| USE OF CAFFEINE AS A MOLECULAR MARKER FOR WASTEWATER
CONTAMINATION IN URBAN STREAMS
Investigator: Upal Ghosh
Duration: May 2004 - December 2004.
Funding agency: NSF Long Term Ecological Research program supplemental
award through the Baltimore Ecosystem Study
Background. An important source for pathogens, nitrogen, organic
carbon, and other contaminants in urban streams is leakage from underground
sewer lines. Often these sources are diffuse and difficult to locate
and control. Traditionally, bacterial indicators
such as faecal coliforms have been used to detect and monitor the contamination
of natural waters by municipal wastewaters. However, the reliability
of such measures has been questioned because of their short time of
survival and their limited source specificity. An ideal marker should
allow the unambiguous elucidation of the source, quantification of
the magnitude of the pollution, and should have a relatively steady
rate of consumption and release into wastewaters.
Research Objectives. This is an exploratory research project aimed
at investigating the possible use of caffeine as a marker for wastewater
contamination in the Gwynns Falls watershed through a specialized
sampling campaign during the summer of 2004. The two main objectives
of this exploratory
research are to:
1) Investigate through a limited sampling campaign
the extent of caffeine contamination in streams monitored by the
Baltimore Ecosystem Study.
2) Evaluate whether caffeine measurements correlate with the locations
of known leaking sewage infrastructure in the watershed.
Broader impacts. This exploratory research will be carried out by a graduate student and an undergraduate student. A significant impact of this project will be a wonderful learning experience for the students in understanding the impacts of leaking wastewater collection systems on urban streams. The students will get hands on experience through sample collection in the streams, sample processing, and using a GC-MS for the analysis of caffeine. This will give them an opportunity also to understand how commonly used compounds in everyday life are released into the natural system and how as scientists we can track some of these compounds to understand environmental impacts.
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