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Institutional Repository [SANDBOX]
Technical University of Crete
Technical University of Crete
EN
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| URI: | http://purl.tuc.gr/dl/dias/CE5BCE02-0AF8-4E8D-B457-9BDA358BB904 | ||
| Year | 2025 | ||
| Type of Item | Diploma Work | ||
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| Bibliographic Citation | Ioannis Kattis, "Comparative evaluation of indicators of fecal pollution for the microbiological quality of the aquatic environment", Diploma Work, School of Chemical and Environmental Engineering, Technical University of Crete, Chania, Greece, 2025 https://doi.org/10.26233/heallink.tuc.104125 | ||
| Appears in Collections |
Water is an essential natural resource that is critical for life and development on the planet. However, human activities adversely affect its quality, leading to increased demands for systematic monitoring and implementation of protection regulations. The microbiological quality of the aquatic environment is mainly assessed through indicators of faecal or viral contamination, such as Escherichia coli, Enterococcus sp., Clostridium perfringens, Total Microbial Flora (TMF) at 22°C and 37°C, and bacteriophages infecting E. coli and Staphylococcus aureus. This paper aims to comparatively evaluate these indicators to characterize microbial load in different aquatic environments. Sampling is performed from seawater at three beaches (Souda, Old Port, Golden Beach) and from wastewater at the facilities of DEYAX and DEYAVA, at three treatment stages (influent, secondary, effluent). The results of the measurements are statistically analyzed by one-way ANOVA and Pearson's correlation. ANOVA analysis shows that there are no statistically significant differences in mean concentrations between micro-organisms by environmental category. However, Pearson analysis reveals strong positive correlations between E. coli, Enterococcus sp. and bacteriophage infecting E. coli, and between OMX at 22°C and 37°C. In contrast, C. perfringens and S. aureus bacteriophages show weak or inconsistent associations. Indicatively, exceedances of legal limits for E. coli were recorded in DEYAVA's outfall during the fourth sampling, as well as in Souda beach during the first and third sampling. Similarly, Enterococcus sp. exceeded the limits in the DEYAVA effluent at the fourth sampling. In addition, a strong correlation was observed between the presence of E. coli and its corresponding bacteriophages, supporting their use as complementary indicators of recent fecal pollution. The combined monitoring of multiple microbiological indicators contributes to a more comprehensive assessment of water quality and allows early detection of potential pollution.
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