EAGER: Understand the concentration dynamics of fecal-specific chemical and bacterial markers in a tropical residential sewershed

美国老化的下水道系统正在削弱市政当局保障公众健康的能力。 要解决这个问题，将需要在未来几年内作出巨大的下水道修复努力。 有效地实施这些努力需要对下水道恶化状况进行彻底评估，以便通过将资源用于下水道系统最脆弱的部分来实现积极的修复。 然而，目前的下水道检查技术不适合这样的任务。 拟议的探索性研究将测试新的概念，使用污水标记快速和可靠的排名不同的下水道部分之间的下水道恶化的严重程度。 该假设是基于定量PCR的某些粪便特异性标志物的污染图表现出稳定的和签名的昼夜流入模式在干燥的天气条件下，和他们的波动在潮湿的天气条件下，定量相关的下水道恶化的严重程度。 本项目的目标是获得初步数据，以检验这一假设。 如果这一假设得到证实，将有可能改变下水道系统修复的处理方式。 研究生和本科生都将参与该项目。 此外，工作关系将通过该大学的本土夏威夷科学和工程指导计划与代表性不足的学生社区加强。

0964260YanAging sanitary sewer systems in the U.S. are undermining municipalities ability to safeguard public health. To fix the problem will require enormous sewer rehabilitation efforts in coming years. Efficient implementation of such efforts requires a thorough assessment of sewer deterioration status, so that proactive rehabilitation can be achieved by directing resources toward the most vulnerable sections of sewer systems. Current sewer inspection technologies, however, are not suitable for such a task. The proposed exploratory research will test the novel concept of using sewage markers to rapidly and reliably rank sewer deterioration severities among different sewer sections. The hypothesis is that pollutographs based on quantitative PCR of certain fecal specific markers exhibit stable and signature diurnal influx patterns under dry weather conditions, and that their fluctuations under wet-weather conditions are quantitatively related to sewer deterioration severities. The objective of this project is to obtain preliminary data testing this hypothesis. If this hypothesis is proven out, there will be potential to transform the handling of the rehabilitation of sewer systems. Both graduate and undergraduate students will be involved in the project. Additionally, a working relationship will be enhanced with underrepresented student communities via the university's native Hawaiian Science and Engineering Mentoring program.