Abstract
Microbial pollution of recreational waters poses a significant public health risk which, unless mitigated, will continue to increase with population growth. Water managers must implement strategies to accurately discriminate and source human from animal faecal contamination in complex urbanised environments. Our case-study used a new combination of chemical (i.e. ammonia) and microbial (i.e. Escherichia coli, Bacteroides spp.) faecal monitoring tools in a targeted multi-tiered approach to quickly identify pollution hot-spots and track high-risk subterranean stormwater drains in real-time. We successfully located three point sources of human faecal pollution (both episodic and constant pollution streams) within 11 catchments in a total monitoring time of four months. Alternative approaches for obtaining such fine-scale accuracy are typically labour intensive and require expensive equipment.
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Disclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.