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Enhancement of the Source Assessment Mapping Interface tool to protect communities from waterborne pathogens during flooding event along the Gulf of Mexico (GOM)
Citation:
Hall, E. Enhancement of the Source Assessment Mapping Interface tool to protect communities from waterborne pathogens during flooding event along the Gulf of Mexico (GOM). ISES, Chicago, IL, August 27 - 31, 2023. https://doi.org/10.23645/epacomptox.23802639
Impact/Purpose:
N/A
Description:
Recent reports indicate an increase in the projection of storms as a result of climate change (https://www.gfdl.noaa.gov/global-warming-and-hurricanes/). The 2022 hurricane season started May 15, in the Eastern Pacific Ocean, and June 1 in the Atlantic Ocean. In September 2022, the Atlantic hurricane season peaked with 5 storms. Cities in Puerto Rico and Florida were in the path of several storms (https://www.nesdis.noaa.gov/news/earth-orbit-2022-hurricane-season-begins). Climate change uncertainty has created the need to assess the distribution and concentration of microbial and chemical contaminants during flood events to inform public safety decisions. During these events, stormwater overwhelms local sewer systems, leading to potentially widespread fecal contamination. Overflow of combined sanitary and stormwater sewers presents acute infection risks to both emergency responders and resident populations. These events disproportionally impact underserved communities and communities with a higher composition of Black and Latino citizens. Because of elevated occurrences of gastrointestinal illness following urban floods, there is a need to accurately determine the distribution of these contaminated waters. Pathogens were discovered in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina in the floodwaters that inundated 80% of the city (Pressley et al., 2006). The impact of harmful algal bacteria has also been documented during these storms (Phlips et al., 2020). Better tools for assessing the distribution of fecal pathogens and chemical contaminants, that can assess microbial risk exposure during flood events, are required. This project addresses this need by developing a novel application that can provide rapid microbial contaminant information, along with fecal source characterization, integrated into a geospatial platform.
URLs/Downloads:
DOI: Enhancement of the Source Assessment Mapping Interface tool to protect communities from waterborne pathogens during flooding event along the Gulf of Mexico (GOM)
PRESENTATION.PDF (PDF, NA pp, 1559.928 KB, about PDF)