Microbial Contamination of Water Resources in the
Chattahoochee National Recreation Area, Georgia

ABSTRACTS

Funk, A.L., Gregory, M.B., Frick, E.A., and Hartell, P.G., 2000, Microbial source tracking using ribosomal RNA typing in the Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area watershed, Metropolitan Atlanta, Georgia - Study design and preliminary results [abs.]: in Building Capabilities for monitoring and assessment in public health microbiology, Columbus, Ohio, March 2000, unpaginated. In Metropolitan Atlanta, fecal-coliform concentrations frequently exceed the Georgia Environmental Protection Division instream standards and are the principal reason that streams in the Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area (CRNRA) do not support or only partially support the designated uses. The CRNRA includes 48 miles of the Chattahoochee River downstream from Buford Dam to the mouth of Peachtree Creek and 14 park units adjacent to the river in northern Metropolitan Atlanta. Although fecal-coliform data provide information about the occurrence and distribution of microbial contamination, these data do not indicate the sources of contamination. Additional information is needed to determine the relative importance of various sources of microbial contamination in a watershed. In 1999, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), the National Park Service (NPS), and the University of Georgia began a study to analyze ribosomal RNA to statistically match Escherichia coli (E. coli) strains in water samples to E. coli strains in fecal samples from humans, domestic animals, and wildlife. Ribotyping is a DNA fingerprinting technique utilizing highly conserved DNA sequences that ultimately determine the proteins that produce ribosomal RNA. The ribotyping technique consists of (1) positive identification of E. coli and pure culture growth, (2) DNA isolation and restriction enzyme digestion, (3) gel electrophoresis and southern hybridization, and (4) statistical analysis. Similar to forensic techniques, unknown ribotypes from water samples are matched to unique ribotypes in feces from individual warm-blooded species present in the watershed. These ribotypes from fecal-source samples will be added to a regional library of ribotypes so that future work may benefit from this study. Prior to April 2000, 24 water samples are scheduled to be collected during low-flow and wet-weather synoptic surveys at four Chattahoochee River and eight tributary sites in Metropolitan Atlanta. In addition, 40 fecal-source samples are scheduled to be collected. Ribotypes from approximately 600 E. coli isolates from water samples and from approximately 1,000 E. coli isolates from fecal-source samples are scheduled to be generated. In order to determine the distribution of each source's contribution to contamination, the percent similarities among individual ribotypes will be matched statistically. The relative importance of human, domestic animals, and wildlife as sources of fecal contamination is expected to vary among watersheds and between low-flow and wet-weather conditions within watersheds. Data on the distribution of each source's contribution to contamination in the CRNRA should provide information to help identify principal sources of fecal contamination and more effectively design and implement nonpoint- and point-source-pollution controls. Authors: 1 Physical Scientist, U.S. Geological Survey, Atlanta, Georgia (706-369-7739; alfunk@usgs.gov) ; 2 Ecologist, U.S. Geological Survey, Atlanta, Georgia (770-903-9163; bgregory@usgs.gov; 3 Hydrologist, U.S. Geological Survey, Atlanta, Georgia (770-903-9158, eafrick@usgs.gov ); 4 Associate Professor, Department of Crop & Soil Sciences, University of Georgia, Athens, Georgia (706-542-0898, pghartel@arches.uga.edu )

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