HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Goderich Signal-Star, 2009-05-13, Page 11Goderich Signal -Star, Wednesday, May 13, 2009 - Page Al 1
Ag waste main source of E.Coli in Lake Huron, study finds
Agricultural wastes are the main source
of E. coli bacteria that contaminate a part
of Lake Huron prized for recreation, says
a new study by University of Guelph re-
searchers.
Almost two-thirds of the bacteria in the
southeastern Lake Huron study site came
from livestock waste, said Prof. Jack Trev-
ors of Guelph's Department of Environ-
mental Biology. This is the first report to
show how much bacterial pollution comes
from different sources between Goderich
and Kincardine.
Livestock accounted for between 59 and
62 per cent of E. coli entering' the lake.
"If you know where it's coming
from, you can try to implement
management solutions
to deal with it."
— Prof Jack Trevors
The rest came from wildlife, human waste
and unknown sources. Human sewage ac-
counted for one to "three per cent, Trevors
said.
He co-authored the study with U of G
environmental biologist Prof.' Hung Lee
and researchers from the Ontario Ministry
of the Environment. Their research paper'
appeared in the March issue of the Cana-
dian Journal of Microbiology.
"We know agriculture is important to
Ontario," said Trevors. "We're using sci-
entific tools to learn about the environ-
ment and how to sustain and improve our
water resources."
The team compiled DNA samples from
potential E. coli sources and compared
those against samples taken in 2005 and
2006 from Lake Huron and the creeks and
rivers feeding it.
Trevors said it's useful to quantify how
much bacterial pollution might come from
different sources. "If you don't know where
it's coming from, it's difficult to mitigate
the problem and protect recreational wa-
ter. If you know where it's coming from,
you can try to implement management so-
lutions to deal with it."
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A study led by the University of Guelph has found almost
two-thirds of the bacteria in its southeastern Lake Huron
study site came from livestock waste.
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