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Environmental risk assessment for fecal contamination sources in urban and peri-urban estuaries, in Escambia and Santa Rosa counties, FL, USA

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Abstract

Fecal pollution of estuaries and adjacent creeks and streams is of significant concern along the Gulf of Mexico. The prospective threat to human life and water quality impairment via fecal pollution is a substantial danger to the strength and resistance of coastline areas. Pensacola, FL, has a prosperous coastal tourism industry that is utilized for numerous other uses, such as recreational watersports and boating, seafood, and shellfish harvesting. However, the frequency and severity of fecal contamination present possible socio-economic issues, specifically financial hardships. Therefore, understanding the source, abundance, and fate of fecal microbial pollutants in aquatic systems signifies an imperative initial stage for detecting the host sources and techniques to lessen their transport from the landscape. This research aimed to quantify the fecal indicator bacteria (FIB), Escherichia coli, and perform microbiological fecal source tracking to verify if the fecal inputs are of either animal or human host origin. Surface water samples were taken from urban and peri-urban creeks for two sampling periods (February 2021 and January 2022), and IDEXX Colilert-18 (USEPA Standard Method 9223) was used for E. coli enumeration. DNA extractions were obtained from each sample, and quantitative PCR was utilized for fecal microbial source tracking (MST) to detect human, dog, ruminant, and bird host-specific Bacteroides DNA. The result indicates elevated quantities of FIB, E. coli, that surpass the threshold considered safe regarding human health. E. coli at six sites over the two sampling periods exceeded the impairment threshold, reaching as high as 866.4 MPN/100 ml. Fecal source tracking identified human host fecal contamination at four of nine sites, dogs at three of nine, and birds at one site. However, those sites with sources identified via MST all had E. coli levels below impairment thresholds. No sites were determined to be positive for ruminant as a source or for the pathogen Helicobacter pylori. No canine host fecal inputs were found in January 2022, and only one site with human sewage. Our results highlight the utility of MST in assessing bacterial inputs to water bodies and the challenges.

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Data availability

The datasets generated during and/or analyzed during the current study are available from the corresponding author on reasonable request and are included in this published article.

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Acknowledgements

We thank the facilities of the UF IFAS West Florida Research and Education Center and the Microbiology Laboratory at Georgia College. Finally, to the watershed management laboratory team, Savannah Cain, Emily Harmon, and Caitlyn Turnbull, at UF IFAS WFREC, for their field and laboratory assistance.

Funding

Support of this research was funded by the United States Environmental Protection Agency Grant number MX—00D86419 and the United States Department of Agriculture Hatch Grant number FLA-WFC-005577.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Soil and Water Sciences Department, IFAS/West Florida Research and Education Center, University of Florida, 5988 Hwy 90, Building 4900, Milton, FL, 32583, USA

    Ronell S. H. Bridgemohan, Matthew J. Deitch & Tesfay Gebremicael

  2. Soil and Water Sciences Department, University of Florida, 2181 McCarty Hall, Gainesville, FL, 32611, USA

    Matthew R. Whiles & P. Christopher Wilson

  3. Department of Biological and Environmental Sciences, Georgia College and State University, Campus Box 81, Milledgeville, GA, 31061-0490, USA

    Dave Bachoon & Israel Tharpe

  4. Pensacola, USA

    Ronell S. H. Bridgemohan

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Contributions

Every one of the writers and scientists added to the research concept, writing up, and design. Material preparation, sampling, data collection, and analysis were performed by Ronell Bridgemohan, Matthew Deitch, Tesfay Gebremicael, Matt Whiles, P. Christopher Wilson, Dave Bachoon, and Israel Tharpe. Ronell Shamir Hemsley Bridgemohan, Matthew Jaeger Deitch, and Tesfay Gebremicael performed sampling, water quality testing, FIB enumeration, membrane filtration, and nutrient testing. Dave Bachoon and Israel Tharpe extracted DNA and performed MST via PCR. Matt Whiles and Patrick Christopher Wilson aided in data analysis, manuscript write-up, and statistics. The original version of the research manuscript was written by Ronell Bridgemohan, and each researcher/author was critiqued on prior editions of the document. Everyone read and granted approval on the final version. The data collected during and/or analyzed throughout the research are accessible from the corresponding author upon request.

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Correspondence to Ronell S. H. Bridgemohan.

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Bridgemohan, R.S.H., Deitch, M.J., Gebremicael, T. et al. Environmental risk assessment for fecal contamination sources in urban and peri-urban estuaries, in Escambia and Santa Rosa counties, FL, USA. Environ Monit Assess 195, 867 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10661-023-11478-1

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