Professor and Alumna Co-Author Article in Water Environment Research

Dr. Phil Scheuerman, Professor in the Department of Environmental Health, and Dr. Kimberlee Hall, 2012 graduate of the Doctor of Philosophy in Environmental Health Sciences in the East Tennessee State University College of Public Health, have co-authored an article in Water Environment Research. 

The article, “Development of Multiple Regression Models to Predict Sources of Fecal Pollution,” assesses the usefulness of multivariate statistical tools to characterize watershed dynamics and prioritize streams for remediation. 

Three multiple regression models were developed using water quality data collected from Sinking Creek in the Watauga River watershed in Northeast Tennessee. Model 1 included all water quality parameters while Model 2 used only those identified by stepwise regression and Model 3 used canonical discriminant analysis.  Stepwise regression involves building a model by entering and removing predictors in a stepwise manner until there is no justifiable reason to enter or remove any more.  Canonical discriminant analysis derives a linear combination of the variables that has the highest possible multiple correlation with the groups.

The models were evaluated in seven creeks to determine if they correctly classified land use and level of fecal pollution. At the watershed level, the models were statistically significant but with low R-squared values. Model 3 correctly classified land use in five of seven creeks. These results suggest this approach can be used to set priorities and identify pollution sources, but may be limited when applied across entire watersheds.

Water Environment Research publishes peer-reviewed research papers, research notes, state-of-the-art and critical reviews on original, fundamental and applied research in all scientific and technical areas related to water quality, pollution control, and management.