Water quality modelling: microbial risks associated with manure on pasture and arable land

Abstract

While agricultural activities, such as the application of manure on arable land and animal grazing on pastures, provide economic and environmental benefits, they may also pose microbial risks to water sources. The aim of this paper was to study the microbial fate and transport in an agricultural catchment and recipient water source through further development of the hydrological model HYPE. Hydrological modelling was combined with hydrodynamic modelling to simulate the fate and transport of Salmonella spp., verotoxin-producing Escherichia coli 0157:H7 (VTEC) and Cryptosporidium parvum in an agricultural catchment of a drinking water source, Lake Vombsjon, in Sweden. This approach was useful to study the influence of different processes on the pathogen fate and transport, and to interpret the relative changes in the simulated concentrations. Sensitivity analysis indicated that the largest uncertainties in the model were associated with the estimation of pathogen loads, parameterisation of the pathogen processes, and simulation of partitioning between surface runoff and infiltration. The proposed modelling approach is valuable for assessing the relative effect of different risk-reducing interventions.

Keywords

C. parvum; hydrodynamic modelling; hydrological modelling; pathogens; salmonella; VTEC

Published in

Journal of Water and Health
2018, Volume: 16, number: 4, pages: 549-561

SLU Authors

• Sternberg Lewerin, Susanna

  • Department of Animal Biosciences, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences
    

Sustainable Development Goals

SDG3 Good health and well-being
SDG6 Clean water and sanitation


UKÄ Subject classification

Environmental Sciences related to Agriculture and Land-use
Microbiology


Publication identifier

DOI: https://doi.org/10.2166/wh.2018.278

Permanent link to this page (URI)

https://res.slu.se/id/publ/98238