Bacterial Aerosols from a Field Source during Multiple-Sprinkler Irrigation: Deer Creek Lake State Park, Ohio

Abstract : An evaluation of microbiological aerosols resulting from the spray irrigation of wastewater under known atmospheric stability conditions was performed during July and August 1978 at the Deer Creek Lake land treatment system in Ohio. In the experiment, ponded chlorinated wastewater was sprayed onto a 6-acre test area with 96 impact sprinklers representing a multi-source field aerosol distribution system. Approximately 99.9% of the wastewater applied to the 23-hectare test area fell within the area of influence of the sprinkler (about a 20-m diam circle around the sprinkler riser) with only 0.10% of the applied wastewater aerosolized. Indigenous total aerobic bacteria in the wastewater and resultant aerosols were sampled and analyzed. The prevalence of certain bacterial populations was altered through aerosolization but the aerosol populations included relatively greater numbers of gram-positive bacteria.