• Journal of Korean Society on Water Environment
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• v.26 no.1
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• pp.111-115
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• 2010

Beaches in estuaries, bays, and harbors are frequently contaminated with indicators of human pathogens such as fecal indicator bacteria. Tracking down the sources of contamination at these enclosed beaches is complicated by the many point and non-point sources that could potentially degrade water quality along the shore. A mathematical framework was developed to test quantitative relationships between fecal indicator bacteria concentration in ankle depth water at enclosed beaches, the loading rate of fecal indicator bacteria from non-point sources located along the shore, physical characteristics of the beach that affect the transport of fecal indicator bacteria across the beach boundary layer, and a background concentration of fecal indicator bacteria attributable to point sources of fecal pollution that impact water quality over a large region of the embayment. Field measurements of fecal indicator bacteria concentrations and water turbulence at an enclosed beach were generally consistent with predictions and assumptions of the mathematical model, and demonstrated its utility for assessing waste load of non-point sources, such as runoff, bather shedding, bird droppings, and tidal washing of contaminated sediments.