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Persistent Patterns of E. coli Concentrations in Two Irrigation Ponds from 3 Years of Monitoring

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Abstract

Small to medium irrigation ponds provide substantial quantities of water for irrigation in the Mid-Atlantic region of the U.S. The concentrations of the fecal indicator organism Escherichia coli (E. coli) are used to evaluate the microbial water quality of irrigation sources. Little is known about the spatiotemporal variability of E. coli concentrations in pond water and the possible effects on monitoring and management of the microbial quality of irrigation water from these ponds. The objective of this work was to test the hypotheses that (a) spatial patterns of E. coli concentrations exist that are preserved both intra- and interannually, and (b) persistent spatial patterns in water quality parameters exist and correlate with persistent patterns of E. coli concentrations. Sampling was conducted fortnightly during the summer months in 2016 to 2018 and consisted of taking water quality measurements at 23 and 34 locations in ponds P1 and P2, respectively. Interannual variability of E. coli was observed in both ponds as was substantial spatial variability of E. coli concentrations within each year. The mean relative difference (MRD) analysis was used to identify temporally stable patterns of E. coli concentrations within the ponds. These patterns found for individual years showed significant positive correlations with each other and with the overall pattern derived from the 3-year dataset. Correlation coefficients of patterns varied from 0.487 to 0.842 in P1 and from 0.467 to 0.789 in P2 (p < 0.05). MRD patterns of water quality parameters and of E. coli concentrations were also significantly correlated. Within the 3-year dataset, the highest positive correlations were observed for chlorophyll-a and turbidity while the dissolved oxygen concentrations demonstrated the greatest negative correlations. Results of the present study emphasize the advisability and feasibility of finding temporally stable spatial patterns in microbial water quality within irrigation ponds.

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Data Availability

The datasets generated during/or analyzed the current study are not publicly available as of the submission date as the material is part of an ongoing degree program for Matthew Stocker (PhD) and Jaclyn Smith (M.Sc.). Data will become fully available after the completion of the degree programs. Requests for datasets in part or in whole can be requested from the corresponding author on reasonable request at any time.

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Acknowledgements

We sincerely thank all who participated in sample collection and processing as well as data entry and analysis. The authors would also like to acknowledge the help of the USDA’s Agricultural Research Learning Experience (ARLE) program along with the Hispanic Serving Institutions initiative for supporting researchers to help plan and conduct the work.

Funding

This work was supported through the USDA’s Agricultural Research Service project number 8042- 12630–011-00D. Dr. Hill’s salary was supported, in part, by the USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture, Hatch project 1014496.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education, Oak Ridge, TN, USA

    Matthew D. Stocker & Jaclyn Smith

  2. USDA-ARS Environmental Microbial and Food Safety Laboratory, 10300 Baltimore Ave, Bldg. 173, Beltsville, MD, 20705, USA

    Matthew D. Stocker, Yakov A. Pachepsky, Jaclyn Smith, Billie Morgan & Moon S. Kim

  3. Department of Environmental Science and Technology, University of Maryland, College Park, MD, USA

    Matthew D. Stocker, Jaclyn Smith & Robert L. Hill

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  1. Matthew D. Stocker
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  2. Yakov A. Pachepsky
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  3. Jaclyn Smith
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  4. Billie Morgan
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  5. Robert L. Hill
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  6. Moon S. Kim
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Contributions

MDS planned the monitoring, collected and analyzed the data, and co-wrote the manuscript. YAP conceptualized the monitoring project, acquired funding, guided the research, and co-wrote the manuscript. JES and BJM collected the data and helped plan the project, RLH provided support for the project and critically evaluated the manuscript, MK provided funding and resources for the project and critically evaluated the manuscript.

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Correspondence to Matthew D. Stocker.

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Stocker, M.D., Pachepsky, Y.A., Smith, J. et al. Persistent Patterns of E. coli Concentrations in Two Irrigation Ponds from 3 Years of Monitoring. Water Air Soil Pollut 232, 492 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11270-021-05438-z

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