December 2009
In December 2009, Dr. Timothy Bartrand made a presentation titled “Leveraging space and time in microbial dose response model development” at a symposium sponsored jointly by The Interagency Risk Assessment Consortium (IRAC), the Biostressors Specialty Group of the Society for Risk Analysis and the FDA Center for Biological Evaluation Research (CBER). The symposium, held in Baltimore, MD, on Dec 10-11, focused on the need, development and use of new models for use in risk assessment. Dr. Bartrand’s presentation described techniques in using all available data in development of microbial dose-response models.
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April 2009
New Publication. Jeff Rosen, vice president of CEC's environmental information systems group has recently published an article in the March 2009 issue of the peer-reviewed Journal of the American Water Works Association, titled "Statistical limitations in the usefulness of total coliform data." This paper addresses the question of whether the current cost of total coliform sampling required by the Total Coliform Rule (TCR), estimated to be in excess of $100 million per year, is meeting the intended objectives of the rule. And if not, what options are there for more effective monitoring? What information is being developed from this extensive sampling program, and is it effectively protecting human health and/or informing water providers or states of the efficacy of the treatment or the integrity of the distribution systems?
This study reviewed historical data of total coliform monitoring programs from federal, state and water system sources to explore the differences that would be detectable and the confidence intervals of these results based on the number of samples collected. Results obtained for different system sizes, system classification (community, transient, and nontransient), treatment and type of water source were evaluated and compared. No correlations were observed between samples positive for total coliform and any available environmental data, including chlorine residuals, and no clear patterns in the number of violations by system type were discerned. The study shows that under current sampling strategies, few systems will be able to detect the effects of any mitigation following TCR violations because sample sizes are too small. For most water providers, detecting the effects of mitigation will require pooling multiple months of data before and after a corrective action is taken.
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March 2009
Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument Condition Report. CEC has been supporting NOAA's National Marine Sanctuaries Program for over 3 years in their efforts to develop monitoring and assessment reports for the nation's 14 marine sanctuaries (see December 2008 news: NOAA Condition Reports).
Completion of the Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument Condition Report is a particularly exciting milestone. CEC's Hawaii office is now in their third year serving as the monument's data integration group to build and maintain applications that provide tools that store, protect, and integrate data essential to the management and scientific analysis of resources in the Northwest Hawaiian Islands. These systems integrate both local datasets managed by the monument and remote datasets managed by external parties, making them accessible via web-based interfaces. These applications provide scientists, students, and the general public a valuable resource for learning about the monument by facilitating a holistic view of the monument's geospatial, ecological, and environmental data, while providing managers and other stakeholders with timely and comprehensive resources for decision support and analysis. These applications also support tracking and management of activities required by Monument regulations and state and federal law through permitting tools and management plan tracking.
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December 2008
CEC teams with Tetratech. CEC has undertaken a new research project to evaluate the performance of a new Quantitative Polymerase Chain Reaction (QPCR) method for the detection of the fecal contaminant indicator, enterococci, in wastewater and simulated recreational water. In the course of the study we will be simultaneously collecting samples for analysis of enterococci by QPCR and other standard methods, as well as other waterborne pathogens and fecal indicators including E. coli, enteric viruses, Giardia and Cryptosporidium, the anaerobic bacteria Clostridium perfringens and Bacteroides fragilis, and other parameters. By doing so, the study will provide the USEPA with data to compare the QPCR results against those of other standard analyses. This will allow the USEPA to evaluate the applicability of QPCR to rapidly characterize water quality for applications under the Clean Water Act, Beach Act of 2000, NPDES permits and total maximum daily load evaluations.
In support of this study, CEC has teamed with TetraTech to develop an ambitious field sampling program, including a field and laboratory team centered at a newly developed Cincinnati project laboratory, staffed by CEC scientists, microbiologists and field and laboratory staff to carry out the intensive sampling and analysis of hundreds of samples per event. Parameters requiring immediate processing will be analyzed at this local laboratory, while other parameters will be analyzed at CEC's main laboratory in St. Albans, VT, or at subcontracted laboratories that specialize in these particular assays. The study is designed to be carried out over the course of 3 separate events over a range of seasonal conditions. Initial testing is expected to be underway in January 2009.
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NOAA Condition Reports. CEC is on their 4th year of providing support to NOAA's Office of National Marine Sanctuaries (ONMS), which is developing a reporting protocol for its System-Wide Monitoring Program. ONMS and CEC are preparing "condition reports" on the status and trends of water, habitat, living, and maritime archaeological resources in the 13 U.S. marine sanctuaries and Hawaii's Marine National Monument. The reports will provide a means by which NOAA can report on the condition of the sanctuaries and set priorities for future characterization, monitoring, research, and other management activities. For more information, see http://sanctuaries.noaa.gov/science/condition/welcome.html.
May 2008
CEC Publications. Two publications by CEC authors in the peer-reviewed Journal of the American Water Works Association were selected for Division Best Paper awards for 2007:
Jeff Rosen, vice president of the Environmental Information Systems group, received the Best Paper in the Management Division for “A simplified approach to developing future contaminant candidate lists”, co-authored with J. Alan Roberson (J. Am. Water Works. Assoc. 93 (3) 63-72).
The Vermont office received the Water Science and Science Division Best Paper award for “Development and characterization of nonpathogenic surrogates for UV reactor validation”. Authors were Kristen Fallon, Tom Hargy, and Jen Clancy (J. Am. Water Works. Assoc. 93 (3) 73-82). Erin Mackey and Harold Wright of Carollo Engineers in Boise, ID were co-authors.
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