, Thermal,Pollution, Thermal Water,Pollution, Water,Pollutions, Thermal Water,Pollutions, Water,Thermal Water Pollutions,Water Pollutions,Water Pollutions, Thermal
D014881 Water Supply Means or process of supplying water (as for a community) usually including reservoirs, tunnels, and pipelines and often the watershed from which the water is ultimately drawn. (Webster, 3d ed) Supplies, Water,Supply, Water,Water Supplies
D052638 Particulate Matter Particles of any solid substance, generally under 30 microns in size, often noted as PM30. There is special concern with PM1 which can get down to PULMONARY ALVEOLI and induce MACROPHAGE ACTIVATION and PHAGOCYTOSIS leading to FOREIGN BODY REACTION and LUNG DISEASES. Ultrafine Fiber,Ultrafine Fibers,Ultrafine Particle,Ultrafine Particles,Ultrafine Particulate Matter,Air Pollutants, Particulate,Airborne Particulate Matter,Ambient Particulate Matter,Fiber, Ultrafine,Particle, Ultrafine,Particles, Ultrafine,Particulate Air Pollutants,Particulate Matter, Airborne,Particulate Matter, Ambient,Particulate Matter, Ultrafine
D018505 Waste Management Disposal, processing, controlling, recycling, and reusing the solid, liquid, and gaseous wastes of plants, animals, humans, and other organisms. It includes control within a closed ecological system to maintain a habitable environment. Management, Waste,Managements, Waste,Waste Managements

Related Publications

Jeanine D Plummer, and Sharon C Long
July 2018, Annual International Conference of the IEEE Engineering in Medicine and Biology Society. IEEE Engineering in Medicine and Biology Society. Annual International Conference,
Jeanine D Plummer, and Sharon C Long
March 2021, Saudi journal of biological sciences,
Jeanine D Plummer, and Sharon C Long
March 1998, British dental journal,
Jeanine D Plummer, and Sharon C Long
May 2011, Cell and tissue banking,
Jeanine D Plummer, and Sharon C Long
September 2018, Journal of environmental quality,
Jeanine D Plummer, and Sharon C Long
April 2021, RSC advances,
Jeanine D Plummer, and Sharon C Long
November 2007, Compendium of continuing education in dentistry (Jamesburg, N.J. : 1995),
Jeanine D Plummer, and Sharon C Long
December 2018, Zebrafish,
Copied contents to your clipboard!