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The Types of Bacteria That Get Into Storm Runoff Water

Runoff due to heavy rains during a storm can have catastrophic effect on surface and sub-surface water supplies. Runoff is a unique problem in urban areas, as concrete and other paved structures make it impossible for water to soak into the ground when it rains. The water that flows across paved surfaces picks up not only bacteria, but pesticides, oils, fertilizers and heavy metals. Sixteen times more runoff is created on a paved acre than an acre of meadow, according to the Oregon Environmental Council, E. coli and fecal coliform are the two main bacterias found in runoff water.

  1. Domesticated Animal Feces

    • Domesticated animal feces carry bacteria. There are high concentrations of animal feces in urban settings and not much soil or many plants to filter the bacteria before it runs into streams and rivers. It is estimated that in Multnomah County, Oregon, there are approximately 120,000 dogs. Each dog produces an average of five pounds of feces a week. This equals 600,000 pounds of dog feces and the associated bacteria potentially flowing into ground and surface water every week.

    Combined Sewer Overflow

    • Towns and cities with old city-wide sewage systems sometimes have problems with overflowing sewage during heavy rains. The rain enters the sewage pipes faster than the pipes can expel both the sewage from homes and the rainwater. This means raw sewage flows directly into surrounding steams and rivers. Newer, advanced technology and more environmentally conscious city systems and planning may largely eliminate this problem.

    Bird Feces

    • Bird feces is one of the largest sources of bacteria in runoff water from some urban settings. Large populations of birds thrive in cities where humans feed them either voluntarily, or by leaving food waste in the streets. In natural settings, bird populations are more spread out and their feces returns to the soil to be filtered by plants and used as a natural fertilizer.

    Solutions

    • Solutions to urban water runoff include increased green development. Permeable pavement is a paving material that permits water to pass through it. It can be used in areas with foot traffic and light car traffic such as sidewalks and residential driveways. Green roofs are essentially roof-top gardens that utilize rainwater instead of allowing it to run off through the gutters. Cisterns can be used to collect rainwater and use it for households, lawns and gardens.

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