We noticed that you're not using the latest version of your browser. You'll still be able to use our site, but it might not work or look the way it's supposed to. We recommend upgrading your browser.
JOURNAL OF WATER MANAGEMENT MODELING
JWMM
PAPERS
AUTHORS
REVIEWERS
ABOUT
RESOURCES
Menu LOGIN
Software
Tap in to water management modeling that excels. PCSWMM is flexible, easy to use and streamlines your workflow – saving you time and resources.
Training
Beginner or seasoned user, our flexible training options help you understand and master the full capabilities of both EPA SWMM5 and PCSWMM.
Community
There's a whole community to support you - find solutions, view code and more.
OPEN SWMM
OPEN EPANET
Journal
Our peer-reviewed, open-access Journal of Water Management Modeling. Expand your knowledge, get insights and discover new approaches that let you work more effectively.
Conference
The International Conference on Water Management Modeling. Meet your colleagues, share your experiences and be on the forefront of advances in our profession.
Consulting
Not sure how to solve a complex water management issue? Put our experience, knowledge, and innovation to work for you.
  • PAPERS
  • AUTHORS
  • REVIEWERS
  • ABOUT
  • SEARCH
  • RESOURCES
    Software
    Training
    Community
    OPEN SWMM
    OPEN EPANET
    Journal
    Conference
    Consulting

JWMM Login

Verifying credentials wait Don't have an account?
Forgot your password?

Rapid Detection of Bacteria in a Water Distribution System

Rolf A Deininger, JiYoung Lee and Jeewon (Jungwon) Min (2005)
University of Michigan, USA
DOI: https://doi.org/10.14796/JWMM.R223-04
comment Comments

Collapse all
Collapse all

Abstract

A water distribution system may be contaminated by bacteria through cross-connections, by intrusion of soil water after a pressure loss due to a power blackout, or by the intentional contamination of the system in a bio-terrrorism event. The problem a utility faces is to detect it in a timely fashion, and to take immediate action to correct the problem and at least warn consumers.

Currently approved microbiological methods are all culture based. That is, after filtration the water sample is placed on an agar plate and then incubated at varying temperatures for one to seven days. A determination of the indicator bacteria E. coli takes 24 hours, and the most sensitive test for total bacteria is an HPC count of the colonies growing on R2A agar for three to seven days. These tests are clearly not useful for protection of the consumers in a timely fashion.

We have worked on a rapid test method whereby we capture the bacteria from a water sample on a 0.45 micron filter and then lyse the bacteria. The released adenosine triphosphate (ATP) from the bacteria reacts with added luciferin/luciferase and then light emission takes place that can be measured with a luminometer. The whole procedure takes less than five minutes. The amount of ATP is proportional to the number of bacteria.

To test if a sewage intrusion can be detected, experiments have been conducted in beakers where a small quantity of sewage (secondary effluent of the Ann Arbor Wastewater Treatment Plant (AAWWTP) was added to water samples, and the bacterial counts were determined by ATP analysis and the traditional culture methods. Three types of water were used: (i) drinking water that is chloraminated, (ii) water that is chlorinated, and (iii) water that carries a chlorine dioxide residual. As expected, chlorine dioxide will eliminate the bacteria very fast, followed by the chlorinated and chloraminated waters. In all cases the contamination of water can be clearly shown through the ATP analysis in less than five minutes. The test can be automated so that a nearly continuous monitoring is possible.

This paper is only available in PDF Format:

  View full text PDF

Image


Expand all

PAPER INFO

Identification

CHI ref #: R223-04 887
Volume: 13
DOI: https://doi.org/10.14796/JWMM.R223-04
Cite as: JWMM 13: R223-04

Publication History

Received: N/A
First decision: N/A
Accepted: N/A
Published: February 15, 2005

Status

# reviewers: 2
Version: Final published

Copyright

© 2005 CHI.
Some rights reserved.

License

Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

The Journal of Water Management Modeling is an open-access (OA) publication. Open access means that articles and papers are available without barriers to all who could benefit from them. Practically speaking, all published works will be available to a worldwide audience, free, immediately on publication. As such, JWMM can be considered a Diamond, Gratis OA journal.

All papers published in the JWMM are licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC BY).

JWMM content can be downloaded, printed, copied, distributed, and linked-to, when providing full attribution to both the author/s and JWMM.


AUTHORS

Rolf A Deininger

University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
ORCiD:

JiYoung Lee

University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
ORCiD:

Jeewon (Jungwon) Min

University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
ORCiD:


ADDITIONAL DATA

 wait

COMMENTS

Be the first to comment.

RELATED PAPERS

 wait


TAGS

 wait

creative commons license   JWMM content is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC BY 4.0 DEED)


Connect With Us

Journal of Water Management Modeling (JWMM)
ISSN: 2292-6062

email  info@chijournal.org

147 Wyndham St. N., Ste. 202
Guelph, Ontario, Canada, N1H 4E9
About JWMM

Mission and intent

Editorial board

Review process

Disclaimer

Privacy policy

For Authors

Submit paper

Author checklist

Journal paper template

Reference guide

Unit conversion table

For Reviewers

Reviewing guidelines

Criteria to be used

Standards of acceptance


Copyright 2025 by CHI