All summer long, St. Marys Riverkeeper will be doing additional water sampling in coastal Camden and Nassau Counties for Fecal Indicator Bacteria (FIB), specifically E. coli and Enterococci species, to get a better understanding of the health of our waterways. Warmer waters not only mean more people recreating on the water, but also results in exponential bacterial growth. This increases people’s chances of getting sick when they come into contact (swimming, recreating, or fishing) with a contaminated waterbody.
Our goals are to ensure our watershed community has a holistic understanding of the health of their waterway s and provide necessary information for people to make appropriate decisions on how they choose to recreate on the water.
Why Enterococci and E. Coli?
Fecal Coliform is naturally found in the intestines of warm-blooded animals and the presence of this bacteria may indicate contamination of a waterbody by human and/or animal fecal material. Human sources of bacteria include improperly functioning wastewater treatment plants, leaking septic systems, storm water runoff, and runoff from animal manure and manure storage areas.
Enterococci has the ability to survive in saltwater and therefore are the chosen indicator organism for coastal (saline) waterbodies whereas E. coli is only used in fresh water. Our team of dedicated and trained Citizen Scientists will continue their normal water sampling routine throughout the watershed until it is determined whether or not this new protocol is applicable for their sampling sites.
Read more about this campaign HERE
