Grantee Research Project Results
Cryptosporidium Capture in Sewage Impacted Waters
EPA Grant Number: SU840143Title: Cryptosporidium Capture in Sewage Impacted Waters
Investigators: Elliott, Mark , Jellison, Kristen L. , Mayerberger, Elisa , Maxcy-Brown, Jillian , Olson, Julie , Stahl, Leigha , Davidson, Rose , Gunaydin, Serhat , Early, Tana , Abungu, Vivian
Current Investigators: Elliott, Mark , Jellison, Kristen L. , Olson, Julie , Maxcy-Brown, Jillian , Gunaydin, Serhat , Abungu, Vivian , Stahl, Leigha , Davidson, Rose , Mayerberger, Elisa , Early, Tana
Institution: The University of Alabama , Lehigh University
EPA Project Officer: Spatz, Kyle
Phase: I
Project Period: December 1, 2020 through November 30, 2021 (Extended to November 30, 2022)
Project Amount: $24,999
RFA: P3 Awards: A National Student Design Competition Focusing on People, Prosperity and the Planet (2020) RFA Text | Recipients Lists
Research Category: P3 Awards , P3 Challenge Area - Safe and Sustainable Water Resources
Description:
In this P3 Phase I project, we will leverage the laboratory and field research of three research groups across two universities to demonstrate that a simple, inexpensive, time-integrated, biofilm-based surface can be used to successfully capture oocysts from one of the most important human enteric pathogens, Cryptosporidium, in rural environments with a diverse set of point and non-point sources of human fecal contamination. Additionally, we will leverage Dr. Jellison’s laboratory research to test the efficacy of increased calcium ion concentrations to enhance oocyst capture (Luo et al., 2017a) by designing, testing and deploying a tablet-based calcium dissolution device in the field. In a possible Phase II, we would incorporate engineered surfaces currently showing great promise for capture of oocysts in an NSF-funded laboratory project.
This project takes place in and around poor, rural, majority African American communities of the Alabama Black Belt, an area known for extreme challenges in both onsite and centralized wastewater management (e.g., Pillion, 2018, 2019). Dr. Elliott has a five-year history of working with communities and other stakeholders to document and address these issues (e.g., Elliott et al., 2017b).
Objective:
Sampling surface water for fecal contamination typically involves occasional visits to a site, collection of a small grab sample, cold storage, incubation in the presence of a selective substrate and analysis for viable cells of fecal indicator bacteria (i.e. E. coli, thermotolerant coliforms, enterococci). While this approach has the advantages of being technically simple and broadly affordable, there are many drawbacks, including (1) microbial surface water quality is highly variable, with order of magnitude differences from one second to
the next (e.g., Rao et al., 2015), (2) indicator bacteria are poorly correlated with many pathogens including Cryptosporidium (e.g., Wu et al., 2011), and (3) the vegetative bacteria used as fecal indicators are far less environmentally robust than many pathogens (e.g., Savichtcheva and Okabe, 2006), with Cryptosporidium being especially environmentally robust as an oocyst-forming parasite. Therefore, a single grab sample tested for fecal indicator bacteria is completely inadequate to evaluate potential risk to human health from enteric pathogens in a body of water. Substantial progress has been made in molecular methods to detect multiple enteric pathogens in a single sample (e.g., Liu et al., 2013) as well as in concentrating large volume samples in the field (e.g., Mull and Hill, 2012). However, there has been little to no effort to explore time-integrated sampling methods that have been used in sedimentology (e.g., Elliott et al., 2017a) and incorporate those into pathogen capture.
Approach:
We plan to focus field sampling upstream and downstream of three potential sources of Cryptosporidium: (1) a municipal wastewater treatment plant that is in compliance with regulations, (2) a municipal wastewater treatment system that is out of compliance, and (3) areas with known straight pipe raw sewage discharges from homes. Sampling sites will be identified based on knowledge of wastewater contamination in the area and following confirmatory sampling of benthic biofilms for Cryptosporidium.
The proposed project will incorporate people, prosperity and planet through research activities and community outreach. Many people in poor rural Alabama communities are subject to straight pipe raw sewage discharges from a majority of homes (Elliott et al., 2017b). Quantifying the scope of fecal contamination is essential to motivate governments to protect their rural poor people. We hope that these methods will enable detection of onsite wastewater discharges and hopefully enhance efforts to locate and address illicit discharges. Pathogens in the environment lead to waterborne disease, impacting people and prosperity, and exposure can be prevented through proper wastewater
management. Preventing discharge of untreated sewage also protects the planet by reducing the release of nutrients, endocrine disrupting compounds and other contaminants into the environment.
Dr. Elliott will work with the student team to integrate this P3 project into the spring 2021 undergraduate course CE 420: Environmental Measurements. We expect substantial statewide media coverage for this P3; our last P3 award received coverage in numerous online and print newspapers, Alabama public radio, and local TV coverage as detailed in the body of the proposal.
Expected Results:
Phase I outputs will focus primarily on sampling and analysis of samples, and development and testing of the calcium tablet dissolution device. We will make informed judgements of sites likely to be contaminated by point and non-point source wastewater discharges. The findings for the Cryptosporidium species and their attachment to the units in addition to the design of the calcium dissolution device will be communicated with local and state-level stakeholders through at least two presentations. Written outcomes will include the Phase I report to EPA and the Phase II proposal. While our long-term goals for this research include substantial water quality and health outcomes, the scope is limited by the research focus and length of Phase I. We hope that sampling methods to detect fecal contamination can progress from grab sampling for indicator bacteria toward time-integrated sampling for pathogens and that our results will assist in that transition. Education and outreach outcomes are planned for Phase I; we will present our project findings and future plans to at least 75 stakeholders. During a possible Phase II, we hope to work with several water managers to integrate our findings into broader efforts to minimize the Cryptosporidium populations in these surface waters.
Supplemental Keywords:
Environmental monitoring, Pathogen detection, Environmental justice, Drinking water, Sustainable water management, Remote monitoringProgress and Final Reports:
The perspectives, information and conclusions conveyed in research project abstracts, progress reports, final reports, journal abstracts and journal publications convey the viewpoints of the principal investigator and may not represent the views and policies of ORD and EPA. Conclusions drawn by the principal investigators have not been reviewed by the Agency.