Bioassay procedure for predicting coliform bacterial growth in drinking water

Abstract

Water quality degradation due to the growth of microorganisms is an area of concern for many water utilities. To date, the procedures developed for determining the amount of biodegradable material present in potable water have utilized heterotrophic non‐coliform bacteria as bioassay seed organisms. A procedure was developed which utilized coliform bacteria as the bioassay organisms for determining the ability of the water to support and promote growth of coliform bacteria. The bioassay procedure can be used to evaluate the effect of various unit processes upon the biological stability of the product water.