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Linking social and ecological systems

Informally Refereed

Abstract

On 16 November 2005 a water sample was taken from an urban stream in a metropolitan area in the southern United States and tested for the presence of E. coli. Although water samples from this and other streams in the metropolitan area frequently registered over 15,000 colonies/100 ml, this particular sample is unique in that it registered a reading of 70,000 colonies/100 ml, 350 per cent greater than the 200 colonies/100 ml—the Environment Protection Agency’s standard for streams. The fetid floodwaters in New Orleans from Hurricane Katrina, which had a contamination level of 10,000 colonies/100 ml and attracted considerable public attention, were cleaner than this stream at the time of sampling.

Citation

Zipperer, Wayne C.; Morse, Wayde C.; Johnson Gaither, Cassandra. 2011. Linking social and ecological systems. In: Niemela, Jari, ed. Urban Ecology: Patterns, Processes, and Applications. Oxford: Oxford University Press. p.298-308.
https://www.fs.usda.gov/research/treesearch/39210