An Assessment of Coliform Bacteria in Water Sources Near Appalachian Trail Shelters Within the Great Smoky Mountains National Park
Reed BC and Rasnake MS. 2015. An Assessment of Coliform Bacteria in Water Sources Near Appalachian Trail Shelters Within the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Wilderness & Environmental Medicine
ABSTRACT: Water samples were taken during summer and fall seasons. During summer, 7 of 10 samples were positive for coliform bacteria and 6 of those 7 for E coli. The most probable number (MPN) of colony-forming units (CFU) for coliform bacteria ranged from 0 to 489 CFU/100 mL, with the MPN for E coli varying from 0 to 123 CFU/100 mL. These data differed from the fall collection, revealing 3 of 7 samples positive for coliform bacteria and 1 of those 3 for E coli. The MPN of CFU for coliform bacteria in fall samples varied from 0 to 119 CFU/100 mL and 0 to 5 to CFU/100 mL for E coli.
- Type
- Journal Article
- Authors
- Reed, Brian; Rasnake, Mark
- Units
- GRSM
- Keywords
- APHN, Appalachian Highlands Network, Appalachian Trail, bacteria, coliform, E coli, Escherichia coli, fall, Great Smoky Mountains National Park, GRSM, GRSM-01112, hiking, illness, recreation, risks, SER, shelters, Southeast Region, summer, water, water quality, water samples, wilderness