Beach Pollution Source Identification Field Cases: Racine, WI

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Beach Pollution Source Identification Field Cases:

Racine, WIJulie Kinzelman, City of Racine

Beach Management Workshop

April 14 – 15, 2005, Egg Harbor, WI

Potential Pollution Sources

• Indirect or Non-Point Source– Run-off (Urban, Agricultural, Industrial, Landscape)– Boaters– Bathers– Algae– Sediments

• Direct or Point Source– CSO, SSO– Storm Water Discharge/Storm Water Outfalls– Rivers and Creeks

Spatial Distribution Studies

• Identify Direct and Indirect Pollution Sources

• Determine Relative Contribution of Bacterial Indicators

• Aid in Targeting Remediation Efforts

* Number of advisory days per season/Per cent of season

ANNUAL BEACH ADVISORIES – RACINE, WI

YEAR NORTHBEACH*

ZOOBEACH*

BEACH SEASON (DAYS)

1994 5/6% 21/25% 84

1995 51/59% 42/48% 87

1996 5/5% 2/2% 95

1997 18/19% 30/32% 93

1998 16/16% 4/4% 98

1999 15/16% 19/20% 94

2000 62/66% 39/41% 94

2001 17/20% 21/25% 84

2002 27/31% 22/25% 87

2003 31/32% 26/27% 96

2004 22/22% 16/16% 99

Indirect or Non-Point Source

Runoff

Impervious Surface Runoff

Impervious surface run-off may impact surface waters.

220 210 200 190 180 170 160 150 140 130 120 110 100 90 80 70 60 50 40 30 20 10 0DISTANCE FROM BERM CREST (m)

BACKSHORE VS. FORESHORE (NBO)

Pre-Rainfall

Post-Rainfall

18017016015015014013012011090 80 70 60 50 40 30 20 10 5 0

DISTANCE FROM BERM CREST (m)

BACKSHORE VS. FORESHORE (NBO)

Landscape Runoff

Runoff can also impact groundwater

E. coli = 479 MPN/100 mL (E1)

E. coli = 184 MPN/100 mL (E2)

E. coli = 184 MPN/100 mL (N)

Onboard Boater Waste

BOATERS• 1305 boat slips

(63% occupied in 2003)• Over 8000 gallons of

waste pumped directly into sewer system

Bathers

Bather Shedding

• On average you have 0.14 grams of feces “with you” at all times

• When you are ill your feces contains millions of germs that can be rinsed off while swimming

• Swimming is a shared experience!

Algae (Cladophora)

• Algae contains bacterial indicators (maybe pathogens)

• Bacteria may be transient or persistent

• If indicators are persistent in algae they may contribute to bacterial burden

2004 Algae Study

CONCENTRATION OF BACTERIAL INDICATORS IN ALGAE - 2004

Date E. coli cfu/g Enterococci cfu/g

Stranded Mats

Submerged Mats

Stranded Mats

Submerged Mats

6/15/04 25000 451 1 1

6/16/04 400 725 1 1

6/21/04 400 431 280 50

6/23/04 733 400 15 6

6/28/04 1933 1300 363 320

6/29/04 333 650 800 400

6/30/04 3266 1700 1 1

Sediments

Fecal Contamination

• Everybody poops!• Gull feces contains ~3.4 million E. coli per gram

(pathogens?)• Dog feces can contain extra-intestinal

pathogenic E. coli which can be acquired by humans (Johnson et al 2001)

• E. coli may persist in beach sands

Foreshore Submerged

LOCATION

CONCENTRATION OF E. COLI IN FORESHORE VS. SUBMERGED SANDS AT NORTH BEACH RACINE, WI - AUGUST 2002

E. coli has a significant presence in beach sands

BEACH SAND E. COLI CONCENTRATION (CFU/G DRY WGT.) - 2002

SITE N MIN MAX MEDIAN MEAN

FORESHORE 172 0.0 718.9 15.0 33.3

SUBMERED 172 0.0 23.2 0.4 1.4

• Highest levels of E. coli were found in the area between the lifeguard between the berm crest and lifeguard stand

• E. coli content in beach sands may be influenced by the moisture content

Striated Sediment Samples

100100

17305560

1730200200200400

200200200200

21-2516-2011-156-100-5

E.coli cfu /100 ml eluate filtered on to m-Tec agar

Direct or Point Source

CSOs and SSOs

Racine has separate storm and sanitary sewers

Breakdowns or aging infrastructure could cause infiltration of untreated sewage into storm sewer system

Storm Water Discharge

English St. storm water outlet

What goes in must come out…

Not only bacteria but chemicals and nutrients. . .

Rivers and Creeks

Root River – Racine, WI

Racine has 7 monitoring stations

Root River E. coli Densities – 2004SITE MEAN E. coli

MPN/100 mlRANGE

Johnson Park (R1) 1518 10 – 14,136

Horlick Dam (R2) 1431 10 – 12,997

Cedar Bend (R3) 3705 0 – 12,997

Washington Park Storm Outlet (R4)

38,856 0 – 198,628

Water Street Storm Outlet (R5)

18,020 100 – 173,287

State Street Bridge (R6) 1372 63 – 11,199

Chartroom (R7) 1098 20 - 9804

Probable sources of E. coli

The English

Street outfall is a local source

Root River Discharge

Regional Influences

Spatial Distribution

Study2004

Definitive Source Identification

Bacterial Source Tracking

• Test choice depends on level of discrimination

• Screening tools can distinguish between human and non-human sources

• More complex tests can discriminate between host source, i.e. human, gull, dog, cow, etc.

• What question are you really trying to answer?

Bacterial Source Tracking (BST)

• Organisms - E. coli, Enterococcus, Bacteroides, Bifidobacterium

• Library Dependent or Library Independent

Antibiotic Resistance Analysis (ARA)

ARA as Rapid Screening Tool

Suscept.

Resist.

Preparing samples for ARA – Racine, WI

What question are you trying to answer?

• For storm water it may be enough to know if it is human or non-human

• For runoff in rural areas you may want a more discriminatory test (septic discharge or agricultural runoff)

• In mixed sources it may be better to screen first and then discriminate

• Is cost an issue?

Sources Identified in Racine, WI

• Local influences are predominant• Beach sands and storm water discharge• Some potential for riverine influences

under right conditions• Regional influences unlikely• E. coli in beach sands likely due to gulls• Storm water may have mixed human and

non-human sources – too early to tell

Source Identification Leads to Remediation

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

• WI DNR• WI DHFS• University of Surrey, RCPEH• Root-Pike Watershed Initiative Network• USGS• UW-Milwaukee, College of Health Sciences• S.C. Johnson, A Family Company• City of Racine Dept. of Public Works• City of Racine Parks & Recreation Dept.• City of Racine Health Dept. Laboratory

Beach Pollution Source Identification Field Cases: Racine, WI

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