THE IDENTIFICATION OF LAND USE PRACTICES AND ELEVATED LEVELS OF ESCHERICHIA COLI IN THE COOSAWATTEE RIVER, GEORGIA, USA

Exposure to elevated levels of Escherichia coli (E. coli) in water can cause humans a variety of ailments, and death in extreme cases. The Coosawattee River, a recreational river located in northern Georgia, was suspected to have high levels of E. coli due to poor agricultural and livestock practices occurring adjacent to the river’s bank. In conjunction with the 2009 Georgia Paddle, 60 samples were collected and analyzed for E. coli along the 47 miles of river (headwater to mouth). Samples were collected from stream entrances, bridge crossings, and pipe inlets. The E. coli results were then plotted on current satellite imagery to determine if there was a correlation between elevated levels (> 200 cfu/100 ml) and land use. For confirmation, the stream length was also surveyed on foot. The upper Coosawattee River is bordered by 69 percent residential land use, 15 percent industrial land use, 14 percent urban land use, and 2 percent agricultural land use; the lower Coosawattee River (south of Carter’s Lake) is nearly 75 percent agricultural. Of the samples collected, nearly 15 percent contained elevated levels of E. coli. All of the samples containing > 200 cfu/100 ml were collected in the lower portion of the Coosawattee and were found to be directly influenced by agricultural or livestock. This study confirms unacceptable levels of E. coli contamination in the lower Coosawattee River due to non-point sources. Our recommendations are two-fold: 1. The implementation of best management practices along the lower Coosawattee River to reduce the dissemination of this harmful pathogen to the watershed, and 2. A future study to review illness relating E. coli and non-point sources.