A constructed, variable-flow treatment wetland was evaluated for its ability to reduce microbial loads from the Banklick Creek, an impacted recreational waterway in Northern Kentucky. For this study, levels of traditional (Escherichia coli and enterococci measured by culture and molecular techniques) and alternative fecal indicators (infectious somatic and F+ coliphage, Clostridium spp. and Clostridium perfringens by culture), potential pathogens (molecular signal of Campylobacter spp.) as well as various microbial source tracking (MST) markers (human fecal marker HF183 and avian fecal marker GFD) were monitored during the summer and early fall through five treatment stages within the Banklick Creek Wetland. No difference in concentrations of traditional or alternative fecal indicators were observed in any of the sites monitored. Microbial source tracking markers were employed to identify sources of fecal contamination within the wetland. Human marker HF183 concentrations at beginning stages of treatment were found to be significantly higher (P value range: 0.0016-0.0003) than levels at later stages. Conversely, at later stages of treatment where frequent bird activity was observed, Campylobacter and avian marker (GFD) signals were detected at significantly higher frequencies (P value range: 0.024 to <0.0001), and both signals were strongly correlated (P = 0.0001). Our study suggests constructed wetlands are an effective means for removal of microbial contamination in ambient waters, but reliance on general fecal indicators is not ideal for determining system efficacy or assessing appropriate remediation efforts.

中文翻译：

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用于处理受影响水道的人工湿地以及本地水禽对其感知效果的影响

对建造的可变流量处理湿地减少来自 Banklick Creek 的微生物负荷的能力进行了评估，Banklick Creek 是肯塔基州北部受影响的休闲水道。在本研究中，传统（通过培养和分子技术测量的大肠杆菌和肠球菌）和替代粪便指标（传染性体细胞和 F+ 大肠杆菌、梭状芽孢杆菌属和产气荚膜梭菌属培养）、潜在病原体（弯曲杆菌属的分子信号）的水平。以及各种微生物源跟踪 (MST) 标记（人类粪便标记 HF183 和禽粪便标记 GFD）在夏季和初秋期间通过 Banklick Creek 湿地内的五个处理阶段进行监测。在监测的任何地点都没有观察到传统或替代粪便指示剂的浓度差异。微生物源追踪标记被用来识别湿地内的粪便污染源。发现治疗开始阶段的人类标志物 HF183 浓度（P 值范围：0.0016-0.0003）明显高于后期水平。相反，在观察到鸟类频繁活动的后期处理阶段，在显着更高的频率（P 值范围：0.024 至 <0.0001）中检测到弯曲杆菌和禽类标记物 (GFD) 信号，并且这两种信号具有很强的相关性 (P = 0.0001) . 我们的研究表明，人工湿地是去除周围水域微生物污染的有效手段，但依赖一般的粪便指标对于确定系统功效或评估适当的修复工作并不理想。