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MICROBIAL SOURCE TRACKING GUIDE DOCUMENT
Citation:
SANTO-DOMINGO, J., J. HANSEL, M. MOLINA, R. OSHIRO, O. C. SHANKS, G. N. STELMA, T. EDGE, J. GRIFFITH, V. HARWOOD, M. JENKINS, A. LAYTON, C. NAKATSU, M. SADOSWKY, J. STEWART, D. STOECKEL, B. WIGGINS, AND J. WILBUR. MICROBIAL SOURCE TRACKING GUIDE DOCUMENT. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Washington, D.C., EPA/600/R-05/064, 2004.
Impact/Purpose:
information
Description:
Approximately 13% of surface waters in the United States do not meet designated use criteria as determined by high densities of fecal indicator bacteria. Although some of the contamination is attributed to point sources such as confined animal feeding operation (CAFO) and wastewater treatment plant effluents, nonpoint sources are believed to contribute substantially to water pollution. Microbial source tracking (MST) methods have recently been used to help identify nonpoint sources responsible for the fecal pollution of water systems. Moreover, MST tools are now being applied in the development of Total Maximum Daily Loads (TMDL) as part of Clean Water Act requirements and in the evaluation of the effectiveness of best management practices. It is evident that MST is transitioning from the realm of research to that of application.
While there are several reviews in the literature regarding MST scientists from the Office of Research and Development, in cooperation with several federal agencies, participated in a series workshops withthe goal of writing a comprehensive MST guide document. This is not a regulatory document; rather, this document was designed to be used as a reference guide by those considering MST tools for water quality evaluations and TMDL-related activities. However, in a broader sense, environmental managers addressing public health issues, microbial risk management, and ecosystem restoration should also benefit from the extensive materials contained in this document. Since some of the tools discussed are used in other areas of microbial water quality, environmental scientists and engineers in general would benefit from several of the Chapters of this document.