QUANTIFYING E. COLI CONTAMINATION OF STREAM WATER IN MCDOWELL COUNTY, WV

Inefficient sewage infrastructure has lead to the direct discharge of raw sewage into streams in McDowell County, WV. Sewage is most often discharged from straight pipes, which emit the wastes into the stream behind houses. In order to test for fecal contamination, the EPA recommends the use of E. Coli as an indicator organism. We have used a simple pour and plate 3M’s petrifilm method to test for E. Coli in streams in McDowell County. This test is well suited for a first approach as it is inexpensive, fairly accurate, and easy to use. Although there have been previous assessments of stream health in McDowell County none, to our knowledge, have used E. Coli as an indicator organism. Initial results show that the headwaters of the Puncheon Camp Branch have E. Coli values of 0 colony forming units (cfu)/100 mL, while downstream water samples contain 7,400 cfu/100 mL. The Little Creek headwaters have E. Coli values of 0 cfu/100 mL, but have downstream values ranging from 5,800 cfu/100 mL to 16,600 cfu/100 mL. In all cases, the downstream samples contained significantly higher E. Coli counts then the headwaters. The downstream results were well above the recommended guidelines set out by the EPA. Between the headwaters of each stream and the downstream sampling locations, the streams pass by several houses that discharge waste directly into the stream. These results suggest that the increases in the density of downstream E. Coli colonies are a direct result of the discharge of waste from residential straight pipes. The results indicate the impaired nature of these streams; additionally the presence of E. Coli in streams in McDowell County, WV suggests that other human pathogens may be present in the surface water.