Chloride content
➢ Chlorides are generally present in water in the form of sodium chloride, which may
come from leaching from marine sedimentary deposits, pollution from seawater,
brine, or industrial or domestic wastes
➢ Their concentration above 250 mg/L produces a noticeably salty taste in drinking
water and is thus objectionable
➢ The presence of a high quantity of chlorides in the river or stream may indicate
pollution of the water due to sewage and other human or industrial wastes
➢ The chloride content in a water sample can be measured by titrating the water with
standard silver nitrate solution using potassium chromate as an indicator
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Nitrogen content
➢ The presence of nitrogen in water is an indicator of the presence of organic matter
➢ Nitrogen could be present in the following forms:
o Free ammonia or ammonia nitrogen
Indicates the start of the decomposition of organic matter present in water
For potable water, its value should not exceed 0.15 mg/L
o Albuminoid or organic nitrogen
Indicates pollution and the presence of undecomposed organic matter
For potable water, its value should not exceed 0.3 mg/L
o Nitrites
Indicates the presence of partly oxidized organic matter
Permissible limit of nitrite in potable water is nil.
o Nitrates
Indicates the presence of fully oxidized organic matter. Excessive presence of nitrates can cause
‘methemoglobinemia’ or blue baby disease in infants
The nitrate concentration in domestic water supplies is limited to 45 mg/L
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➢ Metals and other chemical substances
➢ Dissolved gases
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Bacterial Characteristics
Bacteria
Non-pathogenic Pathogenic
Bacteria Bacteria
Depending upon the oxygen requirement
Bacteria
Aerobic Bacteria Facultative
Anaerobic Bacteria
Bacteria
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Bacterial Characteristics
➢ In modern days, harmful pathogenic bacteria are tested in the laboratory, but only
with great difficulty, lengthily, and complicated tests
➢ Therefore, these tests are not performed for routine check-ups; instead, the
presence of non-pathogenic indicator organisms (the coliform groups) is
determined
➢ The coliform group, fecal and total, is a widely used indicator organism
➢ Fecal coliform sub-group of total coliform is a much more specific indicator of the
fecal contamination. Escherichia Coli (E-Coli) is the predominant member of the
fecal coliform group.
➢ Detection of E-Coli in drinking water, therefore, is taken as evidence of recent
pollution with human or animal feces
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Measurement of Coliform Bacteria
Membrane Filter Techniques
➢ First, filter the water sample through a sterile
membrane of special design on which bacteria will
be retained
➢ The filter is then rinsed with a sterile buffer
solution, placed upon a pad saturated with a
suitable nutrient medium and incubated at an
appropriate temperature
➢ The bacteria will grow on the nutrient medium and
produce visible colonies, which can be counted
➢ For fecal coliform, the medium to be used is M-FC
broth and incubation is done at 44.5C for 22 h
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Measurement of Coliform Bacteria
Multiple Tube Fermentation Techniques
➢ In this test, a broth containing lactose and other substances which inhibit non-
coliform organisms is placed in a series of test tubes.
➢ 5 of such tubes are then inoculated with 10 mL of water sample in each tube
➢ Another two sets of test tubes are mixed with 1 mL and 0.1 mL of water sample
➢ These tubes are finally incubated at 35C for 24 h, and the formation of gas in
tubes is noticed
➢ Presence of gas will give a positive presumptive test of the presence of coliform
organisms
➢ In case gas is not found, it may further be incubated for another 24 h
➢ Even after incubating for 48 h, if no gas is observed, it will indicate the absence of
coliform bacteria
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Measurement of Coliform Bacteria
Multiple Tube Fermentation Techniques
➢ The tubes showing positive presumptive gas test are further subjected to a
confirmatory test
➢ A portion from the fermentation tube is transferred to a tube containing brilliant
green bile broth
➢ The tube is then incubated for 48 h, and if gas is formed, it will be a positive
confirmatory test for the presence of coliform bacteria
➢ After determining the number of positive test tubes, statistical methods are used
to determine the bacterial density that has the maximum probability, which is
called the most probable number or MPN Index
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Multiple Tube
Fermentation
Techniques
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Multiple Tube Fermentation Techniques
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