Understanding Biological Sources of Contamination in Stormwater-Impacted Waterbodies

Learn about bacterial and microbial contamination sources in urban stormwater systems through this 17-minute conference presentation from the Georgia Water Resources Conference. Explore comprehensive research conducted across 700 samples from stormwater-impacted water bodies in Alberta, Canada during 2017, examining the presence of various bacterial markers and pathogens. Discover how storm events correlate with increased disease prevalence through pathogen mobilization, and understand the specific testing methods used to identify contamination sources from humans, dogs, muskrats, ruminants, and various bird species. Examine findings that reveal concerning trends in urban stormwater ponds, including poor water quality, high human fecal contamination levels, and the presence of pathogens like A. butzleri. Gain insights into how this research contributes to developing government regulations for water reuse and learn about the violation rates of US EPA recreational water guidelines, with detailed analysis of dominant pollution sources and pathogenic characteristics of detected bacteria.