Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons^™

Tackling Chloride Pollution In Southeastern Wisconsin: Halophilic Bacterial Indicators And Policy Alternatives, Elexius Kaitlyn Passante

Theses and Dissertations

There are few biological indicators for freshwater systems subjected to high chloride levels. Freshwater systems receive many forms of chloride such as road salts (e.g., NaCl, CaCl2, MgCl2), fertilizers (e.g., KCl), and year-round water softener pollution. The goal our study was to investigate Halomonadaceae populations as prospective biological indicators of chloride-impacted freshwaters. The bacterial family Halomonadaceae are halophiles that generally require the presence of salt to survive, which makes them an attractive candidate in determining chloride impaired areas. Field sediment surveys assessed how salt tolerant and halophilic bacteria abundance corresponded to chloride and conductivity measurements. Colony forming unit (CFU) counts …