Why monitor coliforms?
By Jim Schuth Coliform bacteria are indicator organisms that are used to check the sanitary quality of water. No coliforms should be present in any drinking water sample. In addition to water potability, different types of coliform tests are used to help identify sources of water pollution. Testing water for microorganisms has never been easier. Sophisticated reagent packaging eliminates many chores associated with mixing and preparing media, and curtails the possibilities for contamination. And clean-up is often a matter of just soaking equipment, containers and media in a 10% bleach solution for 15 minutes, and then pouring spent media down the drain. Two areas of testing may have relevance for your water quality program: total coliforms and E. coli. Total coliforms in water can signal the presence of disease-causing pathogens while E. coli bacteria in water confirms the presence of fecal contamination. Whichever group you decide to monitor, Hach has prepared media to make testing fa
