Bartholomew Masterson

Validation of host-specific Bacteriodales 16S rRNA genes as markers to determine the origin of faecal pollution in Atlantic Rim countries of the European Union

The recent implementation of the Revised Bathing Water Directive in the European Union has highlighted the need for development of effective methods to differentiate between sources of faecal contamination. It had previously been shown that amplification of 16S rRNA genes of host-specific Bacteriodales species using the HF183F and CF128F primers could be used as markers for human and bovine faecal contamination in the United States. This paper determined the sensitivity and specificity of these markers in four Atlantic Rim countries (France, Ireland, Portugal and the United Kingdom) to evaluate their usefulness in determining the origin of faecal contamination. It was shown that the HF183F marker displayed high sensitivity (80-100%) and specificity (91-100%), and is reliable as an indication of human faecal contamination. The CF128F marker displayed 100% sensitivity in all four countries. However, strong regional variations in specificity (41-96%) were observed, highlighting the need for local validation before this marker is employed in source tracking of faecal contamination.

Environmental consequences of a power plant shut-down: a three-dimensional water quality model of Dublin Bay.

A hydro-environmental model is used to investigate the effect of cessation of thermal discharges from a power plant on the bathing water quality of Dublin Bay. Before closing down, cooling water from the plant was mixed with sewage effluent prior to its discharge, creating a warmer, less-saline buoyant pollutant plume that adversely affects the water quality of Dublin Bay. The model, calibrated to data from the period prior to the power-plant shut-down (Scenario1), assessed the water quality following its shut-down under two scenarios; (i) Scenario2: continued abstraction of water to dilute sewage effluents before discharge, and (ii) Scnenario3: sewage effluents are discharged directly into the Estuary. Comparison between scenarios was based on distribution of Escherichia coli (E. coli), a main bathing quality indicator. Scenarios1 and 2, showed almost similar E. coli distribution patterns while Scenario3 displayed significantly higher E. coli concentrations due to the increased stratification caused by the lack of prior dilution.

Workshop Report: Developing Pollution Source Tracking for Recreational and Shellfish Waters

Traditional methods, such as the detection of total and fecal coliforms, and more recently enterococci, that are used to detect fecal pollution levels do not identify the source of the pollution. Despite a significant volume of research in this field, at present there is no common methodology to identify sources of fecal contamination affecting bathing and shellfish waters in Europe.

Assessing the water quality response to an alternative sewage disposal strategy at bathing sites on the east coast of Ireland

A three-dimensional model is used to assess the bathing water quality of Bray and Killiney bathing sites in Ireland following changes to the sewage management system. The model, firstly calibrated to hydrodynamic and water quality data from the period prior to the upgrade of the Wastewater Treatment Works (WwTW), was then used to simulate Escherichia coli (E. coli) distributions for discharge scenarios of the periods prior to and following the upgrade of the WwTW under dry and wet weather conditions. E. coli distributions under dry weather conditions demonstrate that the upgrade in the WwTW has remarkably improved the bathing water quality to a Blue Flag status. The new discharge strategy is expected to drastically reduce the rainfall-related incidents in which environmental limits of the Bathing Water Directive are breached. However, exceedances to these limits may still occur under wet weather conditions at Bray bathing site due to storm overflows that may still be discharged through two sea outfalls offshore of Bray bathing site.