From Creek to Community: Unveiling Water Quality in Union County

The state of Pennsylvania is surrounded by numerous water bodies that not only serve as habitat for aquatic life, but also provide drinking water and offer recreational opportunities for its residents. As a result, it is imperative that these water bodies be kept clean and safe. There are, however, several streams in Union County that are impaired, which means they cannot not be used for recreational purposes, let alone consumed.

Over this summer we conducted research in the Buffalo Creek with the goal of determining the water quality of the Creek through collaborating with a community partner, Buffalo Creek Watershed Alliance (BCWA) and raising awareness on the safety of the water. We collected water samples at 13 locations along the Buffalo Creek, five times over a period of 30 days. We measured standard water quality parameters such as temperature, pH, total suspended solids (TSS), turbidity, conductivity, and dissolved oxygen (DO). We compiled the data sets in order to compare them to the standard values required by the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) for recreational waters.

In the lab, we filtered water samples and stored them in the -80℃ freezer until DNA extraction. For this summer we extracted DNA from last year’s water sample filters using Qiagen's DNeasy PowerSoil Kit and added Salmon Sperm as a positive control. Later on, the DNA will be used for PCR with various primers we would have screened for accuracy in identifying fecal coliforms from identified animal sources.

Moreover, we made use of Microbial Source Tracking (MST), a molecular tool used to determine the animal source of fecal coliform (i.e., bacteria) contamination. DNA sequences of particular bacteria from various animal sources are known, therefore we can use this information to screen water samples and identify the animal source. This is accomplished by isolating DNA from water samples and using Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) to make millions of copies of the DNA of interest, if it is present. For this research project we targeted bacteria present in the feces of pigs, cows, dogs, poultry, geese, horses, and humans.

Throughout the summer we held bi-weekly meetings with our community partners to inform them on our progress with the research project. These meetings were also an opportunity to receive suggestions from them (as community members) on what other sites may be of concern.