Monday, November 5, 2007 - 11:45 AM
94-5

The Connection Between Bacteriodes, E. coli and Catchment Hydrology.

Randall Gentry, University of Tennessee, Institute for a Secure and Sustainable Environment, 311 Conference Center Building, Knoxville, TN 37996-4134

            This abstract presents a summary of a case study analysis of the occurrence and uncertainty of source specific Bacteroides and Escherichia coli in a stream in a mixed land-use watershed with human, cattle and wildlife fecal inputs located in a karstic geologic region during baseflow conditions.  The objectives of the study were to evaluate the occurrence, hydrologic significance, and source of fecal mass in the stream using assays for total Bacteroides (AllBac) and bovine specific Bacteroides (BoBac), and then to compare these measurements with E. coli densities and loads.  Samples were collected during baseflow conditions over several months at seven different main channel sites in the Stock Creek watershed, a 49.3 km2 basin located in Knoxville, Tennessee (USA).  Instantaneous loads for total fecal loads, bovine fecal loads and E. coli were determined from measured flow rates and the representative Bacteroides fecal masses and/or E. coli densities. The study indicated a strong correlation between total fecal load (kg d-1), bovine fecal load (kg d-1), E. coli load rate (CFU d-1), 7-day antecedent precipitation, and turbidity.  The various datasets allowed for the development of robust conceptual models regarding bacterial occurrence and persistence in mixed land-use areas.

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