A Plan for Identifying Hot Spots in West Hickman Watershed

Lexington Kentucky has impaired water quality with respects to indicators of pathogens in the watersheds. Some of this impairment is due to leaking sewers which can be difficult to locate. A plan for identifying the areas with the greatest negative impact on water quality is required to select the most appropriate sites for remediation and as is a method for determining the relative impact of any remediation taken in these highly impacted regions of local streams and waterways. OVer the past 15 years, Dr. Gail Brion has developed a systematic approach to sampling and data analysis that identifies hot-spots (areas of the watershed unduly impacted by human sewage) in local streams and rivers. This system has been proven in other watersheds (Eagle Creek, Georgetown, Frankfort, Lexington) and is published in the scientific literature. The approach has been applied successfully in the LFUCG Wolf Run watershed and succeeded in locating areas that had leaking sewers. The approach relies upon utilizing multiple indicators for fecal load, source, and age and a classification rubric to prioritize the relative impairment in surface waters. For this proposal, fecal load will be measured by levels of E. coli by IDEXX, fecal age by the AC/TC ratio obtained from membrane filtration testing for Total coliforms, and fecal source identified by quantifying three types of fecal source specific genetic markers for the strict anaerobe Bacteriodes. Dr. Brion proposes to the LFUCG that this system be applied to watersheds of concern for the purpose of identifying hot-spots of human fecal waste intrusion and validating any remedial actions taken in these watersheds.