Monitoring of fecal contamination in a partly restored urban stream in Seoul, Korea

초록

Cheonggye-cheon is a partly restored urban stream located in central Seoul. We monitored fecal contamination using three different fecal indicators, total coliforms (TC), fecal coliforms (FC) and E. coli, to assess differences in each indicator on days of varying weather conditions. Presumptive TC, FC and E. coli colonies were identified by their 16S rRNA sequences. The results showed that enumeration of E. coli provided a better reflection of fecal contamination of the stream than TC and FC. The main sources of contamination were the inflow of fecal-polluted groundwater from the vicinity of a subway line and two inflowing streams. The fecal contamination was worsened on days with heavy rain because untreated sewage from a collecting facility flowed into the stream. Moreover, growth potential of fecal indicator (E. coli) in situ induced by algal exudates was measured. Our results suggest that an appropriate standard based on E. coli rather than TC and FC should be established for improving water quality management strategies of Cheonggye-cheon in the future.

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