Professor Grant Receives More Than $400,000 to Study how Storms Affect Fecal Indicator Bacteria

Stanley B. Grant, chair of the department of chemical engineering and materials science, has received three grants to study how storms affect "fecal indicator bacteria" (FIB) sources, ecology, and transport within several sub-drainages of the Santa Ana River watershed in Southern California. The grants are from the US Geological Survey ($159,045; three years), the National Water Research Institute ($250,000; three years), and Riverside County ($25,000; one year).

Fecal bacteria are single-celled microorganisms, virtually always associated with fecal contamination of water, but not always harmful. Fecal indicator bacteria are used in determining the microbial quality of water. A growing number of the nation's rivers, estuaries, and coastlines are impaired for FIB. This problem is particularly acute in Southern California, where the shedding of FIB and pathogens from urbanized watersheds routinely triggers swimming advisories at coastal saltwater and inland freshwater beaches, and the closure of shellfish harvesting areas in estuarine and coastal systems.

To learn more, contact Professor Grant at sbgrant@uci.edu.