Tiny Organisms, Big Impact for Community Water Systems
Sometimes, it’s the smallest things that can cause big problems. As cities provide clean water to their residents, they face a variety of external challenges. Communities are well aware of the effects that cyanobacteria and other microbial life can have on their water quality. Algae blooms are a visible sign of their impact, with water taste and smell most noticeable to consumers.
Baylor researcher Katelyn McKindles, Ph.D., is working to help cities develop new approaches navigate the impacts of bacteria and microorganisms. Often, communities work to eradicate them with a “one-size-fits-all” approach—without fully understanding the ways microbial life is interacting within their water systems in a detailed manner. Deeper insight into bacterial interaction with the environment in a given context can equip cities to use tailored, and often less expensive, approaches that address specific issues. But, they need real data to efficiently and effectively drive meaningful results for their residents. That’s where McKindles comes in.
"Cities mandated to run a variety of tests on water quality, many of which are abstracted into positive or negative results without understanding what’s really happening in their water systems,” McKindles says. “They feel pigeonholed with the information they have into specific ways to respond to emerging issues. We’re working to help them understand different metrics of their current water quality, and how we can guide them in the future.”
McKindles’ expanding list of municipal partners includes Toledo, Ohio, and Wichita Falls, Texas, where leaders are interested in better understanding their freshwater resources to develop these effective and efficient treatment strategies. McKindles and her lab constantly receive new water samples from these communities to see how they are responding to changes in the environment. This data provides both short-term and long-term insights into how microbial communities shift over time. The development of subsequent predictive models can then be used to develop more targeted approaches that both promote water quality and address challenges more efficiently.
As she moves forward in this research, McKindles is developing new ways to expand her models of bacterial behavior into the long-term. Her lab is building a collection of bacteria cultures, and using genetic analysis techniques to deepen understanding of bacteria growth. One important goal is to develop additional research-based tools—research that can be used broadly to effectively benefit the citizens who rely on clean water and the systems that provide it.
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