Pathogens are a major cause of water quality impairment in the United States. In the Northeast, pathogens have negative impacts on human health and shellfish products. Fecal coliform often indicates the presence of pathogens and is the most commonly used indicator. Monitoring data assists in understanding the spatial and temporal distribution of fecal coliform.
This study focuses on the fecal contamination in water. E. coli and enterococcus are indicators to assess fecal contaminations. E. coli is used in freshwater systems, while enterococcus is used in saline water. To understand the fate of fecal coliform, we collected samples across various land use and climatic conditions. Samples were processed in the UNH Jackson Estuarine Laboratory and the UNH Gregg Hall Laboratory immediately after being collected.
The datasets include two sites: Oyster River Watershed and Little River Watershed. Several tributaries in the Oyster River Watershed, including College Brook and Reservoir Brook, are bacteria-impaired due to intense population. Little River is also classified as a bacteria-impaired waterbody.
The Oyster River Watershed study was conducted from 6/20/15 to 6/22/15. The time period covers baseflow condition (6/20/15) and storm condition (6/21/15 and 6/22/15). Data included discharge and E. coli. E. coli was enumerated using the Colilert method.
The Little River study was conducted on 7/28/15. Data included enterococcus and E. coli. Both were processed based on the standard USGS method.