This study describes the first Norwegian microbial source tracking (MST) approach for water quality control and pollution removal from catchment run-off in a nature-based treatment system (NBTS) with a constructed wetland. The applied MST tools combined microbial analyses and molecular tests to detect and define the source(s) and dominant origin(s) of faecal water contamination. Faecal indicator bacteria Escherichia coli and host-specific Bacteroidales 16 s rRNA gene markers have been employed. The study revealed that the newly developed contribution profiling of faecal origin derived from the Bacteroidales DNA could quantitatively distinguish between human and non-human pollution origins. Further, the outcomes of the MST test have been compared with the results of both physicochemical analyses and tests of pharmaceutical and personal care products (PPCPs). A strong positive correlation was discovered between the human marker and PPCPs. Gabapentin was the most frequently detected compound and it showed the uppermost positive correlation with the human marker. The study demonstrated that the NBTS performs satisfactorily with the removal of E. coli but not PPCPs. Interestingly, the presence of PPCPs in the water samples was not correlated with high concentrations of E. coli. Neither has the latter an apparent correlation with the human marker.
Skip Nav Destination
Article navigation
Research Article|
May 19 2017
Norwegian study on microbial source tracking for water quality control and pollution removal in constructed wetland treating catchment run-off
Lisa Paruch;
Division of Environment and Natural Resources, NIBIO – Norwegian Institute of Bioeconomy Research, Pb 115, Aas NO-1431, Norway
E-mail: [email protected]
Search for other works by this author on:
Adam M. Paruch;
Adam M. Paruch
Division of Environment and Natural Resources, NIBIO – Norwegian Institute of Bioeconomy Research, Pb 115, Aas NO-1431, Norway
Search for other works by this author on:
Anne-Grete Buseth Blankenberg;
Anne-Grete Buseth Blankenberg
Division of Environment and Natural Resources, NIBIO – Norwegian Institute of Bioeconomy Research, Pb 115, Aas NO-1431, Norway
Search for other works by this author on:
Ketil Haarstad;
Ketil Haarstad
Division of Environment and Natural Resources, NIBIO – Norwegian Institute of Bioeconomy Research, Pb 115, Aas NO-1431, Norway
Search for other works by this author on:
Trond Mæhlum
Trond Mæhlum
Division of Environment and Natural Resources, NIBIO – Norwegian Institute of Bioeconomy Research, Pb 115, Aas NO-1431, Norway
Search for other works by this author on:
Water Sci Technol (2017) 76 (5): 1158–1166.
Article history
Received:
November 10 2016
Accepted:
May 08 2017
Citation
Lisa Paruch, Adam M. Paruch, Anne-Grete Buseth Blankenberg, Ketil Haarstad, Trond Mæhlum; Norwegian study on microbial source tracking for water quality control and pollution removal in constructed wetland treating catchment run-off. Water Sci Technol 6 September 2017; 76 (5): 1158–1166. doi: https://doi.org/10.2166/wst.2017.303
Download citation file:
Sign in
Don't already have an account? Register
Client Account
You could not be signed in. Please check your email address / username and password and try again.
Could not validate captcha. Please try again.
eBook
Pay-Per-View Access
$38.00