How are fecal-coliform bacteria measured?
There are several ways of measuring numbers of fecal-coliform bacteria in streams. The method used to determine the numbers reported on this web site involves a relatively new method recently approved by the United States Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA). It involves the collection of water from the river water using sterile equipment and adding a chemical called MUG. This mixture is then poured into a container that separates the river water into equal-sized compartments. The container is sealed and incubating for 18-22 hours. The river water in the compartments containing coliform bacteria and E. coli (which is a type of fecal-coliform bacteria) will change color. The number of compartments which turn yellow indicates the most probable number (MPN) of total coliform bacteria in the stream while the number compartments which fluoresce under ultraviolet light indicates the number of E. coli present in the stream at the time that it was sampled. Are there best/worst times to go i
