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MANAGING MICROBIAL CONTAMINATION IN URBAN WATERSHEDS
Citation:
Stinson*, M K. AND J M. Perdek*. MANAGING MICROBIAL CONTAMINATION IN URBAN WATERSHEDS. Presented at World Water and Environmental Resources Congress, Salt Lake City, UT, June 27 - July 01, 2004.
Impact/Purpose:
To inform the public
Description:
This paper presents different approaches for controlling pathogen contamination in urban watersheds for contamination resulting from point and diffuses sources. Point sources of pathogens can be treated by a disinfection technology of known effectiveness, and a desired reduction of microbial concentration is usually achieved. Diffuse sources of pathogens are commonly managed with the use of structural and nonstructural best management practices (BMPs).
Disinfection technologies for pathogen control are presented here for point sources resulting from urban wet-weather flow (WWF) such as combined sewer overflow (CSO), sanitary sewer overflow (SSO), and stormwater, as all components of WWF carry significant loads of fecal and pathogen contamination that should be prevented from entering an urban receiving water body.
BMPs, structural and nonstructural, are a set of practices to control and manage the quality and quantity of urban runoff, a diffuse source. Examples of BMPs requiring a structure are dry and wet ponds, constructed wetlands, and swales. Nonstructural BMPs are generally good housekeeping practices or measures designed to institute good housekeeping for reducing or preventing pollutant deposition in a watershed, e.g., public education or regulation. Examples of nonstructural BMPs include common sense measures such as limiting public and animal access to sensitive watershed areas and public education.
This paper is based on one of three chapters, Chapter Three, of a published U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) report entitled Managing Urban Watershed Pathogen Contamination, EPA/600/R-03/111, prepared as a resource for state and local personnel responsible for managing pathogen contamination in urban watersheds.