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Microbiological Methods and Monitoring of Drinking Water

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Drinking Water Microbiology

Part of the book series: Brock/Springer Series in Contemporary Bioscience ((BROCK/SPRINGER))

Abstract

Microbiological monitoring of potable water in distribution systems has been practiced in the United States and other countries since early in the 20th century. It is an attempt to determine the safety of the water in relation to the possibility of transmission of waterborne disease. Water samples are collected and tested for the presence of indicator bacteria. One source of the indicator bacteria is fecal material. If the indicators are found, the water may be contaminated with fecal material and, therefore, may not be safe to drink. If the indicator bacteria are not found, it may be inferred that the water is not contaminated with fecal material and will not transmit waterborne disease. Microbiological monitoring of drinking water in practice is far from the ideal expressed in the two previous sentences.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Civil Engineering and The Environmental Studies Institute, Drexel University, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA

    Wesley O. Pipes

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  1. Wesley O. Pipes
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Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Microbiology, Montana State University, 59717, Bozeman, Montana, USA

    Gordon A. McFeters

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© 1990 Springer-Verlag New York Inc.

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Pipes, W.O. (1990). Microbiological Methods and Monitoring of Drinking Water. In: McFeters, G.A. (eds) Drinking Water Microbiology. Brock/Springer Series in Contemporary Bioscience. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4612-4464-6_21

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4612-4464-6_21

  • Publisher Name: Springer, New York, NY

  • Print ISBN: 978-1-4612-8786-5

  • Online ISBN: 978-1-4612-4464-6

  • eBook Packages: Springer Book Archive

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