Home – Home – Jornals – Geography and Natural Resources 2020 number 2

We investigated the distribution of fecal indicator bacteria (FIB) and cultivated heterotrophic microorganisms in the inter stitial waters of the splash zone and in the surface waters of for the time interval 2011-2019. Generally accepted indicators of fecal contamination, such as thermotolerant coliform bacteria and fecal enterococci, were used to monitor input of wastewater into the splash zone of Lake Baikal. Samples were collected along the entire perimeter of Lake Baikal, and a more detailed analysis was made for Bolshie Koty Bay and the settlement of Listvyanka. The sampling stations were all subdivided into three groups. The first group consisted of stations with adjacent buildings of the private sector; the second group included settlements located more than 500 m from the shore of Lake Baikal or sites with a low level of tourist camping, and the third group con sisted of wildlife stations. Statistically significant differences between the groups under study were revealed. The splash zone of the first group contained a larger amount of FIB when compared with the splash zone of the second group. The third group showed the lowest values of the amount of fecal indicator bacteria. The number of cultivated heterotrophic microorganisms did not differ in the splash zone for the sections of the lake’s coastal zone differing by anthropogenic loads. An uneven distribution of FIB was observed in the splash zone as well as in coastal waters. A clear trend for an increase in concentration of the groups of bacteria under study was revealed in the interstitial waters of the splash zone when compared with coastal waters.