Bovine Fecal Containiaation Level of a Watershed Adjacent
to the Huron Valley Girl Scout Council's Camp Linden


Janna L. Gauthier
School of' Science and Natura1 Rescources
Lake Superior State University
Sault Ste. Marie, MI

ABSTRACT

	Fecal coliforms are aerobic or faculatative anaerobic, gram-negative rod-shaped
bacteria. These bacteria are found in the gastro-intestinal tract of animals including
humans, and in soil. They usually are not pathogenic but these bacteria can cause
opportunistic infections. Fecal coiforms can get into a water system in one of two ways
1). from farming run-off and 2) from leeching septic systems.
	The objectives of this study were to determine if fecal coliform bacteria were
present in the watershed adjacent to Camp Linden and if these bacteria were present
would the contamination levels vary at different sites.
	Water samples were collected on seven days from June to August 1995. These
samples were taken from three sites accessible from the interior of the camp. The
Millipore Filter technique was used to analyze each water sample.
	Fecal colifroms were found in all samples collected. A two-way ANOVA was run
to find that there were no day to day differences in the mean coliform counts. A Tukey-
method test was then computed to test the null hypothesis that the mean site cotiform
counts were essentially the same. The Tukey-method computed showed a difference in
the mean site coliform counts did exist. Therefore, the null hypothesis was rejected.

SELECTED REFERENCES


Johnson and Case. "Microbes in Water: Membrance Filter Technique."  Laboratory
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Ostrowski, Brian. "Louis Lake Prelininary Evaluation." Basic and Affiliated Resources
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