Based on the readings and your own research, answer the following questions:
1. How do pathogenic organisms get into a water source?
Human and animal wastes (feces) are major source for pathogenic organisms (such as bacteria, viruses, and protozoa) into a water source (surface or groundwater). As water (surface runoff) resulting from the storm or precipitation or snowmelt runs over the land surface, it will pick up potential pollutants include pathogenic organisms as it runs over livestock excrement from barnyards, pastures, rangelands, feedlots. Furthermore, the discharge from the areas of land application of sewage sludge deposit or effluents discharge from wastewater into freshwater and the seepage of the human waste from a septic tanks. Some of the runoff will infiltrate into the soil or be into the groundwater and other will end up in streams or rivers (flood water or the surface runoff water). …show more content…
Fecal Coliforms are a subdivision of the Coliform bacteria. Fecal Coliforms normally live in the gastrointestinal tract of mammals (warm blooded) including human. Fecal Coliforms do not live too long when they are outside the host. On the other hand, the Coliform bacteria are independent (living freely) and not attached to the digestive tract of man or animals. Also, they are not pathogenic (disease causing) organisms. Thus, these bacteria indicators are easy to identify and safe to work with in the laboratory and their presence provide an evidence of fecal contamination. The fecal category contains both pathogenic and nonpathogenic bacteria. For instance, Escherichia coli or E. coli is a fecal Coliform bacteria. Therefore, the presence of fecal Coliforms is an indicator of fecal contamination and of the potential presence of bacterial pathogens. However, “the intensity of other indicator bacteria (total Coliform, fecal Coliform, and fecal streptococci) is a degree of water safety for body contact recreation or for
1. How do pathogenic organisms get into a water source?
Human and animal wastes (feces) are major source for pathogenic organisms (such as bacteria, viruses, and protozoa) into a water source (surface or groundwater). As water (surface runoff) resulting from the storm or precipitation or snowmelt runs over the land surface, it will pick up potential pollutants include pathogenic organisms as it runs over livestock excrement from barnyards, pastures, rangelands, feedlots. Furthermore, the discharge from the areas of land application of sewage sludge deposit or effluents discharge from wastewater into freshwater and the seepage of the human waste from a septic tanks. Some of the runoff will infiltrate into the soil or be into the groundwater and other will end up in streams or rivers (flood water or the surface runoff water). …show more content…
Fecal Coliforms are a subdivision of the Coliform bacteria. Fecal Coliforms normally live in the gastrointestinal tract of mammals (warm blooded) including human. Fecal Coliforms do not live too long when they are outside the host. On the other hand, the Coliform bacteria are independent (living freely) and not attached to the digestive tract of man or animals. Also, they are not pathogenic (disease causing) organisms. Thus, these bacteria indicators are easy to identify and safe to work with in the laboratory and their presence provide an evidence of fecal contamination. The fecal category contains both pathogenic and nonpathogenic bacteria. For instance, Escherichia coli or E. coli is a fecal Coliform bacteria. Therefore, the presence of fecal Coliforms is an indicator of fecal contamination and of the potential presence of bacterial pathogens. However, “the intensity of other indicator bacteria (total Coliform, fecal Coliform, and fecal streptococci) is a degree of water safety for body contact recreation or for