Microbial water quality and sedimentary faecal sterols as markers of sewage contamination in Kuwait

• Published in: Marine pollution bulletin Vol. 100; no. 2; pp. 689 - 698
• Main Authors: Lyons, B.P., Devlin, M.J., Abdul Hamid, S.A., Al-Otiabi, A.F., Al-Enezi, M., Massoud, M.S., Al-Zaidan, A.S., Smith, A.J., Morris, S., Bersuder, P., Barber, J.L., Papachlimitzou, A., Al-Sarawi, H.A.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: England Elsevier Ltd 30.11.2015
• Subjects: Bays; Cholestanol - analysis; Cholestanols - analysis; Coprostanol; Enterobacteriaceae; Escherichia coli - isolation & purification; Faecal sterols; Feces - chemistry; Geologic Sediments - chemistry; Geologic Sediments - microbiology; Kuwait; Marine; Microbial water quality; Sewage - analysis; Sterols - analysis; Streptococcus - isolation & purification; Water Microbiology; Water Pollution - analysis; Water Quality; Kuwait; ISW, Kuwait, Sulaibikhat Bay; ISW, Qatar, Doha; ISW, Kuwait, Kuwait Bay; ISW, Kuwait; Faecal sterols; Kuwait; Coprostanol; Microbial water quality
• ISSN: 0025-326X; 1879-3363
• DOI: 10.1016/j.marpolbul.2015.07.043

•Historic microbial dataset indicates wide spread breaches in water quality.•Sediment coprostanol contamination identified in Doha Bay and Sulaibikhat Bay.•Illegal sewage discharges responsible for a proportion of the contamination. Microbial water quality and concentrations of faecal sterols in sediment have been used to assess the degree of sewage contamination in Kuwait’s marine environment. A review of microbial (faecal coliform, faecal streptococci and Escherichia coli) water quality data identified temporal and spatial sources of pollution around the coastline. Results indicated that bacterial counts regularly breach regional water quality guidelines. Sediments collected from a total of 29 sites contained detectable levels of coprostanol with values ranging from 29 to 2420ngg−1 (dry weight). Hot spots based on faecal sterol sediment contamination were identified in Doha Bay and Sulaibikhat Bay, which are both smaller embayments of Kuwait Bay. The ratio of epicoprostanol/coprostanol indicates that a proportion of the contamination was from raw or partially treated sewage. Sewage pollution in these areas are thought to result from illegal connections and discharges from storm drains, such as that sited at Al-Ghazali.