Water Resources Research Act Program

Details for Project ID 2003AL7B

A Molecular Approach to Determine the Orgin of Fecal Bacteria in Catoma Creek of the Alabama River Basin

Institute: Alabama
Year Established: 2003 Start Date: 2003-03-01 End Date: 2004-02-29
Total Federal Funds: $25,000 Total Non-Federal Funds: $55,117

Principal Investigators: Yucheng Feng

Project Summary: Fecal pollution impairs the quality of streams and rivers for recreational use and adversely affects fish and aquatic life. Detection of fecal indicator bacteria such as Escherichia coli suggests the presence of potential human pathogens that may pose health risks to humans and threaten the integrity of ecosystems. Determining the source of fecal contamination is necessary to develop effective control strategies. This project will track bacterial non-point source pollution in the Catoma Creek watershed by constructing a rep-PCR DNA fingerprint library from E. coli strains isolated from a wide range of human and animal feces samples in Alabama. The data collected will be input into a GIS database that will assist the state in establishing TMDLs for this waterbody