Stainless-steel wires exclude gulls from a wastewater treatment plant
Journal - American Water Works Association
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Abstract
There is growing concern about the prevalence of pathogens and antibiotic-resistant bacteria in the environment and the role wildlife plays in their transmission and dissemination. Gulls feeding at wastewater treatment plants may provide a route for transmission of pathogens and bacteria to public water supplies or other critical areas. The authors identified gulls routinely feeding at a wastewater treatment plant in Millbury, Mass., and tested the effectiveness of overhead stainless-steel wires in excluding gulls from the plant. The number of gulls in certainstructures was compared before and after wiring and during an experimental approach using simultaneous treatments and controls. Stainless-steel wires spaced at 0.9-3.3 m (3-10 ft) effectively prevented gulls from using treatment structures (p < 0.0001) and were effective for > 24 months. Materials costs to wire all structures was about $5,700, and labor costs were $4,020. Overhead stainless-steel wires can provide a long-term, cost-efficient method of excluding ring-billed gulls from wastewater treatment plants.
Suggested Citation
Clark, D.E., Koenen, K.K., MacKenzie, K.G., Pereira, J.W., and DeStefano, S., 2013, Stainless-steel wires exclude gulls from a wastewater treatment plant: Journal - American Water Works Association, v. 105, no. 10, p. E609-E618, https://doi.org/10.5942/jawwa.2013.105.0118.
Study Area
| Publication type | Article |
|---|---|
| Publication Subtype | Journal Article |
| Title | Stainless-steel wires exclude gulls from a wastewater treatment plant |
| Series title | Journal - American Water Works Association |
| DOI | 10.5942/jawwa.2013.105.0118 |
| Volume | 105 |
| Issue | 10 |
| Year Published | 2013 |
| Language | English |
| Publisher | American Water Works Association |
| Contributing office(s) | Coop Res Unit Leetown |
| Description | 10 p. |
| First page | E609 |
| Last page | E618 |
| Country | United States |
| State | Massachusetts |
| City | Millbury |