Sediment E. coli as a Source of Stream Impairment

Abstract

<p>In the U.S., 74,863 surface water quality impairments are on the EPA‘s list of impaired waters, and the leading cause is high levels of pathogens or fecal indicator bacteria (FIB) in streams and lakes. To understand E. coli contamination in an agricultural stream, we monitored streambed sediment and the overlying water for E. coli concentrations over a range of flow conditions during storm events and characterized the impact of sediment E. coli on stream water quality. Data collected in the field were used to develop and test a model of E. coli resuspension that uses sediment transport theory to calculate the release of E. coli from the streambed sediment to the water column.</p>