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ESCHERICHIA COLI AND TOTAL COLIFORMS IN WATER AND SEDIMENTS AT LAKE MARINAS
Citation:
An, Y., D H. Kampbell*, AND G. P. Breidenbach. ESCHERICHIA COLI AND TOTAL COLIFORMS IN WATER AND SEDIMENTS AT LAKE MARINAS. ENVIRONMENTAL POLLUTION. Elsevier Science Ltd, New York, NY, 120(2002):771-778, (2002).
Description:
Escherichia coli, a fecal coliform, and total coliforms were monitored between September 1999 to October 2001 in five marinas on Lake Texoma, located on the Oklahoma and Texas border. General trend was that densities of E. coli were lower in the summer season due to the lower loading of fecal material into Lake Texoma and ecological conditions of lake such as more vigorous grazing by protozoa and less viability of E. coli at an elevated temperature. The densities of total coliforms greatly increased in summer. E. coli levels also increased with depth, We found that the bottom water samples have higher densities of E. coli mainly due to their association with particles. There was a direct relationship between amount gasoline sold, which was related to recreational boating activity, and the resuspension of E. coli. This indicated recreational boating activity in lake marinas may have resuspended bottom sediments with bound E. coli and the presence of E. coli in marinas was not an indication of recent fecal contamination. E. coli were detected in larger densities at the boat dock points, followed by the gasoline filling station and marina entrance. In addition, enumeration of bacteria in bottom sediment showed that the densities of E. coli and total coliforms in sediment were much higher compared to those in lake water.