Bacteria Water Treatment

Bacteria in drinking water are tiny organisms naturally occurring in water. Not all types of bacteria in water are harmful. Many organisms found in water are of no health concern since they do not cause disease. Biological contamination of drinking water may be separated into two groups: (1) pathogenic (disease-causing) and
(2) non-pathogenic (not disease-causing). Pathogenic bacteria cause illnesses such as typhoid fever, dysentery, gastroenteritis, infectious hepatitis, and cholera. All water supplies should be tested for biological content prior to use and consumption. E.Coli (Escherichia Coli) is the coliform bacterial organism which is looked for when testing the water. This organism is found in the intestines and fecal matter of humans and animals. If E.Coli is found in a water supply along with high nitrate and chloride levels, it usually indicates that waste has contaminated the supply from a septic system or sewage dumping, and has entered by way of runoff, a fractured well casing, or broken lines. If coliform bacteria is present, it is an indication that disease-causing bacteria may also be present. Four or fewer colonies / 100 ml of coliforms, in the absence of high nitrates and chlorides, implies that surface water is entering the water system. If pathogenic bacteria is suspected, a sample of water should be submitted to the Board of Health or US EPA for bacteriological testing and recommendations. The most common non-pathogenic bacteria found in water, is iron bacteria. <b>Iron bacteria in water</b> can be readily identified by the red, feathery floc which forms overnight at the bottom of a sample bottle containing iron and iron bacteria.

Bacteria in Water Treatment

There are several options for private water supply disinfection. These include continuous chlorination, shock chlorination, ultra-violet radiation (UV), and boiling (distillation).  Each has advantages and limitations, but they are all intended for use on clean, clear water.  Depending on existing water conditions, pretreatment may be necessary to eliminate sediment or certain elements such as hardness, iron and manganese before any disinfection process can be effective.

Continuous chlorination is highly effective against bacteria, however, the drawbacks include safety issues in handling concentrated chlorine, the taste it gives the water, the contact time required and its variable effectiveness against other microorganisms as well as chlorine’s reaction with organic matter to form THMs (trihalomethanes) which are known carcinogens.

Shock chlorination is a onetime treatment option designed to kill bacteria in the well itself. In some cases, this method is a very temporary solution. In order to ensure the effectiveness of shocking the well with the correct amount of full strength chlorine, proper calculations must be made to accommodate the well depth, static water level, volume, and water pH. Failure to do so could lead to inadequate disinfection.

Ultraviolet (UV) Disinfection uses natural radiation to deactivate bacteria's ability to reproduce and cause illness. Advantages of UV disinfection include, non toxic byproducts, no need to add hazardous chemicals, requires minimal space and needs very little maintenance. UV systems are produced in many sizes to accomodate any household flow rate requirements.

Distillation (Boiling) is a process of heating the water until it turns to steam, then cooling the steam so it returns back to the liquid state. During this process, living organisms are destroyed, making the water free from bacteria. The limitations of distillation is the amount of water it can produced in given period of time and the engergy that it takes to make that amount of water.