Watershed Level Evaluation of Three Source-Tracking Microbial Indicators

摘要

A renewed emphasis on source water protection/watershed management has resulted from recentamendments and initiatives under the Safe Drinking Water Act and the Clean Water Act.Knowledge of the actual microbial inputs to source waters is critical for efforts to control,eliminate or remediate those inputs. This study evaluated source delineating microbialmonitoring tools for use in watershed monitoring, including sorbitol-fermenting Bifidobacteria, Rhodococcus coprophilus, and F-specific RNA coliphage serotypes. These tests all employstandard microbial culturing methods and do not require expensive instrumentation or expertisein molecular methods. Water utilities and water management agencies could therefore use thesetests to identify contaminant sources and implement remedial actions to eliminate those sourcesand their associated pathogen risks.