A three-year study will determine whether livestock operations contribute significantly to waterborne parasites in the North Saskatchewan River.
Cryptosporidium and giardia are under examination. Both are intestinal parasites that can infect humans and wildlife and cause scours in young calves.
“With livestock production, the parasites can be found in certain livestock and therefore can be considered a potential source,” said Sandra Cooke, a water quality specialist with Alberta Agriculture, which is co-ordinating the study.
Usually community water treatment plants filter the parasites from drinking water but in years with a heavy spring runoff, sediment may get through the filtration system. The parasites are generally found in 80 percent of all natural water, said Cooke.
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High parasite levels in the North Saskatchewan river basin in 1997 led to meetings with those interested in solving the problem. That year there were two boil-water advisories for Edmonton and several rural communities that get drinking water from the North Saskatchewan River. The order was for people with weaker immune systems, such as AIDS patients, infants and the elderly, who could die from the illness.
People with healthy immune systems who get infected with cryptosporidium typically experience diarrhea, abdominal cramps and nausea, but recover in a week or two.
The $600,000 study began last year and is the first in Alberta to pinpoint where the organisms come from. It will test livestock manure but also municipal sewage and wildlife feces.
“The nice thing about the project is that we’re looking at all potential sources. We’re looking at the whole picture,” said Cooke, adding it is too early to comment on whether or not agriculture plays a significant role.
Industry support
Ron Glaser, public affairs co-ordinator for the Alberta Cattle Commission, said the cattle sector agrees the study should be done.
“Certainly we as an industry are interested in understanding the science. We know cattle can be a problem source for water quality.
“The intent here is to learn as much as possible. We as cattle producers want to be good stewards but you want to react on fact, not go by innuendos or half-truths,” said Glaser.
If the study finds cattle are a significant contributor to the problem, the commission will help to encourage different management practices, he said.
Last year the study, mainly funded by the Canada-Alberta Beef Industry Development Fund and the Alberta Agriculture Research Institute, was in its survey stage. Officials monitored five drinking water treatment plants that get water from the North Saskatchewan, as well as sewage plants that discharge into the river.
Researchers also took manure samples from cattle herds and 1,600 samples from various wildlife species. This year officials will target six key watersheds or tributaries that flow into the river.
They will test water quality more intensively and determine parasite prevalence. Researchers want to determine how natural, undisturbed watersheds compare to those that have agricultural and municipal discharges.
The long-term goal is to develop strategies to protect surface water from contamination. Cooke has already had inquiries about the study from across North America and thinks the completed study will be useful outside Canada as well.
“I think this is a leading-edge project. I think the information we’ll be gaining from this project will help put things into perspective.”
