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For quick access to the related research, follow one of the links below: Related Volunteer Monitor Newsletter Articles Upper Midwest State Bacteria Monitoring Programs Bacterial Source Tracking Research and Contacts
Note that all links below exit this site. Research Applied and Environmental Microbiology Latest research in Environmental Microbiology Alaska At Alaska Pacific University, graduate student Shayla Swedlund and her advisor Rusty Myers compared Coliscan vs. Hach m-Coli Blue24 membrane filtration methods. They found that there was a significant difference in the amount of total coliform between methods, but that there was not a significant difference in E. coli estimates between the two methods. A summay report is linked as a 263K pdf file from this webpage. For more information contact Rusty Myers at: rmyers@alaskapacific.edu Indiana At Purdue University, Jon Harbor has been
developing inquiry based materials on E.
coli pollution for middle school
teachers/students (but adaptable to other levels). He has been using
primarily the Coliscan kits, as well as the GREEN kit presence/
absence test. Contact him for more information at: jharbor@purdue.edu In Northwest Indiana, the Interagency Task Force on E. coli worked to develop a Prototypical Predictive Model for Beach Closings in Indiana. Results of this research are available at: http://igs.indiana.edu/survey/projects/BeachClosings/index.cfm Michigan According to Rita Jack, the Environmentally Concerned Citizens of
South Central Michigan sampled for dissolved oxygen and for E. coli and reported results of their study at www.nocafos.org. She said "that
original monitoring project is now past, but the volunteer monitoring
continues. Two rural Michigan streams were added to the 2004 303(d) list The Lake Superior Beach Program, coordinated by the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency, monitored 35 beaches during summer 2003. According to an article in the Seiche, by Marie Zhuikov, "they used 235 E. coli colonies and 400 fecal coliform colonies as trigger points for a "no water contact" advisory".View the entire article at: http://www.seagrant.umn.edu/seiche/2004/06/bacteria_on_the_beach.html Missouri Missouri Stream Teams tested Coliscan Easygel and the membrane filter technique with diluted waste water influent. They used dilutions to do monthly QA/QC on their membrane filter technique for fecal coliform bacteria. Volunteer Monitoring Coordinator, Tim Reilly told us he "did splits from the dilutions with both methods, and replicates with each method and compare[d] the results". He found that the results did not compare. He said, "the membrane filter technique derived higher numbers of fecal coliform /100mL" and that the Coliscan plate was hard to read. For more information about this program-level study, contact Tim Reilly at: Tim.Rielly@mdc.mo.gov Tony Thorpe of the Lakes of Missouri Volunteer Program has assessed Coliscan Easygel. They compared Easygel results vs. traditional plated and incubated methods. Tony reported on the EPA listserver that "qualitative results show that Easygel underestimates E.coli by around 50%, but that was with an "n" of 3, all from the same stream (though different locations)". Based on these results, volunteers in the Lakes of Missouri program who are using Easygel at this point in time are doing so with the understanding that until complete accuracy testing is done, the results indicate presence/absence only. For more information , contact Tony Thorpe at: thorpet@missouri.edu South Dakota The East Dakota Water Development District is running (in 2007) a project in which they are sampling several lakes for E. coli and total coliform bacteria concentrations. Project collborator Jeanne Fromm indiciated that they "are cross-checking volunteer methods by sending part of the water sample to a lab". Ohio Researchers in North Carolina, Indiana, and Ohio used rapid indicators of water quality to assess water quality at beaches in Ohio and Indiana. Their abstract says that they "tested water samples for Enterococcus and
Bacteroides species using the quantitative polymerase chain reaction (PCR) method.[They] observed
significant trends between increased GI illness and Enterococcus at the Lake Michigan beach and a
positive trend for Enterococcus at the Lake Erie beach." The findings of this studied, titled, Rapidly Measured Indicators of Recreational Water Quality Are Predictive
of Swimming-Associated Gastrointestinal Illness" by Ohio Environmental Protection Agency researchers published results of a study of microbial monitoring in recreational waters. Here is more information about the study: Item Title: The EMPACT Beaches Project: Results From a Study on
Microbiological Monitoring in Recreational Waters Oregon Stacy Renfro of the Student Watershed Research
Project reported that they use "Hach's mColiBlue 24 method
for E. coli and total coliform - [they] get excellent results out
of high school students which are confirmed by our professional
lab partners. It is an EPA-approved membrane filtration procedure
using Hach's mColiBlue24 broth - it gives results after 24 hour
incubation on a single medium. E. coli colonies turn blue and total
coliform are red after incubation. The only down fall [they] have
encountered is the price of the broth. As for variability in results
- [their] training results are always surprisingly close - a group
of 30 participants, running a blank and duplicates of 2 volumes,
gets final results within +/- 10 CFU/100 mL for water samples from
the same location. For more information contact Stacy Renfro at:
renfro@pdx.edu Pennsylvania The Shroud Water Research Center will be testing the ColiQuant EZ LaMotte product in July 2004. Contact Vivian Williams for more information at: vwilliams@stroudcenter.org Rhode Island Elizabeth Herron of URI Watershed Watch reported they have "been comparing multiple tube fermentation process with the direct filtration onto mTEC for several years now, and will be starting a comparison of mTEC to the LaMotte ColiQuant EZ kit this summer. For that test [they] will be running the ColiQuant analysis using both the low tech version (using only the equipment that comes with the kit) and [their] laboratory incubators and filtration systems". For more information, contact Elizabeth Herron at: emh@uri.edu Texas In a response to an EPA volunteer monitoring list server posting, Jason Pinchback of Texas Watch at Texas State University noted that he has utilized the E.coli Coliscan Easygel (pour plate) method with various volunteer monitoring programs since 1997. He said , "although its accuracy does not measure up to "lab QA standards", [he has] observed that it is very useful for determining "hot spots" within a stream segment or watershed. Once a site, or geographical region has been identified with elevated levels, this screening mechanism triggers lab analyzed samples or a pollution complaint to an agency". He went on to say "there are some challenges in using this method. [He] found that some urban segment samples have so much E.coli and other bacteria that enumeration becomes difficult due to high colony counts. This can be reduced by using 0.5mL or 1mL samples, but this also decreases representativeness. ... "there is a steep learning curve involved with identifying and counting E.coli colonies, so be prepared to answer lots of follow-up questions. Digital photos and email communications help with this learning process. One [volunteer monitor] actually uses a [computer photo editing program] to identify colonies of specific color hues, and this removes some bias. General QC guidance should also include identifying specific people who routinely analyze the samples (instead of having 10 volmons analyze samples from 10 sites) where possible. Duplicate samples can also be used to determine validity". Virginia Virginia Save Our Streams has researched two different E. coli test kit methods. Findings of a study comparing Coliscan Easygel to Virginia's State Lab methods (called DSLS in the presentation) and results of a study on the Colilert method are included as links below. Stacy Brown, of Virginia Save Our Streams, also shared with us (to share with you) an introduction to bacteria monitoring. Based on their research, Stacy Brown reported that "groups in Virginia are starting to gear up to use the Easygel as a screening tool". Use the following links to access pdf files of PowerPoint presentations about: "Low Cost Bacteria Monitoring Coliscan Easygel" "Citizen Water Quality Monitoring: Bacterial testing using defined substrates" "Introduction to Bacteria Monitoring of Surface water for Volunteers"
Wisconsin The City of Racine, Wisconsin, ran membrane filter
and Idexx 24hr and 18hr Colilert brand tests side by side in conjunction
with the Milwaukee Health Department Laboratory. Based on results
otf their research, they have switched to the 18hr Idexx brand test.
Robert Bagley of the City of Racine told us, "Although it is
more expensive than membrane filtration, it gives comparable results
in less time- something of great interest to those who actually
provide beach programs to the public (city/county parks dept people)".
Their results were published in the January 2003 issue of Applied
and Enviromental Microbiology. A link to the City's website with additional useful information follows: http://www.cityofracine.org/Depts/health/water_quality.aspx Related Volunteer Monitor Newsletter Articles Success Stories from Alabama Bacteria Monitors (Spring 2000) - Link is to 784 KB pdf file Interpreting Fecal Coliform Data: Tracking down the Right Sources (Fall 1997) - Link is to 337 KB pdf file. The Fall 1998 issue (874 KB pdf file) had a special section on bacteria testing, including: Bacteria Testing Part 1: Methods Primer Bacteria Testing Part 2: What Methods Do Volunteer Groups Use? Bacteria Testing Q&A Optical brighteners: Detecting Sewage Leaks with Optical Brightener Monitoring (Summer 2003) - Link is to 460 K pdf file Monitoring Optical Brighteners: Detergent Ingredient Helps Track Bacteria Sources (Fall 1999) - Link is to 814 KB pdf file Homemade incubators: Update: Homemade Waterbath Incubators (Fall 1998) - link is to 874 KB pdf file To the Editor (Letter) (Fall 1994) NOTE -- this was untitled -- it's on page 2of the Fall 1994 issue. Link is to 2.2 MB pdf file. Building Your Own Water Bath Incubator (Spring 1993) - Link is to 1.2 MB pdf file Upper Midwest State Bacteria Monitoring Programs Illinois Department of Public Health Bathing Beaches Indiana's Lake Michigan Beaches Iowa Department of Natural Resources Beach Monitoring Michigan
Department of Environmental Quality Public Beach and Waterway Info Minnesota Pollution Control Agency Minnesota Lake Superior Beach Program Ohio Department of Health Beach Monitoring Program Wisconsin Beach Monitoring Program Chattahoochee
Riverway Project BacteriALERT Program King
County, WA, Swimming Beach Monitoring Program Delaware
Recreational Water Quality LaMotte ColiQuant EZ Methods (link to 69 KB pdf file) Bacterial Source Tracking Research and Contacts Applied and Environmental
Microbiology Latest research in Source Tracking Dr. C. Andrew Carson Dr. Katharine G. Field Dr. Charles Hagedorn Dr. Peter G. Hartel Dr. Valerie J. Harwood Dr. Howard Kator Dr. George Lukasik Dr. Salina Parveen Dr. Michael J. Sadowsky Dr. Mansour Samadpour Dr. George M. Simmons Dr. Mark D. Sobsey Jill Stewart
This page updated July 1, 2008 |
