College
Buchtel College of Arts and Sciences
Date of Last Revision
2023-05-05 07:26:12
Major
Biology
Honors Course
3100:499
Number of Credits
2
Degree Name
Bachelor of Science
Date of Expected Graduation
Spring 2022
Abstract
Lake Erie is a vital resource for its surrounding area, and one of its most important purposes is as a recreational body of water. In determining whether Lake Erie’s water quality meets U.S. EPA standards, daily surveys and water samples were taken on behalf of the Lake County General Health District, as well as E. coli samples every other day. This paper quantified the E. coli count for both Mentor Headlands Beach and Fairport Harbor Beach in Lake County over the swimming seasons for 2020 and 2021, as well as evaluated which variables collected in daily surveys impact E. coli count. Both wave height and 24-hour precipitation (collected through USGS gage 04212100 Grand River near Painesville, OH) were shown to be associated with E. coli count. The overall health of Lake Erie, according to U.S. EPA standards, is decent, but the Harmful Algal Bloom severity index suggests otherwise.
Research Sponsor
Dr. Randall Mitchell
First Reader
Elizabeth Militante-Advey
Second Reader
Dr. Hazel Barton
Honors Faculty Advisor
Dr. Brian Bagatto
Recommended Citation
Grmek, Mary, "Escherichia coli in Lake Erie: Impact on Lake Health" (2022). Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects. 1561.
https://ideaexchange.uakron.edu/honors_research_projects/1561
Included in
Environmental Health and Protection Commons, Environmental Indicators and Impact Assessment Commons