Author(s): Linda D. Pechacek; A. Charles Rowney; Thomas P. O'Connor; Richard Field

Linked Author(s): A.Charles Rowney

Keywords: No Keywords

Abstract: Within the framework of CSO control alternatives, pathogen routing remains an important topic. Indicator bacteria have merit as a way of discriminating between waters that are likely to be safe, and those that might not be. Indicator bacteria in the environment are very highly variable, and are produced by numerous sources. In addition, coping with the variability in flow associated with combined sewer systems is a defining requirement toward understanding wastewater solids deposition during dry-weather flow periods and re-suspension during wet-weather flow periods. It is important to have a method of coping with the variable nature of source, transport and presence of indicator bacteria in evaluating BMPs as control alternatives. It is known that under some conditions, indicator bacteria can survive for protracted periods in sediments over time scales that would commonly span inter-event time periods. The variability of the phenomenon, and the ways that BMPs affect indicators mixing and transport, combine to make it difficult to readily measure BMP impacts even though they may be very significant. There remains a need to explore whether or not BMPs are in reality practical as solutions to the removal of indicator bacteria.

DOI:

Year: 2009