NRCS Projects

October 15, 2010

Dr. Atwill leads three NRCS projects to clarify the microbial safety regarding sediment basins, stacked dairy manure solids, and algae mats.

Various concerns have been raised by the agricultural community regarding the potential microbiological safety of sediment basins for improving water quality or the use of stacked manure solids as a soil amendment in produce production fields. In addition, algal mats that persist throughout summer in either pre-irrigation ponds, irrigation canals, or nearby streams may provide a protected site for bacterial pathogens to persist in the produce production environment.

To address these concerns, the Natural Resources Conservation Service, USDA, has funded three projects entitled,  “Evaluation of sediment basins for their impact on microbial food safety”, “Evaluation of the microbiological safety of stacked dried dairy manure as a soil amendment for produce production fields”, and “Evaluation of algal mats and algal biofilms as a reservoir of E. coli O157:H7”. These projects will help to develop Good Agricultural Practices to reduce bacterial pathogens in the produce production environment. 

Drs. Michael Payne and Xunde Li, both at WIFSS, and David Lewis, Watershed Advisor, UC Cooperative Extension at Marin County, California, will function as key collaborators on several of the projects.