Microbial contaminant fate and transport in complex source waters

点击翻译按钮获取中文摘要

The proposed research plan aims to develop a new comprehensive understanding of the dynamics of microbial contaminants in drinking water sources. The proposed research will focus on monitoring and hydrodynamic model calibration and validation for key microbial contaminants: Escherichia coli, Cryptosporidium, Giardia, Campylobacter, cyanobacteria, and cyanotoxins. It is hypothesized that densities of microbial contaminants in source waters will be influenced primarily by changes in watershed conditions from snowmelt or precipitation events and will respond to changes in nutrient and sediment fluxes. Knowledge of the dynamic interrelationships between environmental factors and microbial contaminants will facilitate the prediction of baseline and peak occurrences of pathogens and cyanobacterial toxins. The ability to predict densities of microbial contaminants in surface waters will assist with the selection of water treatment processes and will guide treatment plant operations. Furthermore, the development of a model will help planners with making important decisions for source water protection that impact both ecosystems and human health.