Fecal Contamination of Recreational Freshwaters: the Effect of Time-Independent Agroenvironmental Factors

Fecal contamination of recreational waters is a complex public health and environmental issue involving multiple possible sources and contributing factors. Agricultural and animal production activities represent one such source of contamination from which various microorganisms transmissible to humans can be found. This study used regression models to ascertain and describe various time-independent agroenvironmental determinants associated with fecal contamination of recreational lake waters. From a logistic regression model analysis, two determinants were statistically associated with the level of fecal coliforms, namely: the presence of ruminant production in the area of influence (OR = 2.78) and urban area (OR = 3.69). Moreover, our data suggest that sources of fecal contamination located within the area of the lake water catchment and from within a distance of two kilometers of the beach have the most influence on the water quality.