Fecal indicator dynamics at the watershed scale: Variable relationships with land use, season, and water chemistry

Tracking fecal contamination in surface waters is critical to remediating water quality; however, general and source-specific fecal indicators often provide conflicting results. To understand the spatial and temporal dynamics of multiple fecal indicators and the sources they represent, we measured weekly concentrations of two general fecal indicator bacteria (FIB), a genetic indicator of human-associated Bacteroides (HF183), and surface water chemistry in nine mixed land-use watersheds in southwest Virginia, USA. At the watershed scale, general and source-specific indicators were decoupled, with distinct spatial, temporal, and chemical patterns. Random Forest analysis of individual sample variability identified temperature, watershed, nutrients, and cations as top predictors of indicator concentrations. However, these patterns – and the specific nutrients and cations identified – varied by indicator type. Among watersheds, FIB increased with developed land cover and during the summer months, while HF183 increased during the winter and only in urban watersheds. Nutrients generally related poorly to FIB and HF183, except E. coli, which correlated with total nitrogen. In contrast, all fecal indicators showed strong correlations with cations. FIB were more strongly related to calcium, magnesium, and potassium concentrations, while HF183 was related to sodium. These results suggest that, even at the watershed scale, 1) HF183 detects mainly human fecal contamination, while FIB detect broader ecosystem fecal inputs, and 2) poor correlation between specific and generalist fecal indicators is caused by unique spatial, temporal, and transport dynamics of different fecal sources in watersheds.