ACT Environment Directorate 2021 Contract Research: Identifying bacterial sources along the Murrumbidgee River to develop accurate estimates of public health risk.

The main aim of this study is to combine routinely collected monitoring data (e.g. rainfall, flow, turbidity) with chemical water quality parameters (nitrates, nitrogen phosphorus) and environmental genomics to(i) Identify the sources of bacteria in the river system(ii) Develop a model to examine the association of bacterial communities with environmental and chemical drivers in different seasons across multiple sites in the Murrumbidgee RiverTogether, this information will provide baselines estimates of the spatial and temporal variability of the sources of bacteria along the river to provide a more accurate estimate of the public health risk.