Tag: Alan Steinman

New methods enable tracking of beach contamination sources

Published on September 22nd, 2023 by - Blog Posts

By guest authors: Alan Steinman, Ph.D.1 and Charlyn Partridge, Ph.D.2
1Allen and Helen Hunting Research Professor and 2Associate Professor Annis Water Resources Institute, Grand Valley State University

In an email issued earlier this summer, FLOW quite appropriately noted the beauty and allure of our Great Lakes beaches, and also the potential dangers of entering these coastal waters due to possible contamination by pathogens. FLOW’s reference to the extremely high counts of E. coli on an Old Mission Peninsula beach was disconcerting, if not downright alarming. It is absolutely critical to identify, and remediate, the sources of this bacterium, so we can feel safe recreating in these highly valued waters.

It is natural to assume, as FLOW suggested, that the likely sources of E. coli were leaking septic systems, stormwater runoff, and/or confined animal feeding operations (CAFOs).  After all, these places have been identified time and time again as sources of pathogens. However, it is also possible that non-human sources can be responsible for high E. coli and fecal coliform counts. So, let’s explore the science behind this problem.

First, it is important to recognize that the E. coli being measured at our beaches is not necessarily pathogenic. Rather, its presence serves as an indicator that other, more pathogenic, groups are likely present, such as those that can cause diarrhea, including Cryptosporidium, norovirus, and Shigella. But because E. coli is a more understood target to measure, regulatory agencies and health departments in Michigan have traditionally resorted to its use[DD1] .

Second, we need to avoid assumptions about sources. The E. coli measured at Haserot Beach on Old Mission Peninsula could have come from waterfowl that defecated on the beach rather than unmaintained septic systems. Indeed, Canada geese, ring-billed gulls, and mallard ducks have all been implicated as sources of E. coli on Great Lakes beaches (Hansen et al. 2011). With the advent of microbial (also known by molecular) source tracking (MST), it is possible to differentiate between human and non-human sources of fecal contamination. In addition, some methods allow scientists to assign fecal contamination to individual animal species (Griffith et al. 2003)1.

Current MST approaches use molecular tools to determine whether host-specific fecal bacteria are present within a water sample. Some fecal bacterial groups have adapted so well to their host’s gut environment, that they are not found in guts of other species or taxa. One example of this is fecal members of the group Bacteroidales (Mieszkin et al., 2009). By targeting these bacterial groups, we can use this host-specificity to help identify the source of fecal pollution. Specific gene targets for host-specific bacteria are amplified through either quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) or droplet digital PCR (ddPCR), and then quantified to determine the amount of bacteria present within a water sample.  Based on current MST methods used throughout Michigan, markers for humans, general avian (bird), gull, pig, dog, general ruminant, and cow are commonly used for assessing the source of fecal contamination when E. coli levels are high.

The benefit of MST is that it has the ability to identify “who” is contributing to the pollution, whereas traditional culture-based methods only tell you “if” and “when” fecal contamination is present.  Given the human health implications of fecal contamination along our Great Lakes beaches, it is important to limit assumptions as to where these sources of contamination are coming from without proper testing. As we grow our knowledge base, data generation, and technical know-how of environmental science, the challenge of sharing this information with the public, resource managers, and elected officials grows as well.   Hopefully, the next time there is an E. coli outbreak on Haserot Beach (or any Great Lakes basin beach), state-of-the-art scientific methods will be employed not only to identify the “who” but also target the appropriate remedial actions to prevent or limit its occurrence in the future.

1FLOW address some of these matters in a May 2023 blog post

Literature Cited:

Griffith, J.F., Weisberg, S.B. and McGee, C.D. 2003. Evaluation of microbial source tracking methods using mixed fecal sources in aqueous test samples. Journal of Water and Health. 1(4): 141-151.

Hansen, D.L., Ishii, S., Sadowsky, M.J. and Hicks, R.E. 2011. Waterfowl abundance does not predict the dominant avian source of beach Escherichia coli. Journal of Environmental Quality. 40(6): 1924-1931.

Mieszkin, S., Yala, J. F., Joubrel, R., and Gourmelon, M. 2010. Phylogenetic analysis of Bacteroidales 16S rRNA gene sequences from human and animal effluents and assessment of ruminant faecal pollution by real‐time PCR. Journal of Applied Microbiology. 108(3): 974-984.

Michigan Coastal Research Reserve Would Boost Science, Attract Visitors

Published on January 4th, 2023 by - Blog Posts

Above: Maps of the collection of drowned river mouths encompassed in the proposed West Michigan coastal research reserve along Lake Michigan from the St. Joseph River north to the Platte River. (Graphic/Megan Mader)

Michigan would get its first site in a national estuarine research reserve program if the federal government embraces a proposal submitted by the Annis Water Resources Institute at Grand Valley State University and the West Michigan Shoreline Regional Development Commission.

Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer supports the proposed reserve.

With support from Governor Gretchen Whitmer, the proposal has begun its journey from west Michigan to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), which administers the National Estuarine Research Reserve (NERR) program. There are 29 reserves in the system, with four others moving through a review process. There are two NERR reserves in the Great Lakes – Old Woman Creek in Ohio and the Lake Superior reserve, based in Wisconsin.

The proposed reserve would promote scientific research of a unique string of drowned river mouth estuaries from the St. Joseph River to the Platte Rivers along Lake Michigan.

The proposed reserve would promote scientific research of a unique string of drowned river mouth estuaries from the St. Joseph River to the Platte Rivers along Lake Michigan. Drowned river mouths were formed following the glacial retreat of approximately 14,000 years ago, when rebounding sand dunes trapped melting rivers trying to reach the newly forming Lake Michigan.

The reserve’s headquarters and visitor center would be based in the Muskegon area.

Estuaries are typically areas along ocean coasts where tributary fresh water mingles with salt water, but the NOAA program also includes freshwater sites where inland and Great Lakes waters with different chemical and physical characteristics comingle and create unique ecosystems with high biological production. These freshwater sites provide many of the ecosystem services and functions that brackish estuaries do, including natural filters for runoff and nursery grounds for fish and other animals, and are popular destinations for recreation and development.

These freshwater sites provide natural filters for runoff and nursery grounds for fish and other animals, and are popular destinations for recreation and development.

The proposed Michigan NERR would include habitat critical to a wide range of fish and wildlife, and to Michigan’s economy, its proponents say. “In proposing this NERR, we share with the NERR System a vision of creating a unique ‘living laboratory’ where scientists, educators, and community partners use science-based information to create distinct educational resources, to inform and facilitate natural resource stewardship, and to support the local economies based on our remarkable estuarine-based natural resources,” proponents add. 

Grand Valley State University’s Alan Steinman is one of the original proponents of the coastal reserve.

Alan Steinman, the Allen and Helen Hunting Research Professor at the Annis Water Resources Institute, is one of the original proponents of the West Michigan NERR.

“This natural gradient of drowned river mouths, ranging from pristine sites at the northern end to more impaired systems at the southern end, provides a perfect environment to ask and test questions about the ecology, biology, chemistry, geomorphology, and socio-economics of these locations,” Steinman said. “and provide answers to the local stakeholders about how to maintain, protect, and where necessary restore, these systems. There is no other system on the planet like them.”

“This natural gradient of drowned river mouths, ranging from pristine sites at the northern end to more impaired systems at the southern end, provides a perfect environment to ask and test questions,” said Alan Steinman. “There is no other system on the planet like them.”

In her letter to NOAA Under Secretary Richard Spinrad, Gov. Whitmer said the research associated with the Michigan site would “produce research information and education that will quickly make it a focal point in the NERR system and show how science-based decision-making leads to better land management and high-quality waters in our Great Lakes.”