WATER INTERACTIONS

Surface water, particularly urban streams, is often contaminated by chemicals and pathogens. Pathogens are disease-causing organisms such as bacteria that can cause illnesses, even at low concentrations. Potential pathogen sources for surface water include septic tanks, public wastewater treatment plant effluent, leaking sewage collection systems and other nonpoint and point sources of pollution. Groundwater is also vulnerable to pathogens from surface sources where rapid infiltration or limited filtration capacity occurs. The extent of pathogens in groundwater from nonpoint sources, and specifically pathogen persistence, concentrations and modes of transport, has not been fully investigated... The Examination of Groundwater/Surface Water Interactions and Potential Contamination Sources project is the first phase of an investigation of the pathogen risk to human health where public and private alluvial aquifer wells are used as a drinking water source. The project is investigating..

Primary location: College Station United States