Reduce Bacteria Loading from OSSFs in Sabine River Watershed

Project Description

Project will determine the origin and transport pathways of the bacteria from On-Site Sewage Facilities (OSSFs) and assess Green Stormwater Infrastructure (GSIs) as countermeasures to alleviate the excess loading. Project will (a) conduct a field survey on characteristics of OSSFs in Orange County to identify the criteria that will help find bacteria loading hot spots; (b) assess the bacteria impact by analyzing water samples at locations where the most pollution source origin are discharged and applying innovative lab technology to track fecal bacteria sources from the selected water samples; (c) assess the bacterial removal utilizing the conjunctive GSI reactors (funded by EPA) and establish SWMM model on proper configuration and size of GSIs to seek a cost-effective and resilient approach to alleviate bacteria from OSSFs and enhance the sustainability of the communities.