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Future Plans Funding from the Colorado Agricultural Experiment Station and the USDA National Integrated Water Quality Program has been procured by CSU to expand on the research that has already been accomplished in the area of antibiotics in the environment. There are two broad categories of research involved: 1) Antibiotics in the Poudre River, and 2) Manure Management Effects on Antibiotics. In the Poudre River, we are developing an occurrence database of 16 antibiotics through pristine, urban and agricultural landscapes, including both the water column and the benthic sediments. Our goal is to be able to determine the source(s) of antibiotics in the Poudre River. We will develop an occurrence database of antibiotics in the influent and effluent of the Fort Collins Wastewater Treatment Plant to determine temporal variability of occurrence and removal in the plant. We are also in the process of evaluating how antibiotics might be transported to the river from each source: lagoon seepage, lagoon overflow, runoff or leaching from manured fields. Assessment of the impact of the zonation of the Cache la Poudre River watershed on the microbial community structure of the benthic sediment is underway, and antibiotic resistance genes are being quantified in the sediment. This data will aid in determining the magnitude of the effect of antibiotics measured in the stream. In case CAFOs are identified as a source of antibiotics in the Poudre River, we are working on understanding the effects of manure management practices on the presence and degradation of antibiotics. In addition to measuring antibiotic levels in manure and effluent, we are evaluating impacts of lagoon aeration and composting on antibiotic concentrations and the presence of antibiotic resistance genes. |
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