DETERMINING THE IMPACT OF WELL MAINTENANCE, CONDITION, TYPE, AND LOCATION FACTORS ON E. COLI AND TOTAL COLIFORMS IN MARYLAND FARM PRIVATE DRINKING WATER WELLS
| dc.contributor.advisor | Rosenberg Goldstein, Rachel | en_US |
| dc.contributor.author | Smith, Cameron Nicole | en_US |
| dc.contributor.department | Maryland Institute for Applied Environmental Health | en_US |
| dc.contributor.publisher | Digital Repository at the University of Maryland | en_US |
| dc.contributor.publisher | University of Maryland (College Park, Md.) | en_US |
| dc.date.accessioned | 2023-06-23T06:15:30Z | |
| dc.date.available | 2023-06-23T06:15:30Z | |
| dc.date.issued | 2023 | en_US |
| dc.description.abstract | Even with the establishment of the Safe Drinking Water Act in 1974, private wells are still not regulated or monitored for drinking water quality or the presence of contaminants such as total coliform bacteria and Escherichia coli. The presence of microbiological contaminants in private wells poses a public health risk. With Agricultural Agents from the University of Maryland Extension, we collected 67 water samples from Maryland farms with private wells located in seven regions and 19 counties of Maryland. We evaluated water samples for total coliforms and E. coli to understand the risk of contamination for Maryland private well owners. We also analyzed the impact of well factors, location, and climate on the presence of total coliforms and E. coli in well water by analyzing participant survey responses and climate data. Our results found that 39% (26/67) of the well water samples were positive for total coliforms and 10% (7/67) were positive for E. coli. Region (p<0.01), county (p=0.03), previously testing for pH (p<0.01), and ambient temperature (p=0.05) were significant factors impacting total coliform concentration. Region (p<0.01) and precipitation in the last 24 hours of collection (p<0.01) were the only significant factors impacting E. coli concentration. These findings emphasize the importance of well water testing for private well owners. | en_US |
| dc.identifier | https://doi.org/10.13016/dspace/bire-ceig | |
| dc.identifier.uri | http://hdl.handle.net/1903/30047 | |
| dc.language.iso | en | en_US |
| dc.subject.pqcontrolled | Environmental health | en_US |
| dc.subject.pqcontrolled | Water resources management | en_US |
| dc.title | DETERMINING THE IMPACT OF WELL MAINTENANCE, CONDITION, TYPE, AND LOCATION FACTORS ON E. COLI AND TOTAL COLIFORMS IN MARYLAND FARM PRIVATE DRINKING WATER WELLS | en_US |
| dc.type | Thesis | en_US |
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