Water Resources Research Act Program

Details for Project ID 2003VI9B

Fecal Coliform Bacteria Removal Efficiency for Stormwater BMPs in the Virgin Islands

Institute: Virgin Islands
Year Established: 2003 Start Date: 2003-05-01 End Date: 2004-02-28
Total Federal Funds: $57,600 Total Non-Federal Funds: Not available

Principal Investigators: Henry Smith, R. Kelsey

Project Summary: This project seeks to evaluate the fecal coliform bacteria removal efficiency of Best Management Practices (BMPs) in the Virgin Islands. Fecal coliform bacteria removal efficiency will be evaluated during rain events for selected local stormwater BMPs, such as retention ponds, grassed swales, or engineered structures. The study design allows for both a total fecal coliform load to be estimated by integrating flow and bacterial density measurements during storm events, and for the evaluation of fecal coliform removal efficiency of tested BMPs. Results of the research will be useful for resource management and planning in the Virgin Islands as well as in other tropical areas. This project will use procedures identical to current research in more temperate areas, which will enable regional variability comparison of load estimation and removal efficiency.