22nd Annual Student Research Conference
Stratification of Escherichia coli and Total Coliforms in Forest Lake
Ashley E. Winkler
Dr. Cynthia Cooper and Dr. Michael Lockhart, Faculty Mentors
The objective was to determine the abundance of Escherichia coli in the lake bottom sediment and overlying waters at Forest Lake in Kirksville, MO. Five study sites revealed the sediment to have significantly higher numbers of E. coli than the water column above (sampled at 2 meter intervals). For example, sediment levels ranged from 804 to 165,000 E. coli MPN/100ml, while surface water samples ranged from 1.3 to 12.9 MPN/100ml. The intake site for the municipal water treatment plant had the lowest abundance of E. coli and a popular swimming cove had the second lowest abundance. The results show that while the surface water may be safely under the standard limit determined by the Missouri Department of Natural Resources, the sediment at the bottom of the lake is far above those numbers and could potentially be a concern for those who use the shallow areas of the lake for recreation.
Keywords: Escherichia coli, Lake Bottom Sediment, Lake Water, Forest Lake
Topic(s):Biology
Presentation Type: Oral Paper
Session: 59-1
Location: VH 1408
Time: 2:45