Transport and removal of coliphage PRD1 in constructed wetlands.

The Convection Dispersion Equation (CDE) was used to calculate PRD1 and Br(-) transport parameters in a subsurface flow constructed wetland. Transport parameters from Br(-) displacement were applied into the CDE to estimate a 0.96 day(-1) first order decay coefficient (k).

Microbiological water quality in a large irrigation system: El Valle del Yaqui, Sonora México.

The primary objective of this study was to determine the microbial water quality of a large irrigation system and how this quality varies with respect to canal size, impact of near-by communities, and the travel distance from the source in the El Valle del Yaqui, Sonora, México. In this arid region, 220,000 hectares are irrigated with 80% of the irrigation water being supplied from an extensive irrigation system including three dams on the Yaqui River watershed. The stored water flows to the irrigated fields through two main canal systems (severing the upper and lower Yaqui Valley) and then through smaller lateral canals that deliver the water to the fields.

Transport of coliphage PRD1 in a surface flow constructed wetland.

A tracer study was conducted in a 3-ha surface flow constructed wetland to analyze transport performance of PRD1, an enteric virus model. The convection-dispersion equation (CDE), including a first-order reaction model, adequately simulated transport performance of PRD1 in the wetland under an average hydraulic loading rate of 82 mm/d. Convective velocity (v) and longitudinal dispersion coefficient (D) were estimated by modeling a conservative tracer (bromide) pulse through the wetland.

Microbial source tracking of Escherichia coli in a constructed wetland.

Little information has been gathered on the effect of avian species on the microbial water quality in constructed wetlands. To address this concern, fecal pollution from nonpoint and point sources was evaluated in a constructed wetland in Tolleson, Arizona. Antibiotic resistance profiling and biochemical fingerprinting were performed on 325 Escherichia coli isolates, collected from key points in the wetlands.

The persistence and removal of enteric pathogens in constructed wetlands.

Sedimentation is thought to be one of the mechanisms of microbial reduction from wetlands used for wastewater treatment. This study compared the occurrence and survival of enteric indicator microorganisms and pathogens in the water column and sediments of two constructed surface flow wetlands in Arizona. On a volume/wet weight basis the concentration of fecal coliforms and coliphage in the water column and sediment was similar.