Assessment of Escherichia coli in three subwatersheds of the upper White River, IN

• Main Author: Barnard, Amity R.
• Other Authors: Brown, Hugh J.
• Format: Others
• Published: 2011
• Subjects: Escherichia coli > Indiana > White River Watershed.; Bacterial pollution of water > Indiana > White River Watershed.
• Online Access: http://cardinalscholar.bsu.edu/handle/handle/187838; http://liblink.bsu.edu/uhtbin/catkey/1286501

According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, 174 of Indiana's 428 waterbodies were listed as impaired for Escherichia coli (E. coli) in 2002. This study determined the severity of E. coli contamination and assessed the impacts of landuse on E. coli concentrations in three subwatersheds. Samples were collected and E. coli analyzed using the Coliscan Easygel method. Geographic information system analyses were used to determine impacts of spatial parameters on E. coli concentrations. Sixty-seven percent of the 162 samples exceeded the USEPA recreational water quality standard. Escherichia coli concentrations were significantly related to the ratio of five-and thirty-meter impervious surface buffer, density of septic systems, and the presence of inadequately drained soils. Confined feeding operations and combined sewer overflows also resulted in elevated E. coli concentrations. Human activity in urban areas had substantial impacts on these concentrations, impacts that can be minimized through proper management. === Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Management