Fate of Pathogens in Transportation Runoff and Stormwater Collection Systems

One of the leading contributions to nonpoint source pollution is urban runoff, which includes a large amount of sediments and sediment-associated metals, nutrients, and pathogens from the construction of roadways and other urban development. Traditional systems for stormwater collection are designed to prevent flooding, not to provide contaminant removal. One class of pollutants of concern for the Environmental Protection Agency is pathogens. Although the transport of pathogens and other fecal organisms across urban surfaces has been recognized for years, very little is known about their fate in stormwater collection systems. Early data has shown that pathogens in urban runoff and stormwater can partition into sediments in the detention basins, and a major research opportunity has developed regarding the ultimate environmental fate of pathogens in these systems. Whereas, most stormwater treatment studies report the difference between influent and effluent pollutant concentrations as measured by first flush or composite grab sampling, the focus of this study will be the fate of pathogens in settleable sediments. In order to initiate the research, three main tasks are proposed: 1. Quantify the recovery of pathogens from sediment samples using existing methods. 2. Determine the spatial distribution and re-suspension of pathogens in drainage ponds in compound field studies in conjunction with the Kansas Biological Survey. 3. Collect sediment cores from treatment systems In this project, sediment-associated pollutants will be quantified, including the survivability of human pathogens in the sediments of these systems. The ultimate goal of the work is to ascertain the potential for sequestration and resuspension of pathogens in stormwater systems and to determine if this poses any public health risk.

Language

• English

Project

• Status: Active
• Sponsor Organizations:

  University of Kansas, Lawrence

  Transportation Research Institute
  2117 Learned Hall, 1530 W 15th Street
  Lawrence, KS  United States  66045
• Performing Organizations:

  University of Kansas, Lawrence

  Transportation Research Institute
  2117 Learned Hall, 1530 W 15th Street
  Lawrence, KS  United States  66045
• Principal Investigators:

  McSwain, Belinda

• Start Date: 20071000
• Expected Completion Date: 0
• Actual Completion Date: 0
• Source Data: RiP Project 16732

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Detention basins; Drainage; Flood protection; Pollutants; Research projects; Runoff; Sediments; Urban development
• Uncontrolled Terms: Pathogens
• Subject Areas: Highways; Hydraulics and Hydrology; I15: Environment;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 01460031
• Record Type: Research project
• Source Agency: University of Kansas, Lawrence
• Files: UTC, RIP
• Created Date: Jan 3 2013 1:17PM