Monitoring microbial fate and transport in subsurface hydrologic systems

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This research program is aimed at improving methods for detecting and measuring microscopic organisms in the subsurface in order to improve source water protection. Contamination of water resources by pathogenic microorganisms is a major health risk, yet the extent and risks of groundwater contamination are largely unknown in Canada. Failure to protect the quality of shallow, vulnerable groundwater sources, in particular, can have serious consequences (e.g., the Walkerton groundwater tragedy). Microscopic organisms and other particles, referred to as colloids, can move from the land surface down through the soil profile and reach groundwater. The movement of microbial colloids through soil is very complex and relatively little is known about how quickly or how far they will move. This is due, in part, to the lack of suitable techniques for monitoring colloid concentrations within the soil zone. Recent studies have also shown linkages between waterborne disease outbreaks and large precipitation events, yet traditional methods of groundwater sampling are not reliable for microbial detection in these instances. The goals of this research are twofold: (1) to comprehensively test and improve methods for monitoring microbial concentrations in the subsurface, and (2) to employ these improved methods in order to better understand the movement and survival of microbes in the field. Laboratory experiments will be conducted to evaluate the suitability of different techniques, including innovative new passive and biologically-based approaches, for monitoring microbes in soil and groundwater. The best available monitoring techniques will then be applied in a series of pilot studies at multiple field sites in Canada. The research will generate valuable new methodologies for monitoring water quality and yield insights into subsurface microbial transport, thereby leading to improved water resource protection and a reduction in the risks to human health.