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MANAGING WATERBORNE PATHOGENS ASSOCIATED WITH CONCENTRATED ANIMAL FEEDING OPERATIONS
Citation:
ROGERS, S. AND J. R. HAINES. MANAGING WATERBORNE PATHOGENS ASSOCIATED WITH CONCENTRATED ANIMAL FEEDING OPERATIONS. Presented at EPA Science Forum, Washington, DC, May 16 - 18, 2005.
Description:
Pathogenic microorganisms of fecal origin are the leading cause of river and stream impairments in the United States. Runoff from agricultural operations, particularly animal agricultural, can be a major contributor of fecal microbial pollution in a watershed. Several management practices such as infiltration basins, constructed wetlands, and vegetative buffer strips have found wide application in controlling sediment and nutrient runoff to surface waters in agricultural areas. Howeve, little is known about the efficacy of these engineered barriers and other management practices for control of fecal pathogen runoff. Through collaboration between the EPA's National Risk Management Research Laboratory, the USDA's Agricultural Research Service, the US Geological Survey, and researchers at Iowa State University, the ability of several manure management practices to control pathogen discharge to nearby streams will be explored. Antimicrobic resistance profiles and nucleic acids techniques will be used to characterize the microbial communities with a higher degree of resolution than conventional coliforms analysis methods can provide. This research will investigate normal operating conditions as well as the influence rainfall events may have on movement of microorganisms through our two study systems. Potential bypassing of the treatment systems in drainage waters (ditches and tile drainage) from manure-treated croplands will also be examined.