Texas AgriLife Research Center at El Paso

The TAES El Paso Research Center received a 2007 Texas Environmental Excellence Award presented by the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality for the bacterial source tracking research performed by Dr. George Di Giovanni and his research team. The research team included Dr. Di Giovanni's postdoctoral student Dr. Elizabeth Casarez, Dr. Suresh Pillai at Texas A&M University, and Dr. Joanna Mott at Texas A&M-Corpus Christi. The Texas State Soil and Water Conservation Board and the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality sponsored two projects that used Dr. Di Giovanni's team's expertise and analysis to pinpoint whether agriculture activities, wildlife, or humans were responsible for particular bacteria found in specific watersheds. Using state-of-the-art DNA fingerprinting and antibiotic resistance typing methods for E. coli, they identified specific animal and human sources of fecal pollution from the watersheds of Lake Waco and Belton Lake, the Upper and Lower San Antonio River, Salado Creek, Leon River, and Peach Creek. In addition, the research team created a genetic library of E. coli bacteria isolated from known sources. Use of the library will save millions of dollars on future fecal pollution source tracking projects and will help in developing effective pollution control strategies to ensure water is drinkable and safe for all users.