Respectively, Ecologist and Research Biologist, Landscape Characterization Branch (MD-56), National Exposure Research Laboratory, Research Triangle Park, North Carolina 27711; U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, 1200 Pennsylvania Ave. N.W., Washington, D.C. 20460; Geographer, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Landscape Characterization Branch (MD-56), National Exposure Research Laboratory, Research Triangle Park, North Carolina 27711; and Ecologist, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Landscape Ecology Branch, P.O. Box 3478, Las Vegas, Nevada 89193-3478 (E-Mail Smith:smith.jonathanh@epa.gov).
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UTILIZATION OF LANDSCAPE INDICATORS TO MODEL POTENTIAL PATHOGEN IMPAIRED WATERS†
Article first published online: 8 JUN 2007
DOI: 10.1111/j.1752-1688.2001.tb05513.x
© 2001 American Water Resources Association
Issue
1752-1688/asset/cover.gif?v=1&s=6d8ba4f05904371bea7c7a5b8a47404bf9279832 "JAWRA Journal of the American Water Resources Association")
JAWRA Journal of the American Water Resources Association
Volume 37, Issue 4, pages 805–814, August 2001
Additional Information
How to Cite
Smith, J. H., Wickham, J. D., Norton, D., Wade, T. G. and Jones, K. B. (2001), UTILIZATION OF LANDSCAPE INDICATORS TO MODEL POTENTIAL PATHOGEN IMPAIRED WATERS. JAWRA Journal of the American Water Resources Association, 37: 805–814. doi: 10.1111/j.1752-1688.2001.tb05513.x
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Paper No. 00098 of the Journal of the American Water Resources Association. Discussions are open until April 1, 2002.
Publication History
- Issue published online: 8 JUN 2007
- Article first published online: 8 JUN 2007
- Abstract
- References
- Cited By
ABSTRACT: Many water bodies within the United States are contaminated by non-point source (NPS) pollution, which is defined as those materials posing a threat to water quality arising from a number of individual sources and diffused through hydrologic processes. One such NPS pollutant that is of critical concern are pathogens derived from animal wastes, including humans. The potential presence of pathogens is identified by testing the water for fecal conform, a bacteria also associated with animal wastes. Water contaminated by animal wastes are most often associated with urban and agricultural areas, thus it is postulated that by utilizing land cover indicators, those water bodies that may be at risk of fecal coliform contamination may be identified. This study utilizes land cover information derived from the Multi-Resolution Land Characterization (MRLC) project to analyze fecal coliform contamination in South Carolina. Also utilized are 14 digit hydro-logic unit code (HUC) watersheds of the state, a digital elevation model, and test point data stating whether fecal coliform levels exceeded State Water Quality Standards. Proportions of the various land covers are identified within the individual watersheds and then analyzed using a logistic regression. The results reveal that watersheds with large proportions of urban land cover and agriculture on steep slopes had a very high probability of being impaired. (KEY TERMS: Geographic Information Systems; land use planning; nonpoint source pollution; statistical analysis; water quality; watershed management.)