Indicator Bacterial Survival in Stream Sediments

The impact of grazing cattle (Bostauras) on water quality has been the subject of considerable interest as water quality standards become more restrictive. Benthic sediments have been found to harbor signaficantly higher concentrations of enteric bacteria than the overlying water. In this study, the survival of fecal coliform and fecal streptococci organisms was demonstrated to be significantly longer in sediment laden waters than in those without sediment and further the survival was longer in the sediment-laden waters than in a supernatant from that same sediment suspended in water.