Geographic and Taxonomic Sourcing of Bacterial Contamination in Plaster Creek Description
E. coli levels in Plaster Creek consistently exceed state standards for total and partial body contact (some samples from 2014 revealed levels 50x higher than what is considered safe for partial body contact). Most of these samples were collected from the main channel of Plaster Creek, and this sampling shows large fluctuations over time. Therefore, it has been difficult to specify the primary source(s) of bacterial contamination.
<p>The goals of this project are 1) to understand the relative contributions of E. coli loading into Plaster Creek from 10 major tributaries and prioritize the five most egregious contributors; 2) to identify primary taxonomic sources within the highest 5 sub-watersheds using molecular markers; and 3) to pinpoint E. coli loading locations in the highest 5 sub-watersheds using molecular markers and using scent-trained canines in sub-watersheds where human E. coli has been identified.</p>