Water Quality Assessment of the Flint Creek Watershed By the Enumeration of E.coli, Enterococci and Pseudomonas Aeruginosa.

Studies are being conducted to evaluate the water quality of the Flint Creek Watershed (FCW) located in southeast Lawrence County, western Morgan County, and the northern part of Cullman County in Alabama. FCW is a one of the major tributaries to the Tennessee River and the Wheeler Wildlife Reservoir. Research was conducted in an urban area within the FCW where the major sources of waste discharge into the watershed are from surrounding communities, and public and private facilities within the area. This study identified the impacts of physiochemical properties (dissolved oxygen, conductivity, pH and temperature), which may serve as drivers to the presence and density of E. coli, Enterococcus, and Psuedomonas Aeruoginosa. Analysis was conducted on one site within the FCW (Highway US-31), with six (6) samples taken in triplicate once a month. We hypothesized that the E. coli, Enterococcus, and Psuedomonas Aeruoginosa levels, which were enumerated using the IDEXX method, would have seasonal influxes and the concentration of the physiochemical properties would have a significant impact on overall bacterial levels.