Microbial partitioning to settleable particles in stormwater.
The degree to which microbes in the water column associate with settleable particles has important implications for microbial transport in receiving waters, as well as for microbial removal via sedimentation (i.e. detention basins). The partitioning behavior of several bacterial, protozoan and viral indicator organisms is explored in three urban streams under both storm and dry weather conditions. The fraction of organisms associated with settleable particles in stormwater is estimated through use of a centrifugation technique which is calibrated using suspensions of standard particles (e.g., glass, latex). The fraction of organisms associated with settleable particles varies by type of microbe, and the partitioning behavior of each organism generally changes between dry weather and storm conditions. Bacterial indicator organisms (fecal coliforms, Escherichia coli, enterococci) exhibited relatively consistent behavior, with an average of 20-35% of organisms associated with these particles in background samples and 30-55% in storm samples. Clostridium perfringens spores exhibited the highest average level of particle association, with storm values varying from 50% to 70%. Results related to total coliphage partitioning were more variable, with 20-60% associated with particles during storms. These estimates should be valuable in surface water quality modeling efforts, many of which currently assume that all microbes exist as free (unattached) organisms.
Characklis
Gregory W
GW
Department of Environmental Sciences and Engineering, School of Public Health, Rosenau Hall - CB7431, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC 27599-7431, USA. charack@email.unc.edu
Dilts
Mackenzie J
MJ
Simmons
Otto D
OD
Likirdopulos
Christina A
CA
Krometis
Leigh-Anne H
LA
Sobsey
Mark D
MD
D001422:Bacterial Adhesion; D002498:Centrifugation; D003016:Clostridium perfringens / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D003090:Coliphages / Q000302:isolation & purification; D015169:Colony Count, Microbial; D021902:Enterobacter aerogenes / Q000302:isolation & purification; D004755:Enterobacteriaceae / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D016983:Enterococcus / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D004926:Escherichia coli / Q000302:isolation & purification; D009663:Norwalk virus / Q000302:isolation & purification; D010316:Particle Size; D011891:Rain; D045483:Rivers / Q000382:microbiology*; D014871:Water Microbiology