Seasonal and yearly trends of fecal coliform across four different land use types in Skagit County, Washington
Date
2023-06-23
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Abstract
Fecal coliform pollution in watersheds puts human health at risk. In
watersheds with mixed land use, it is hard to distinguish pollution sources. In
Skagit County, Washington, elevated fecal coliform levels have led to public
beach closures and shellfish harvesting closures. Different sources of fecal
coliform pollution in Skagit County include agricultural runoff, mismanaged
livestock and domestic waste, faulty septic systems, and stormwater runoff.
Identifying specific pollution sources is difficult, but a broader analysis of fecal
coliform trends in different land use areas will help guide mitigation efforts. In
this paper, sampling sites were categorized into four different land use types:
rural, marine, residential, and commercial. Using four long term monitoring
datasets, yearly and seasonal trends were detected. Rural sites, including
agricultural land, had predictable seasonal patterns with high fecal coliform in the
summer and low fecal coliform in the winter. Conversely, marine areas had high
fecal coliform in the winter and low fecal coliform in the summer. The seasonal
trends identified in this paper can help inform future planning and strategies to
reduce fecal coliform pollution in different land use areas in Skagit County,
Washington
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Keywords
Watershed, Fecal Coliform, Pollution