Novel Bacterial Monitoring of Urbanized Waterways in the Lower Delaware River and Passaic River Basins.

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By New Jersey Water Science Center December 14, 2023

As part of the Urban Water Federal Partnership, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) New Jersey Water Science Center (NJWSC) is currently assessing the use of innovative, near real-time bacteria monitoring technology to provide rapid results on bacteria concentrations to water regulators. Traditional methods of collecting and quantifying fecal indicator bacteria (FIB) is labor intensive, expensive, and may be inefficient to capture diurnal results in water quality and protect human health, as analytic results take around 24 hours. The USGS will evaluate data quality from the near real-time pathogen monitoring systems by comparing collected data with traditional FIB sampling methods to determine the effectiveness of the instrument. Once validated these instruments can potentially be used by water-resource managers and researchers to evaluate rapidly changing FIB conditions to protect public health.

Scientist in Orange and Yellow safety gear uses a long pole to reach into the water and retrieve equipment. — Hydrographer Jacob Gray using a pole sampler to collect a lab validation sample concurrent with the bacteria analyzer sample.

Project Overview

Innovative, high frequency pathogen monitoring technology is being evaluated by the USGS New Jersey Water Science Center in urban waterways along major river basins within New Jersey. The USGS will evaluate data quality from the near real-time pathogen monitoring systems by comparing collected data with traditional fecal indicator bacteria (FIB) sampling methods to determine the effectiveness of the instrument. These instruments may allow water-resource managers to monitor FIB fluctuations in near-real time, potentially in less time than traditional sampling methods. A measurement initiated early in the day could provide a more definitive indication of the bacterial condition prior to the initiation of recreational activities. In addition, near real-time measurement could eliminate the need for multiple negative tests prior to reopening a closed recreation area, expanding availability of recreational opportunities. The data collected during this evaluation also will result in denser datasets, which will aid in understanding the complexities of bacterial fluctuations due to sediment resuspension, water-level changes due to boat passage, tidal changes, drought, and rainfall.

Technology

The novel bacteria monitoring system—which is one of the first in the nation—can remotely sample on demand and provide Escherichia coli (E. coli) and total coliform concentrations in a fraction of time required of traditional sampling methods. The device pumps sample water into a dedicated cartridge where it is combined with reagents and incubated. Absorbance and fluorescence points are autonomously detected at regular intervals throughout incubation until a point of inflection is determined. E. coli and total coliform concentrations, in colony forming units (CFU), are calculated from the point of inflection using a proprietary algorithm. The device contains seven ports for sample collection which can analyze seven samples before a battery and sample cartridge change is needed.

USGS Scientists loading sensors for Bacterial monitoring

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USGS Hydrographers Kathryn Cahalane and Lucas Sirotniak replace used sample cartridges for each of the seven sampling ports of the bacteria analyzer.

Orange traffic cone, sample storage box, and a notebook sit on a wooden platform in the river with the Bacteria sampler.

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Field readings are being collected using a water-quality multimeter prior to initiating a sample from the bacteria analyzer.

A close up of the Bacterial probes being cleaned before deployment

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Hydrographer Dan Skulski cleans the device of fouling prior to changing out the sample cartriges.

Study Areas

Lower Delaware River, at Pyne Poynt in Camden, NJ and Passaic River downstream of the confluence of the Pompton and Passaic Rivers, at Two Bridges. Additional deployments within the Lower Delaware River and Passaic River Basins are being considered for future work.

Priority Research Questions:

Does the innovative technology produce accurate E. coli and total coliform results in a freshwater environment?
Does the innovative technology produce results in a timely manner that can be useful for water-management officials?
Is the innovative technology practical and efficient compared to traditional sampling methods?
What are the major advantages and disadvantages of the innovative technology?