Assessing the microbial water quality of freshly collected rainwater and its implications for rainwater reuse in the US Pacific Northwest

Rainwater microbiology is a relatively understudied field that has potentially significant implications for biogeochemical cycling and human health. In this mini-seminar, the experimental framework and preliminary results are presented for an ongoing rainwater microbiology study in Newport, OR that seeks to determine the proportion and taxonomic identification of active bacteria in freshly collected rain. The study uses ‘click-chemistry’ to microscopically enumerate protein synthesizing “active” bacteria, as well as immunocapture and 16S sequencing of bromodeoxyuridine (a thymidine analog)-labeled bacterial DNA. Implications for this study are discussed within the context of how rain-encapsulated bacteria and rain-deposited bacteria may influence local biogeochemistry. The seminar also includes discussion on the significance for better understanding rainwater microbiology in terms of rainwater reuse in regions of the US Pacific Northwest that undergo episodic drought.

Impact/Purpose

Rainwater microbiology is a potentially significant field of science that has received relatively little attention to date. In this seminar presentation, the fundamentals of rainwater microbiology are discussed within the context of basic ecological science and rainwater reuse. Since some regions of the US Pacific Northwest receive considerable rainfall there is an interest in using collected and stored rainwater to meet community water demand during periods of episodic drought (dry seasons) in the same region. Here, we discuss methods that can be used to understand the microbial water quality of freshly collected rainwater and present data from three rain collections taken in Newport, Oregon. The purpose of the seminar is to bring awareness to these issues and to initiate a discussion on the subject.

Citation

Guillemette, R. Assessing the microbial water quality of freshly collected rainwater and its implications for rainwater reuse in the US Pacific Northwest. Hatfield Marine Science Center Research Seminar, Virtual, OR, August 26, 2021.