Bacteria Load Estimator Spreadsheet Tool for Modeling Spatial Escherichia coli Loads to an Urban Bayou
Publication: Journal of Environmental Engineering
Volume 135, Issue 4
Abstract
The model developed in this paper, the bacteria loading estimator spreadsheet tool (BLEST), was designed as an easy to use indicator bacteria model that can overcome the shortcomings of many of the simpler total maximum daily load (TMDL) modeling approaches by integrating spatial variation into load estimates. BLEST was applied to the Buffalo Bayou watershed in Houston, Texas and incorporated loading from point and nonpoint sources, such as wastewater treatment plants, sanitary sewer overflows, septic systems, storm sewer leaks, runoff, bed sediment resuspension, and direct deposition. The dry weather Escherichia coli load in Buffalo Bayou was estimated using BLEST to be 244 billion MPN/day and would require an overall 48% reduction to meet the contact recreation standard, while wet weather loads would need to be reduced by 99.7%. Dry weather loads were primarily caused by animal direct deposition, septic systems and discharges from storm sewers under dry weather conditions, while wet weather loads were mostly attributable to runoff and resuspension from sediment. Unlike most simple TMDL load allocation strategies, BLEST can be used to evaluate spatially variable load reduction strategies. For example, septic system load reductions implemented in less than 10% of the subwatersheds resulted in a decrease in bayou loading of more than 20%.
Get full access to this article
View all available purchase options and get full access to this article.
Acknowledgments
This work was funded by the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality. Their support is gratefully acknowledged.
References
Baudart, J., Grabulos, J., Barusseau, J.-P., and Lebaron, P. (2000). “Salmonella spp., and fecal coliform loads in coastal waters from point vs. nonpoint source of pollution.” J. Environ. Qual., 29(1), 241–250.
Beadeau, P., Tousset, N., Bruchon, F., Lefevre, A., and Taylor, H. D. (2001). “In situ measurements and statistical modeling of Escherichia coli decay in small rivers.” Water Res., 35(13), 3168–3178.
Benham, B. L., et al. (2005). “Development of bacteria and benthic total maximum daily loads: A case study, Linville Creek, Virginia.” J. Environ. Qual., 34(5), 1860–1872.
Boehm, A. B., et al. (2002). “Decadal and shorter period variability of surf zone water quality at Huntington Beach, California.” Environ. Sci. Technol., 36(18), 3885–3891.
Boehm, A. B. Fuhrman, J. A., Morse, R. D., and Grant, S. B. (2003). “Tiered approach for identification of a human fecal pollution source at a recreational beach: Case study at Avalon Bay, Catalina Island, California.” Environ. Sci. Technol., 37(4), 673–680.
Borchardt, M. A., Chyou, P.-H., DeVries, E. O., and Belongia, E. A. (2003). “Septic system density and infectious diarrhea in a defined population of children.” Environ. Health Perspect., 111(5), 742–748.
Borst, M., and Selvakumar, A. (2003). “Particle-associated microorganisms in stormwater runoff.” Water Res., 37(1), 215–223.
Butler, R. W., ed. (1992). Great blue heron, Academy of Natural Sciences, American Ornithologists’ Union, Philadelphia, Washington, D.C.
Byappanahalli, M., Fowler, M., Shively, D., and Whitman, R. (2003). “Ubiquity and persistence of Escherichia coli in a midwestern coastal stream.” Appl. Environ. Microbiol., 69(8), 4549–4555.
Desmarais, T. R., Solo-Gabriele, H. M., and Palmer, C. J. (2002). “Influence of soil on fecal indicator organisms in a tidally influenced subtropical environment.” Appl. Environ. Microbiol., 68(3), 1165–1172.
Dewalle, F. B. (1981). “Failure analysis of large septic tank systems.” J. Environ. Eng., 107(EE1), 229–240.
Dumas, J. V., ed. (2000). Roseate spoonbill (Ajaia ajaja), Birds of North America, Inc., Philadelphia.
Duran, N. L., and Spencer, L. K. (2004). “Pathogen distribution in an effluent-dominated stream.” Southwest Hydrol., 31(6), 22–23.
Embrey, S. S. (2001). “Microbiological quality of Puget sound basin streams and identification of contaminant sources.” J. Am. Water Resour. Assoc., 37(2), 407–421.
Evanson, M., and Ambrose, R. F. (2006). “Sources and growth dynamics of fecal indicator bacteria in a coastal wetland system and potential impacts to adjacent waters.” Water Res., 40(3), 475–486.
Feeney, C. (1998). “Transport of fecal coliform in Barrington River estuary.” J. N. Engl. Water Works Assoc., 32(2), 170–195.
Ferguson, D. M., Moore, D. F., Getrich, M. A., and Zhowandai, M. H. (2005). “Enumeration and speciation of enterococci found in marine and intertidal sediments and coastal water in southern California.” J. Appl. Microbiol., 99(3), 598–608.
Fries, J. S., Characklis, G. W., and Noble, R. T. (2006). “Attachment of fecal indicator bacteria to particles in the Neuse River Estuary, N.C.” J. Environ. Eng., 132(10), 1338–1345.
Gentry, R. W., et al. (2006). “Escherichia coli loading at or near base flow in a mixed-use watershed.” J. Environ. Qual., 35(6), 2244–2249.
Grant, S. B., et al. (2001). “Generation of enterococci bacteria in a coastal saltwater marsh and its impact on surf zone water quality.” Environ. Sci. Technol., 35(12), 2407–2416.
Hancock, G. G., and Davis, E. M. (1999). “Regrowth potential of coliforms after UV disinfection of municipal wastewater.” J. Envir. Sci. Health., 34(9), 1737–1743.
Heberger, M. G., Durant, J. L., Oriel, K. A., Kirshen, P. H., and Minardi, L. (2008). “Analysis for establishing health advisories for recreational waters.” J. Am. Water Resour. Assoc., 134(1), 73–82.
Houston-Galveston Area Council (H-GAC). (2002). “Land cover classification.” ⟨www.h-gac.com/HGAC/PRograms/Clean+Rivers+Program/Landcover.htm⟩.
Houston-Galveston Area Council (H-GAC). (2003). “2002 regional land cover data.” H-GAC, Houston, Tex.
Houston-Galveston Area Council (H-GAC). (2005). “Gulf coast regional water quality management plan update: 2005; Appendix III: On-site sewer facilities—Considerations, solutions, and resources.” H-GAC, Houston, Tex.
Ishii, S., Hansen, D. L., Hicks, R. E., and Sadowsky, M. J. (2007). “Beach sands and sediments are temporal sinks and sources of Escherichia coli in Lake Superior.” Environ. Sci. Technol., 41(7), 2203–2209.
Jamieson, R. C., Joy, D. M., Lee, H., Kostacschuk, R., and Gordon, R. J. (2005). “Resuspension of sediment-associated Escherichia coli in a natural stream.” J. Environ. Qual., 34(2), 581–859.
Jeng, H. C., England, A. J., and Bradford, H. B. (2005). “Indicator organisms associated with stormwater suspended particles and estuarine sediment.” J. Environ. Sci. Health, Part A: Toxic/Hazard. Subst. Environ. Eng., 40(4), 779–791.
Kushlan, J. A., and Bildstein, K. L., eds. (1992). White ibis, Academy of Natural Sciences, American Ornithologists’ Union, Philadelphia, Washington, D.C.
Lowther, P. E., and Paul, R. T., eds. (2002). Reddish egret (Egretta rufescens), Birds of North America, Inc., Philadelphia, Pa.
MapTech Inc. (2000). “Fecal coliform TMDL (total maximum daily load) development for Upper Blackwater River, Virginia.” For Virginia Dept. of Environmental Quality and Virginia Dept. of Conservation and Recreation, Blacksburg, Va.
McCrimmon, D. A., Ogden, J. C., and Bancroft, G. T., eds. (2001). Great egret (Ardea alba), Birds of North America, Inc., Philadelphia, Pa.
McDonald, J. L., et al. (2006). “Identifying sources of fecal contamination inexpensively with targeted sampling and bacterial source tracking.” J. Environ. Qual., 35(3), 889–897.
Metcalf and Eddy. (1991). Wastewater engineering: Treatment, disposal, reuse, The edition was revised by: George Tchobanoglous, Franklin L. Burton, McGraw-Hill, New York.
Moyer, D. L., and Hyer, K. E. (2003). “Use of the hydrological simulation program-FORTRAN and bacterial source tracking for development of the fecal coliform total maximum daily load (TMDL) for Christians Creek, Augusta County, Virginia.” USGS, Richmond, Va.
Muirhead, R. W., Davies-Colley, R. J., Donnison, A. M., and Nagels, J. W. (2004). “Faecal bacteria yields in artificial flood events: Quantifying in-stream stores.” Water Res., 38, 1215–1224.
Nagels, J. W., Davies-Colley, R. J., Donnison, A. M., and Muirhead, R. W. (2002). “Faecal contamination over flood events in a pastoral agricultural stream in New Zealand.” Water Sci. Technol., 45(12), 45–52.
National Climatic Data Center. (2003a). “Hourly precipitation data rainfall event statistics for Houston Hobby (1948–1999).” NOAA.
National Climatic Data Center. (2003b). “Hourly precipitation data rainfall event statistics for Houston Intercontinental (1970–1999).” NOAA.
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). (2005). “Hourly precipitation data rainfall event statistics.” ⟨http://hurricane.ncdc.noaa.gov/cgi-bin/HPD/HPDStats.pl⟩ (Dec. 16, 2006).
Natural Resource Conservation Service (NRCS). (1986). “Urban hydrology for small watersheds.” 55, Washington, D.C.
Nevers, M. B., and Whitman, R. L. (2005). “Nowcast modeling of Escherichia coli concentrations at multiple urban beaches of southern Lake Michigan.” Water Res., 39(20), 5250–5260.
Noble, R. T., et al. (2003). “Storm effects on regional beach water quality along the southern California shoreline.” J. Water Health, 1(1), 23–31.
Northern Virginia Regional Commission. (2002). “Fecal coliform TMDL development for Four Mile Run, Virginia.” Prepared for Virginia Dept. of Environmental Quality and Virginia Dept. of Conservation and Recreation, Annandale, Va.
Parsons, K. C., and Master, T. L., eds. (2000). Snowy egret (Egretta thula), Birds of North America, Inc., Philadelphia, Pa.
Petersen, T. M., Rifai, H. S., Suarez, M. P., and Stein, R. (2006). “Status and trends of fecal indicator bacteria in two urban watersheds.” Water Environ. Res., 78(12), 2340–2355.
Petersen, T. M., Suarez, M. P., and Rifai, H. S. (2005). “Bacteria loads from point and nonpoint sources in an urban watershed.” J. Environ. Eng., 131(10), 1414–1425.
Power, K. N., and Nagy, L. A. (1999). “Relationship between bacterial regrowth and some physical and chemical parameters within Sydney’s drinking water distribution system.” Water Res., 33(3), 741–750.
Reeves, R. L., Grant, S. B., Morse, R. D., Oancea, C. M. C., Sanders, B. F., and Boehm, A. B. (2003). “Scaling and management of fecal indicator bacteria in runoff from a coastal urban watershed in southern California.” Environ. Sci. Technol., 38(9), 2637–2648.
Ryder, R. A., and Manry, D. E., eds. (1994). White-faced ibis (Pledgadis chihi), Academy of Natural Sciences, American Ornithologists’ Union, Philadelphia, Washington, D.C.
Sanders, B. F., Arega, F., and Sutula, M. (2005). “Modeling the dry-weather tidal cycling of fecal indicator bacteria in surface waters of an intertidal wetland.” Water Res., 39(14), 3394–3408.
Shehane, S. D., Harwood, V. J., Whitlock, J. E., and Rose, J. B. (2005). “The influence of rainfall on the incidence of microbial faecal indicators and the dominant sources of faecal pollution in a Florida River.” J. Appl. Microbiol., 98(5), 1127–1136.
Shueler, T. (2000). “Understanding watershed behavior.” Watershed Prot. Tech., 3(3), 671–679.
Solo-Gabriele, H. M., and Perkins, F. E. (1997). “Streamflow and suspended sediment transport in an urban environment.” J. Hydraul. Eng., 123(9), 807–811.
Solo-Gabriele, H. M., Wolfert, M. A., Desmarais, T. R., and Palmer, C. J. (2000). “Sources of Escherichia coli in a coastal subtropical environment.” Appl. Environ. Microbiol., 66(1), 230–237.
Stiles, T. C. (2001). “A simple method to define bacteria TMDLs in Kansas.” AWRA, St. Louis.
Telfair, R. C., ed. (1994). Cattle egret (Bubulcus ibis), Academy of Natural Sciences, American Ornithologists’ Union, Philadelphia, Washington, D.C.
Telfair, R. C., and Morrison, M. L., eds. (2005). Neotropic cormorant (Phalacrocorax brasilianus), Birds of North America, Inc., Cornell Laboratory of Ornithology, Ithaca, N.Y.
United States Census Bureau. (2000). “Census fact finder.” United States Census Bureau.
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA). (2000). “Bacterial indicator tool user’s guide.” EPA-832-B-01–003, USEPA, Washington, D.C.
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA). (2002). “Onsite wastewater treatment system manual.” EPA-625-R-00–009, USEPA, Washington, D.C.
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA). (2004). “Report to congress: Impacts and controls of CSOs and SSOs.” EPA-833-R-04–001, USEPA, Washington, D.C.
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA). (2006). “Envirofacts permit compliance system.” (Feb. 2, 2006).
Walsh, C. J., Roy, A. H., Feminella, J. W., Cottingham, P. D., Groffman, P. M., and Morgan, R. P. (2005). “The urban stream syndrome: Current knowledge and the search for a cure.” J. Amer. Benthol. Soc., 24(3), 706–723.
Weiskel, P. K., Howes, B. L., and Heufleder, G. R. (1996). “Coliform contamination of coastal embayment: Sources and transport pathways.” Environ. Sci. Technol., 30(6), 1872–1881.
Whitman, R. L., and Nevers, M. B. (2003). “Foreshore sand as a source of Escherichia coli in nearshore water of a Lake Michigan beach.” Appl. Environ. Microbiol., 69(9), 5555–5562.
Wilkinson, J., Jenkins, A., Wyer, M., and Kay, D. (1995). “Modeling faecal coliform dynamics in streams and rivers.” Water Resour. Res., 29(3), 847–855.
Young, K. D., and Thackston, E. L. (1999). “Housing density and bacterial loading in urban streams.” J. Environ. Eng., 125(12), 1177–1180.
Zeckoski, R. W., et al. (2005). “BSLC: A tool for bacteria source characterization for watershed management.” Appl. Eng. Agric., 21(5), 879–889.
Information & Authors
Information
Published In
Journal of Environmental Engineering
Volume 135 • Issue 4 • April 2009
Pages: 203 - 217
Copyright
© 2009 ASCE.
History
Received: Dec 16, 2007
Accepted: Jun 23, 2008
Published online: Apr 1, 2009
Published in print: Apr 2009
Authors
Metrics & Citations
Metrics
Citations
Download citation
If you have the appropriate software installed, you can download article citation data to the citation manager of your choice. Simply select your manager software from the list below and click Download.