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Donald M. Stoeckel

Publications and source records attributed to Donald M. Stoeckel.

9 recordsLinked to original sources
USGS2014

Water quality and sources of fecal coliform bacteria in the Meduxnekeag River, Houlton, Maine

In response to bacterial contamination in the Meduxnekeag River and the desire to manage the watershed to reduce contaminant sources, the Houlton Band of Maliseet Indians (HBMI) and the U.S. Geological Survey began a cooperative effort to establish a baseline of water-quality data that can be used in future studies and to indicate potential sources of nutrient and bacterial contamination. This study was conducted during the summer of 2005 in the Meduxnekeag River Basin near Houlton, Maine. Continuously recorded specific conductance can be a good indicator for water quality. Specific conductance increased downstream from the town of Houlton, between runoff events, and decreased sharply following major runoff events. Collections of discrete samples during the summer of 2005 indicated seasonal positive concentration-discharge relations for total phosphorus and total nitrogen; these results indicate that storm runoff may mobilize and transport these nutrients from the terrestrial environment to the river. Data collected by the HBMI on fecal coliform bacteria indicated that bacterial contamination enters the Meduxnekeag River from multiple paths including tributaries and surface drains (ditches) in developed areas in Houlton, Maine. The Houlton wastewater treatment discharge was not an important source of bacterial contamination. Bacteroidales-based tests for general fecal contamination (Bac32 marker) were predominantly positive in samples that had excessive fecal contamination as indicated by Enterococci density greater than 104 colony-forming units per 100 millilters. Of the 22 samples tested for Bacteroidales-based markers of human-associated fecal contamination (HF134 and HF183), 8 were positive. Of the 22 samples tested for Bacteroidales-based markers of ruminant-associated fecal contamination (CF128 and CF193), 7 were positive. Human fecal contamination was detected consistently at two sites (surface drains in urban areas in the town of Houlton) and occasionally detected at one site (Moose Brook) but was not detected at other sites. Fecal contamination (as indicated by fecal coliform density) apparently is localized under normal flow conditions with the highest levels restricted to drains in urban areas and to a lesser extent B Stream, Pearce Brook, and Big Brook, all tributaries to the main stem of the Meduxnekeag River. Coliphage were enumerated as an alternate indicator of fecal contamination with the intent of typing the virus into host-associated classes (human or ruminant), as was done for Enterococci; however, insufficient coliphage were isolated to provide more than preliminary indications. In spite of low coliphage enumeration, the preliminary results strengthen the conclusion that the Enterococci data correctly indicated the samples that contained human and ruminant fecal contamination. The finding that contamination was in many of the tributaries following storms in mid-July indicates that storm runoff likely carries fecal contaminants to more locations than runoff under lower flow conditions.

Maine↗
USGS2011

Water-quality data for the Russian River Basin, Mendocino and Sonoma Counties, California, 2005-2010

Since 2003, the U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the Sonoma County Water Agency, has been collecting chemical, microbiological, and isotopic data from surface-water and groundwater sites in Mendocino and Sonoma Counties, California. The investigation is being conducted to determine water-quality baseline conditions for the Russian River during the summer months and to characterize the water-quality in the area of the Sonoma County Water Agency's water-supply facility where Russian River water is diverted and treated by riverbank filtration. This report is a compilation of the hydrologic and water-quality data collected from 14 Russian River sites, 8 tributary sites, 1 gravel-terrace pit site, 14 groundwater wells, and a wastewater treatment plant between the city of Ukiah and the town of Duncans Mills for the period August 2005 through October 2010. Field measurements included discharge, barometric pressure, dissolved oxygen, pH, specific conductance, temperature, and turbidity. All samples were analyzed for nutrients, major ions, trace metals, total and dissolved organic carbon, organic wastewater compounds, standard bacterial indicators, and the stable isotopes of hydrogen and oxygen. Standard bacterial indicators included total coliform, Escherichia coli, enterococci, and Clostridium perfringens for the period 2005 through 2007, and total and fecal coliform, and enterococci for 2010. In addition, enrichment of enterococci was performed on all surface-water samples collected during summer 2006, for detection of the human-associated enterococcal surface protein in Enterococcus faecium to assess the presence of sewage effluent in the Russian River. Other analyses included organic wastewater compounds of bed sediment samples collected from four Russian River sites during 2005; carbon-13 isotopic values of the dissolved inorganic carbon for surface-water and groundwater samples collected during 2006; human-use pharmaceuticals on Russian River samples collected during 2007 and 2010; and the radiogenic isotopes tritium and carbon-14 for groundwater samples collected during 2008.

Data Series↗
USGS2009

Results From a Microbial Source-Tracking Study at Villa Angela Beach, Cleveland, Ohio, 2007

During the 2007 recreational season at Villa Angela Beach in Cleveland, Ohio, scientists with the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) and the Northeast Ohio Regional Sewer District (NEORSD) found high Escherichia coli (E. coli) concentrations that were not easily explained by results obtained to date in ongoing investigations of recreational water quality at the beach. To help understand the sources behind these elevated E. coli concentrations, the USGS and NEORSD sampled beach-area water for Bacteroides DNA markers. Bacteroides are a group of enteric bacteria that are being used in microbial source tracking, in hope that host-associated DNA markers could be used to indicate potential sources of E. coli in the Villa Angela environment. The USGS Ohio Water Microbiology Laboratory analyzed a total of 13 source samples (sewage and waterfowl feces) and 33 beach-area water and sand samples for three Bacteroides DNA markers. This report lists the results of those analyses, along with environmental conditions at Villa Angela on the dates that samples were collected.

Open-File Report↗
USGS2007

Bacteriological water quality in and around Lake Pontchartrain following Hurricanes Katrina and Rita

Following the Louisiana landfalls of Katrina on August 29 and Rita on September 24, 2005, the local population and the American public were concerned about the effects the hurricanes might have on water quality in Lake Pontchartrain. The lake is a major recreational resource for the region and an important fishery. Contamination carried by the storm surge—along with runoff and water pumped from flooded areas of New Orleans—was considered a serious threat to the water body. The USGS, in collaboration with the LDEQ, monitored the sanitary quality of water at 22 sites in and around Lake Pontchartrain, La., for 3 consecutive weeks from September 13 to 29, 2005 (fig. 1). A subsequent multipleagency survey of 30 sites within Lake Pontchartrain was undertaken by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the USGS, and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration during the week of October 11–14, 2005, to evaluate the effects of the hurricanes and overall levels of fecal contamination on the water quality of the lake (see Heitmuller and Perez, this volume). In addition, the EPA monitored fecal-indicator concentrations at a variety of sites in New Orleans, surrounding areas, and the Mississippi River between September 3 and October 22, 2005 (U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, 2006). This article describes fecal-indicator bacteria concentration results collected by USGS in the context of other existing data.

Louisiana↗
USGS2005

Bacteriological water quality in the Lake Pontchartrain basin, Louisiana, following Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, September 2005

The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), in collaboration with the Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality, monitored bacteriological quality of water at 22 sites in and around Lake Pontchartrain, La., for three consecutive weeks beginning September 13, 2005, following hurricanes Katrina and Rita and the associated flooding. Samples were collected and analyzed by USGS personnel from the USGS Louisiana Water Science Center and the USGS Ohio Water Microbiology Laboratory. Fecal-indicator bacteria (Escherichia coli, enterococci, and fecal coliform) concentrations ranged from the detection limit to 36,000 colony-forming units per 100 milliliters. Data are presented in tabular form and as plots of data in the context of available historical data and water-quality standards and criteria for each site sampled. Quality-control data were reviewed to ensure that methods performed as expected in a mobile laboratory setting.

Louisiana↗
USGS2005

Selection and application of microbial source tracking tools for water-quality investigations

Microbial source tracking (MST) is a complex process that includes many decision-making steps. Once a contamination problem has been defined, the potential user of MST tools must thoroughly consider study objectives before deciding upon a source identifier, a detection method, and an analytical approach to apply to the problem. Regardless of which MST protocol is chosen, underlying assumptions can affect the results and interpretation. It is crucial to incorporate tests of those assumptions in the study quality-control plan to help validate results and facilitate interpretation. Detailed descriptions of MST objectives, protocols, and assumptions are provided in this report to assist in selection and application of MST tools for water-quality investigations. Several case studies illustrate real-world applications of MST protocols over a range of settings, spatial scales, and types of contamination. Technical details of many available source identifiers and detection methods are included as appendixes. By use of this information, researchers should be able to formulate realistic expectations for the information that MST tools can provide and, where possible, successfully execute investigations to characterize sources of fecal contamination to resource waters.

Techniques and Methods↗
USGS2003

Preliminary geochemical, microbiological, and epidemiological investigations into possible linkages between lignite aquifers, pathogenic microbes, and kidney disease in northwestern Louisiana

In May 2002, 15 wells and four surface water sites were sampled, and in September 2002, those same wells and sites plus four additional surface sites were sampled in five parishes of northwestern Louisiana. A geographic information system (GIS) was used to select residential water wells for sampling. Well water samples were analyzed for pH, conductivity, organic compounds, and nutrient and anion concentrations. All samples were further tested for presence of fungi (maintained for up to 28 days and colonies counted and identified microscopically), and metal and trace element concentration by inductively-coupled plasma mass spectrometry and atomic emission spectrometry. Surface water samples were tested for dissolved oxygen and evidence of leptospiral bacterial presence. A polymerase chain reaction protocol was optimized for detection of pathogenic leptospires, and the sensitivity of the assay was determined. The Spearman correlation method was used to assess the association between the endpoints for these field/laboratory analyses and the incidence of cancer of the renal pelvis obtained from the Louisiana Tumor Registry. Significant associations were revealed between the cancer rate and the overall number of organic compounds, the fungi Zygomycetes, the nutrients PO4 and NH3, and thirteen chemical elements (As, B, Br, Cl, Cr, F, Li, Na, P, Rb, Se, Sr, W) from the well water as compared to the controls. Among the species of fungi from the total of 136 isolates were 12 Penicillium spp., at least two Aspergillus spp., a number of other genera (Alternaria sp., Eupenicillium lapidosum, Cladosporium sp., Epicoccum sp., Trichoderma sp., Paecilomyces sp., Chrysosporium sp., Chloridium sp.), and Zygomycetes, and Coelmycetes -- some of which are known mycotoxin producers. The two control wells yielded a mean of 6.5 (SD = 3.5355) individual isolates, while the mean number of isolates from all other sites was 7.6 (SD = 4.4866). Presence of human pathogenic leptospires was detected in 4/8 (50 percent) of the surface water sites sampled. These initial results suggest that additional investigation into these relationships is warranted.

Open-File Report↗
USGS2002

Water Quality in the Mahoning River and Selected Tributaries in Youngstown, Ohio

The lower reaches of the Mahoning River in Youngstown, Ohio, have been characterized by the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency (OEPA) as historically having poor water quality. Most wastewater-treatment plants (WWTPs) in the watershed did not provide secondary sewage treatment until the late 1980s. By the late 1990s, the Mahoning River still received sewer-overflow discharges from 101 locations within the city of Youngstown, Ohio. The Mahoning River in Youngstown and Mill Creek, a principal tributary to the Mahoning River in Youngstown, have not met biotic index criteria since the earliest published assessment by OEPA in 1980. Youngstown and the OEPA are working together toward the goal of meeting water-quality standards in the Mahoning River. The U.S. Geological Survey collected information to help both parties assess water quality in the area of Youngstown and to estimate bacteria and inorganic nitrogen contributions from sewer-overflow discharges to the Mahoning River. Two monitoring networks were established in the lower Mahoning River: the first to evaluate hydrology and microbiological and chemical water quality and the second to assess indices of fish and aquatic-macroinvertebrate-community health. Water samples and water-quality data were collected from May through October 1999 and 2000 to evaluate where, when, and for how long water quality was affected by sewer-overflow discharges. Water samples were collected during dry- and wet-weather flow, and biotic indices were assessed during the first year (1999). The second year of sample collection (2000) was directed toward evaluating changes in water quality during wet-weather flow, and specifically toward assessing the effect of sewer-overflow discharges on water quality in the monitoring network. Water-quality standards for Escherichia coli ( E. coli ) concentration and draft criteria for nitrate plus nitrite and total phosphorus were the regulations most commonly exceeded in the Mahoning River and Mill Creek sampling networks. E. coli concentrations increased during wet-weather flow and remained higher than dry-weather concentrations for 48 hours after peak flow. E. coli concentration criteria were more commonly exceeded during wet-weather flow than during dry-weather flow. Exceedances of nutrient-concentration criteria were not substantially more common during wet-weather flow. The fish and aquatic macroinvertebrate network included Mill Creek and its tributaries but did not include the main stem of the Mahoning River. Persistent exceedances of chemical water-quality standards in Mill Creek and the presence of nutrient concentrations in excess of draft criteria may have contributed to biotic index scores that on only one occasion met State criteria throughout the fish and aquatic macroinvertebrate sampling network. Monitored tributary streams did not contribute concentrations of E. coli , nitrate plus nitrite, or total phosphorus to the Mahoning River and Mill Creek that were higher than main-stem concentrations, but monitored WWTP and sewer-overflow discharges did contribute. Twenty-four hour load estimates of sewer-overflow discharge contributions during wet-weather flow indicated that sewer-overflow discharges contributed large loads of bacteria and inorganic nitrogen to the Mahoning River relative to the instream load. The sewer-overflow loads appeared to move as a slug of highly enriched water that passed through Youngstown on the rising limb of the storm hydrograph. The median estimated sewer-overflow load contribution of bacteria was greater than the estimated instream load by a factor of five or more; however, the median estimated sewer-overflow load of inorganic nitrogen was less than half of the estimated instream load. Sewer-overflow discharges contributed loads of E. coli and nutrients to the Mahoning River and Mill Creek at a point where the streams already did not meet State water-quality regulations. Improvement of water quality of the Mahoning River, Mill Creek, and tributaries at Youngstown would be facilitated by reducing loads from sewer-overflow discharges within Youngstown, by identifying and reducing other sources of E. coli and nutrients within Young-stown, and by reducing discharges of E. coli , nitrate plus nitrite, and total phosphorus to the Mahoning River and Mill Creek upstream from Youngstown.

Water-Resources Investigations Report↗