Longitudinal Assessment of the Dynamics of Escherichia coli, Total Coliforms, <i>Enterococcus</i> spp., and <i>Aeromonas</i> spp. in Alternative Irrigation Water Sources: a CONSERVE Study
Sultana Solaiman, Sarah M. Allard, Mary Theresa Callahan, Chengsheng Jiang, Eric T. Handy, Cheryl East, Joseph Haymaker, Anthony Bui, Hillary A. Craddock, Rianna Murray, Prachi Kulkarni, Brienna L. Anderson-Coughlin, Shani Craighead, Samantha Gartley, Adam Vanore, Rico Duncan, Derek Foust, Maryam Taabodi, Amir Sapkota, Eric May, Fawzy Hashem, Salina Parveen, Kalmia E. Kniel, Manan Sharma, Amy R. Sapkota, Shirley A. Micallef
Abstract
Increasing demands for fresh fruit and vegetables, a variable climate affecting agricultural water availability, and microbial food safety goals are pressing the need to identify new, safe, alternative sources of irrigation water. Our study generated microbial data collected over a 2-year period from potential sources of irrigation (rivers, ponds, and reclaimed water sites). Pond water was found to comply with Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) microbial standards for irrigation of fruit and vegetables. Bacterial counts in reclaimed water, a resource that is not universally allowed on fresh produce in the United States, generally met microbial standards or needed minimal mitigation. We detected the most seasonality and the highest microbial loads in river water, which emerged as the water type that would require the most mitigation to be compliant with established FSMA standards. This data set represents one of the most comprehensive, longitudinal analyses of alternative irrigation water sources in the United States.