Digital Commons Network^™

Fate And Transport Of Pathogen Indicators From Pasturelands, Michelle L. Soupir

Michelle L. Soupir

The U.S. EPA has identified pathogen indicators as a leading cause of impairments in rivers and streams in the U.S. Elevated levels of bacteria in streams draining the agricultural watersheds cause concern because they indicate the potential presence of pathogenic organisms. Limited understanding of how bacteria survive in the environment and are released from fecal matter and transported along overland flow pathways results in high uncertainty in the design and selection of appropriate best management practices (BMPs) and in the bacterial fate and transport models used to identify sources of pathogens.

The overall goal of this study was to improve …

E. Coli And Enterococci Attachment To Particles And Loading Rates In Pastureland Runoff, Michelle L. Soupir, H. E. Saied Mostaghimi

Michelle L. Soupir

Limited data on microbial partitioning between the freely suspended and particulate attached phases during transport along overland flow pathways results in high uncertainty in bacterial fate and transport models. The objectives of this work were to partition E. coli and enterococci between the unattached and attached phases at the edge-of-the-field and to identify the particle sizes to which the attached bacteria preferentially associated. The average E. coli PC for all samples collected was 0.06 which corresponded to 4.8% attached and the average PC for enterococcus was 0.18 which corresponded to 13% attached. E. coli and enterococci PC, PAF, and TC …