Manure spills may be an underappreciated pathway for livestock-derived contaminants to enter streams. Scientists from the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) and Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health studied an Iowa stream after the release of a large volume of swine manure (a manure spill). The scientists observed an increase in viruses and bacteria, which have the potential to cause human or swine disease, in the stream water and bed sediment. This study applied molecular techniques to identify microbial contaminants that were transported as far as 4 kilometers from the spill origin. The microbial contaminants persisted for several weeks in stream water and sediments after the spill. This study documented that stream sediment was a persistent reservoir of contamination following this manure spill.
Although there is no national database on the number or frequency of manure spills, such events often take place because of factors such as equipment failures, over-application, runoff from open feedlots, storage overflow, accidents with manure transporting equipment, severe weather events, or occasional deliberate actions. This study calls attention to the need for further information on manure spills and their consequences in terms of transmission of human and (or) livestock disease.
This research was funded by the USGS Ecosystems Mission Area’s Environmental Health Program (Contaminant Biology and Toxic Substances Hydrology) with additional support provided by the Osprey Foundation of Maryland and the Johns Hopkins School of Public Health's Center for a Livable Future.
Below are other science projects associated with this project.
Food Resources Lifecycle Integrated Science Team
Microbiological Water Quality
Gestodene Affects Fish Reproductive Behavior in Laboratory Exposure Study
Swine Manure Application as a Source of Hepatitis E Virus and other Livestock-Related Pathogens
Recovery of Stream and Adjacent Groundwater After Wastewater Treatment Facility Closure
Contaminants of Emerging Concern in the Environment
Complex Mixtures, Complex Responses—Using Comprehensive Approaches to Assess Pharmaceutical Effects on Fish
Landfill Leachate Released to Wastewater Treatment Plants and other Environmental Pathways Contains a Mixture of Contaminants including Pharmaceuticals
Long-Term Study Finds Endocrine Disrupting Chemicals in Urban Waterways
Endocrine Disrupting Chemicals Persist Downstream from the Source
Neuroactive Pharmaceuticals in Minnesota Rivers
Toxins Produced by Molds Measured in U.S. Streams
Biosolids, Animal Manure, and Earthworms: Is There a Connection?
- Overview
Manure spills may be an underappreciated pathway for livestock-derived contaminants to enter streams. Scientists from the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) and Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health studied an Iowa stream after the release of a large volume of swine manure (a manure spill). The scientists observed an increase in viruses and bacteria, which have the potential to cause human or swine disease, in the stream water and bed sediment. This study applied molecular techniques to identify microbial contaminants that were transported as far as 4 kilometers from the spill origin. The microbial contaminants persisted for several weeks in stream water and sediments after the spill. This study documented that stream sediment was a persistent reservoir of contamination following this manure spill.
Sources/Usage: Public Domain.USGS scientist collecting a water sample from the stream prior to the swine manure spill. Photo Credit: Dana W. Kolpin, USGS. Although there is no national database on the number or frequency of manure spills, such events often take place because of factors such as equipment failures, over-application, runoff from open feedlots, storage overflow, accidents with manure transporting equipment, severe weather events, or occasional deliberate actions. This study calls attention to the need for further information on manure spills and their consequences in terms of transmission of human and (or) livestock disease.
This research was funded by the USGS Ecosystems Mission Area’s Environmental Health Program (Contaminant Biology and Toxic Substances Hydrology) with additional support provided by the Osprey Foundation of Maryland and the Johns Hopkins School of Public Health's Center for a Livable Future.
Sources/Usage: Public Domain.View of stream water following a manure spill, which has strongly discolored the water. Photo Credit: Dana W. Kolpin, USGS. - Science
Below are other science projects associated with this project.
Food Resources Lifecycle Integrated Science Team
The team studies the movement of toxicants and pathogens that could originate from the growing, raising, and processing/manufacturing of plant and animal products through the environment where exposure can occur. This information is used to understand if there are adverse effects upon exposure and to develop decision tools to protect health.Filter Total Items: 20Microbiological Water Quality
Recreational water and industrial discharges are regulated by other federal and state agencies across the country. The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Michigan Bacteriological Research Laboratory (MI-BaRL) conducts studies to understand the fate and transport of fecal indicator bacteria in surface and groundwater to aid state and federal partners. A variety of standardized protocols are used to...Gestodene Affects Fish Reproductive Behavior in Laboratory Exposure Study
Short-term laboratory exposure of adult fathead minnows to the human contraceptive progestin, gestodene (GES), at environmentally relevant concentrations induced rapid and negative effects on reproductive health and suggests that wild fish may be similarly affected.Swine Manure Application as a Source of Hepatitis E Virus and other Livestock-Related Pathogens
The presence of indicator bacteria, hepatitis E virus (HEV), and numerous bacterial pathogen genes increased following precipitation-induced runoff events in streams draining adjacent land surfaces in Iowa where swine manure was recently applied.Recovery of Stream and Adjacent Groundwater After Wastewater Treatment Facility Closure
The hydrology and chemistry of a wastewater-impacted stream and adjacent groundwater responded rapidly (had fewer chemicals at lower concentrations) following wastewater treatment facility shutdown. However, the adjacent shallow groundwater remained a continuing source of some wastewater-derived contaminants to the stream at least 1 year post-shutdown.Contaminants of Emerging Concern in the Environment
The USGS is conducting source-to-receptor research on a broad range of chemical and microbial contaminants including pharmaceuticals, personal care products, pathogens, antibiotic resistant genes, and natural toxins that are not commonly considered in environmental research but have the potential to impact environmental health.Complex Mixtures, Complex Responses—Using Comprehensive Approaches to Assess Pharmaceutical Effects on Fish
The occurrence of complex mixtures of prescription pharmaceuticals in streams and rivers around the globe has raised concerns about potential unintended adverse effects on aquatic organisms. The deleterious effects (for example, alteration of fish behavior) observed in this study confirm that effluents containing pharmaceuticals can adversely affect fish in ways that are central to sustaining...Landfill Leachate Released to Wastewater Treatment Plants and other Environmental Pathways Contains a Mixture of Contaminants including Pharmaceuticals
New scientific research from the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) details how landfill leachate, disposed from landfills to environmental pathways, is host to numerous contaminants of emerging concern (CECs).Long-Term Study Finds Endocrine Disrupting Chemicals in Urban Waterways
U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) scientists determined that endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs) were present in wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) effluent, water, and fish tissue in urban waterways in the Great Lakes and upper Mississippi River Regions (Indiana, Illinois, Michigan, Minnesota, and Ohio) during 1999 through 2009.Endocrine Disrupting Chemicals Persist Downstream from the Source
Endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs) were transported 2 kilometers downstream of a wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) outfall in a coastal plain stream. EDCs persisted downstream of the outfall with little change in the numbers of EDCs and limited decreases in EDC concentrations.Neuroactive Pharmaceuticals in Minnesota Rivers
A team of scientists from the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) and the University of Colorado measured seven neuroactive pharmaceutical compounds in treated wastewater and downstream receiving waters at 24 sites across Minnesota. The analysis of samples collected upstream and downstream of wastewater treatment plants indicated that wastewater treatment plants were the major source of these chemicals.Toxins Produced by Molds Measured in U.S. Streams
A team of scientists from the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) and the Agroscope Reckenholz-Tanikon Research Station, Switzerland, found that some mycotoxins are common in U. S. stream waters. Mycotoxins are toxic compounds produced by molds (fungi) that can cause disease and even death in humans and animals. Mycotoxins can grow on a wide variety of crops.Biosolids, Animal Manure, and Earthworms: Is There a Connection?
Animal manure and biosolids, the solid byproduct of wastewater treatment, often are applied to agricultural crops to provide nutrients for plant growth and to improve the quality of soil. Earthworms studied in agricultural fields where manure and biosolids were applied have been found to contain organic chemicals from household products and manure. Earthworms continuously ingest soils and may... - Publications