Research: Coliform Counting for the Bay County Health Department, Michigan Department of Environmental Quality and the EPA

SVSU Biochemistry Professor Dr. Tami Sivy and student researchers are working in conjunction with the Bay County Health Department, Michigan Department of Environmental Quality and the EPA in an effort to implement rapid bacterial testing for local fresh waterways, especially beaches.  Utilizing cutting edge instrumentation  and qPCR, population levels of fecal indicator bacteria are determined.  The method  provides results in as little as four hours versus the twenty four hours required in current testing methods, thus reducing human contact time with contaminated water and  more effective beach monitoring.  Additionally, Dr. Sivy’s group is working on tracking methods that can determine human and/or bovine origin of indicator bacteria.