Application of DNA source tracking technology to improve evaluation of wastewater quality.

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We will investigate water quality at targeted wastewater and drinking water sites in Niagara Region. To maintain public health through effective monitoring, it is important to identify the potential sources of fecal pollution (waste sources including treatment plans and combined sewer overflows (CSOs)) contaminating Niagara watershed. Identification of the correct fecal pollution sources can guide the most targeted and cost-effective actions to remedy water quality. It is particularly important to identify any sources of human sewage, as these fecal pollution sources are generally regarded to present the highest human health risks. Remedial actions may also be needed to improve water quality at some beaches, as well as to address beneficial use impairments at the watershed area of the Niagara Area of Concern. Conventional water analyses will be augmented by new DNA sequence based markers to identify both E. coli as well non-E. coli microbial pathogens in water samples. Using sequence data from microbial genomes, novel molecular markers that are specific for different groups of water-related microbial pathogens, and which can differentiate different fecal sources, will be identified. The performance of these markers (i.e. sensitivity and specificity) for source tracking purposes will be determined by comparison with traditional monitoring methods and existing DNA based markers. This project is expected to yield large numbers of new and improved DNA based markers for source tracking that are best suited and validated for Ontario. The use of these markers in conjunction with high throughput DNA sequence technology will provide comprehensive information for microbial source tracking in real-time that can be adapted for local use in water monitoring. While the use of DNA diagnostics is not novel the application of genomic sequence data for microbial contamination in water resources is new and its full potential has not yet been realized. This proposal is aimed at bridging this gap and should lead to development of useful tools for water quality monitoring in cases where remedial action depends on unequivocal source identification.