Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons^™

Tidal Wetland Contributions To Fecal Coliform Loads In Shellfish Growing Waters By Analysis Of Model Prediction Discrepancy, Jie. Huang

Dissertations, Theses, and Masters Projects

Fecal contamination in estuaries has become an increasing concern worldwide. The use of wetlands for wastewater treatment has expanded due to their natural ability to improve water quality by removing suspended sediments, nutrients, and fecal bacteria. In general, most of the removal occurs through deposition and accumulation in the wetland substrate. This would suggest that wetlands are effective filters for fecal coliform transported from terrestrial environments to surface waters. It has also been hypothesized, however, that wetlands may be an intermittent source of fecal coliform in tidal systems as a result of wildlife deposition and /or accumulation from terrestrial sources. …