TITLE:
Assessing the East Bay of Galveston Bay, Texas for Coliform Bacteria in Recreational Water
AUTHORS:
Tommy Quach, Luis Colon, Akintayo Akinrinlola, Jesse Bell, Sonya Good
KEYWORDS:
Coliform Bacteria, Fecal Matter, Bacterial Indicators, Galveston Bay, Enterococci
JOURNAL NAME:
Open Journal of Marine Science,
Vol.6 No.4,
September
29,
2016
ABSTRACT: The Galveston Bay beach is
a widely used recreational area that remains a concern in terms of water
quality. There are many factors that contribute to its pollution such as fecal
matter entering the bay due to overflow of the sewage system and run offs. Thus, evaluating the water quality for fecal matter and other
pollutants is continuously monitored by citizen scientists and research groups
throughout the Galveston Bay. The investigation utilizes the colorimetric response
of coliform at three test sites along the East Bay of Galveston. Each response is positive for coliform that may indicate the
presence of fecal matter. Other scientists have denoted the presence of fecal
matter in the Galveston Bay at two sites using enterococci indicator which may be
more associated with human fecal matter. The analyses show that the
recreational water is likely not a threat since its levels were low. However,
the need for analyses based on EPA protocols and standards is necessary to better
access water pollution due to fecal matter in the Galveston Bay area.