Thesis (M.S.)--West Virginia University, 2001. / Title from document title page. Document formatted into pages; contains viii, 109 p. : ill. (some col.). Includes abstract. Includes bibliographical references (p. 51-54).

Thesis (M.S.)--University of North Carolina at Wilmington, 2003. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves : [41]-45).

Thesis (M.E.S.)--The Evergreen State College, 2009. / Title from title screen (viewed 2/25/2010). Includes bibliographical references (leaves 44-49).

Source Water Protection (SWP) is recognized as the first barrier in the multi-barrier approach to reduce the risk of drinking water contamination. In Canada, provincial water agencies and municipalities lead most of the water management responsibility based on provincial regulations. However, SWP planning and implementation is variable across jurisdictions and influenced by different factors related to local capacity. Much of the water resources literature is focused on capacity-building limitations faced by small and rural water system operators. The purpose of this research is to investigate capacity-building limitations faced by metropolitan water system operators. Information from a questionnaire and document review in four selected Canadian metropolitan areas was gathered and analysed in this study. The results of this study show variability of SWP planning uptake as well as variability in approach toward SWP implementation. While large metropolitan areas may appear to possess ready access to financial capital, technical capability, and other forms of capacity to undertake SWP, the results of this research indicate the opposite. Metropolitan areas in Canada remain reliant on advanced water treatment and other engineering solutions to provide safe drinking water as opposed to SWP planning that invests in preventative measures through land use planning mechanisms. The results of this research contribute to the knowledge and understanding of SWP particularly as applied to metropolitan Canada.

Water treatment facilities have been relying on indicator bacteria to assess the quality of water for decades. The purpose of this group of studies is to investigate the predictive capabilities of conventional and alternative indicators for pathogenic microorganisms in disinfection processes and treated wastewater effluents. In addition, the possibility that diversity of indicator bacteria, as well as overall bacterial diversity, correlate with fecal contamination in water bodies has been investigated. Indicator organisms (total coliforms, fecal coliforms, enterococci, C. perfringens, and coliphages) as well as pathogens (enteroviruses, Giardia, and Cryptosporidium) were enumerated from six wastewater treatment facilities at various stages of treatment. Statistical analyses were conducted to determine if the indicator organisms (individually or as a set) could predict the presence or absence of pathogens. Single indicator organism analysis failed to correlate with the occu rrence pathogens, thus monitoring a suite of indicator organisms may be a better measure to predict the presence of pathogens. The product of chlorine residual concentration and contact time (CT) was identified as a factor for determining the log10 reduction of enteric viruses in wastewater treatment facilities that used chloramines for disinfection.Samples were also collected from river waters and sediments in watersheds with different human population densities to identify the impact of anthropogenic activities on bacterial diversity. 16S rRNA restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP), ribotyping, and denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE) were used to determine total coliform, Escherichia coli, and bacterial community population structures, respectively. The concentrations of indicator organisms were significantly different among the river sites in sediments, but not in water column. The population diversity measurements were not significantly different among the river sites; while the indicator population and bacterial community structures were dissimilar in water column vs. associated sediment samples. Accumulation curves demonstrated that greater than 20 isolates must be sampled at most of the sites to represent the dominant populations. A better understanding of the relationship between the indicator organisms and pathogens as well as knowledge of the ecology of indicator organisms in pristine and anthropogenically impacted waters may contribute to water quality restoration and public health protection.

Resource managers need inexpensive bioindicators to evaluate the health of coral reef ecosystems and to inform decisions on when and where to utilize more expensive assessment techniques. Following USEPA Guidelines for Evaluating Ecological Indicators, I developed the SEDCON Index (SI), a rapid-assessment protocol whichutilizes reef sediment composition to assess the integrity of coral-reef communities. Keyadvantages of this index are that it entails non-destructive sampling and is applicable to reefs worldwide. The underlying assumption of the index is that community structure is reflected by proportions of recognizable remnants of calcareous shells and skeletal remains of mixotrophic (zooxanthellate corals and larger foraminifers), autotrophic (calcareous and coralline algae), and heterotrophic (e.g., bryozoans, molluscs, smaller foraminifers) benthic organisms, as well as unrecognizable debris as a proxy for bioerosion.

Comparative research was conducted to assess the environmental impacts of the Adopt-a-Pond program, which operates throughout Hillsborough County, Florida. The Adopt-a-Pond program was established in 1992 and designed to address nonpoint pollution through outreach and stormwater pond enhancement. However, the program had never been thoroughly and scientifically evaluated. Therefore, assessments of water quality and vegetative characteristics were made at ninety Adopt-a-Pond participants and eleven control ponds to explore the potential impacts of the program on measurable environmental parameters. Statistical analysis of the results failed to demonstrate any statistically significant environmental improvements associated with the Adopt-a-Pond program, and measures of program activity did not illustrate a consistently positive relationship. These results indicate a need to readdress the policies and implementation of the program. Poor compliance by program volunteers, evident by the limited span of group participation (mean = 2.5 years) and relatively low percentage of actively involved residents, is the most likely culprit for the unremarkable improvements in pond quality, as pond enhancement techniques are firmly established in the literature. Overall, these conclusions underline the need for an integrated evaluation component in policymaking and an adaptive management approach to environmental management. A more detailed analysis is warranted to provide time series data, which examines ponds both before and after entry to the program and after implementing landmark improvement measures. In the end, the results of the study have provided a better understanding of the AAP and other similar restoration programs, and hopes to allow for enhancement of AAP program restoration practices.

Water is the essential resource that is becoming extremely scarce worldwide. The 21st century will further stress all available water resources through the growth and expansion of developing nations. It is not only the quantity of cheap water that is being depleted, but the quality of these waters is being endangered. Florida is an example where rapid development and an exploding population are competing for shrinking groundwater resources. Current water use does not address the use of alternative supplies and reuses in the United States. The objective of this research was to determine a strategy for augmenting existing water supplies with alternative sources that could be developed economically. Having reviewed numerous alternative sources, it was determined that runoff from roofs potentially provides a source that might meet the augmentation requirement for a small community of a population of 30,000 or less. This research has shown that the quality of water collected from five different roof surfaces meets the drinking water standards and will not degrade the current quality of the main source of water supply. This work not only required the collection of hydrological data from the roof systems, but chemically and biological analyzes samples for contaminants. Since rainfall events vary periodically and in duration, 100,000 meteorological events were analyzed for wind speed, relative humidity, rainfall intensity, and the rainwater runoff across five roofing surfaces to analyze variables that contribute to the effects on the water quality of the source. The model establishes the economics and the public health value of this water. The research assesses the local regulatory aspects of using the water with the outcome of a working objective and rational decision matrix that will permit agencies to select an optimal and safe utilization of the water sources.

Water quality worldwide is assessed by enumeration of fecal indicator bacteria (FIB) (fecal coliforms, Escherichia coli, and enterococci) intended to act as surrogates for human enteric pathogens. In environmental waters, this predictive relationship is confounded by many possible sources of FIB with varying implications for human health. Many physico-chemical and biological factors influence the fate of enteric pathogens and FIB in aquatic habitats, but are poorly understood, thus limiting our understanding of the usefulness of FIB as fecal pollution indicators. These studies explored the field application of a “toolbox” approach to microbial source tracking (MST) intended to discriminate between human and non-human fecal pollution: a) in a Florida estuary used for shellfishing and recreational activities and b) at public beaches before and after remediation of wastewater infrastructure. Lastly, the effects of environmental factors (sediments, protozoa, sunlight) on survival of culturable E. coli were investigated in freshwater and seawater mesocosms simulating environmental conditions. Detection of a human- associated MST marker (the esp gene of Enterococcus faecium) at sites with suspected sewage contamination indicated that human fecal pollution is impacting water quality in Wakulla County, while Lagrangian drifters designed to follow current and tidal movement suggested that local hydrology plays an important role in bacterial transport and deposition pathways. Elevated FIB concentrations and frequent detection of human-associated MST markers (esp and human polyomaviruses) identified human sewage pollution at a public beach, facilitating remediation efforts (sewage main repair, removal of portable/abandoned restrooms), followed by significant decreases in FIB concentrations and MST marker detection. These studies show that comprehensive microbial water quality assessment can reliably identify contamination sources, thereby improving pollution mitigation and restoring recreational water quality. Protozoan predation, freshwater vs. seawater habitat and sediment vs. water column location affected the concentration of culturable E. coli in outdoor mesocosms. Sediments offered a refuge from predation where freshwater vs. seawater habitat was amore important determinant of survival. These findings provide important insight into the ecology of E. coli and their natural predators in aquatic habitats and underscore the inherent effect different habitats play in their survival.

Current research is revealing that stormwater can carry pathogens and that this stormwater is entering wastewater treatment facilities. During periods of intense rainfall, not only can stormwater carry higher amounts of pathogens, but it also increases the flow rate to the wastewater treatment facility. In many instances, the flow rate exceeds the facilities' treatment capacity and can impact treatment performance. The purpose of this study was to identify whether wastewater treatment is impaired during periods of increased rainfall, and to compare current policies that address this issue. The study was conducted using a case study approach to analyze historical precipitation and wastewater treatment data from facilities located in Clearwater and St. Petersburg, Florida. The effluent from the biological nutrient removal system operated at the facilities located in Clearwater was compared to the effluent from the activated sludge treatment system operated by the facility located in St. Petersburg. Statistical analyses were conducted to identify significant differences in either the loading or performance of wastewater treatment facilities under wet and dry flow conditions. In this case, the Clearwater facilities operating below their treatment capacity were better equipped to handle peak wet weather flows and efficiently treat wastewater than the St. Petersburg facility which has a less advanced treatment system and was operating at and above its treatment capacity.