Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology

The Korean Society for Microbiology and Biotechnology (한국미생물·생명공학회)
권호 표지

Effect of Reservoirs on Microbiological Water Qualities in a Drinking Water Distribution System

  • Lee Dong-Geun (Department of Pharmaceutical Engineering, College of Medical and Life Sciences, Silla University) ;
  • Kim Sang-Jong (School of Biological Sciences, College of Natural Sciences, Seoul National University) ;
  • Park Seong-Joo (Department of Microbiology & Biotechnology, Daejeon University)
  • Published : 2006.07.01
Download PDF
⟨ Previous Next ⟩

Abstract

This study was undertaken to determine the effect of reservoirs on water quality and the distribution of pathogenic and indicator bacteria in a drinking water distribution system (total length 14km). Raw water, disinfected water, and water samples from the distribution system were subjected to physicochemical and microbiological analyses. Most factors encountered at each season included residual chloride, nitrate, turbidity, and phosphorus for heterotrophic bacterial distribution, and hardness, heterotrophic bacteria, sampling site, and DOC (dissolved organic carbon) for bacteria on selective media. No Salmonella or Shigella spp. were detected, but many colonies of opportunistic pathogens were found. Comparing tap water samples taken at similar distances from the water treatment plant, samples that had passed through a reservoir had a higher concentration of heterotrophic bacteria, and a higher rate of colony formation with 10 times as many bacteria on selective media. Based on the results with m-Endo agar, the water in reservoirs appeared safe; however, coliforms and opportunistic pathogenic bacteria such as Pseudomonas aeruginosa were identified on other selective media. This study illustrates that storage reservoirs in the drinking water distribution system have low microbiological water quality by opportunistic pathogens, and therefore, water quality must be controlled.

Keywords

References

  1. American Public Health Association. 1995. Standard Methods for the Examination of Water and Wastewater. 19th Ed. Washington, DC, U.S.A
  2. Appenzeller, B. M. R., M. Batte, L. Mathieu, J. C. Block, V. Lahoussine, J. Cavard, and D. Gatel. 2001. Effect of adding phosphate to drinking water on bacterial growth in slightly and highly corroded pipes. Water Res. 35: 1100-1105 https://doi.org/10.1016/S0043-1354(00)00337-7
  3. Armon, R., J. Starosvetzky, T. Arbel, and M. Green. 1997. Survival of Legionella pneumophila and Salmonella typhimurium in biofilm systems. Water Sci. Technol. 35: 293-300
  4. Baek, D. H., Y. J. Lee, H. S. Sin, and D. K. Oh. 2004. A new thermophile strain of Geobacillus thermodenitrificans having L-arabinose isomerase activity for iagatose production. J. Microbiol. Biotechnol. 14: 312-316
  5. Chang, Y. C. and K. Jung. 2004. Effect of distribution system materials and water quality on heterotrophic plate count and biofilm proliferation. J. Microbiol. Biotechnol. 14: 1114-1119
  6. Chang, Y. C., M. L. Puil, J. Biggerstaff, A. A. Randall, A. Schulte, and J. S. Taylor. 2003. Direct estimation of biofilm density on different pipe material coupons using a specific DNA-probe. Mol. Cell. Probes 17: 237-243 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.mcp.2003.07.004
  7. Dutka, B. J., G. A. Palmateer, S. M. Meissner, E. M. Janzen, and M. Sakellaris. 1990. The presence of bacterial virus in groundwater and treated drinking water. Environ. Pollut. 63: 435-445
  8. Fass, S., M. L. Dincher, D. J. Reasoner, D. Gatel, and J.-C. Block. 1996. Fate of Escherichia coli experimentally injected in a drinking water distribution pilot system. Water Res. 30: 2215-2221 https://doi.org/10.1016/0043-1354(96)00100-5
  9. Geldreich, E. E. 1996. Microbial Quality of Water Supply in Distribution Systems. CRC Lewis Publishers, Boca Raton, U.S.A
  10. Lee, D.-G and S.-J. Kim. 2003. Bacterial species in biofilm cultivated from the end of the Seoul water distribution system. J. Appl. Microbiol. 95: 317-324 https://doi.org/10.1046/j.1365-2672.2003.01978.x
  11. Lehtola, M. J., I. T. Miettinen, T. Vartiainen, P. Rantakokko, A. Hirvonen, and P. J. Martikainen. 2003. Impact of UV disinfection on microbially available phosphorus, organic carbon, and microbial growth in drinking water. Water Res. 37: 1064-1070 https://doi.org/10.1016/S0043-1354(02)00462-1
  12. Lu, W., K. Laurent, and Y. Levi. 1999. Chlorine demand of biofilms in water distribution systems. Water Res. 33: 827-835 https://doi.org/10.1016/S0043-1354(98)00229-2
  13. Meenakshi, B. and D. Sharma. 2005. Comparative studies on growth and phosphatase activity of endolithic Cyanobacterial isolates of chroococcidiopsis from hot and cold deserts. J. Microbiol. Biotechnol. 15: 125-130
  14. Mossel, D. A. A. and C. B. Struijk. 2004. Assessment of the microbial integrity, sensu G. S. Wilson, of piped and bottled drinking water in the condition as ingested. Int. J. Food Microbiol. 92: 375-390 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijfoodmicro.2003.08.015
  15. Niquette, P., P. Servais, and R. Savoir. 2001. Bacterial dynamics in the drinking water distribution system of Brussels. Water Res. 35: 675-682 https://doi.org/10.1016/S0043-1354(00)00303-1
  16. Olios, P. J., R. M. Slawson, and P. M. Huck. 1998. Bench scale investigations of bacterial regrowth in drinking water distribution systems. Water Sci. Technol. 38: 275-282
  17. Oshima, N. and T. Kosuda. 1998. Distribution reservoir control with demand prediction using deterministic-chaos method. Water Sci. Technol. 37: 389-395 https://doi.org/10.1016/S0273-1223(98)00378-3
  18. Outi, M. Z., E. K. Iivanainen, T. K. Nissinen, M. J. Lehtola, and P. J. Martikainen. 2000. Bacterial biofilm formation on polyvinyl chloride, polyethylene and stainless steel exposed to ozonated water. Water Res. 34: 63-70 https://doi.org/10.1016/S0043-1354(99)00113-X
  19. Park, S. R., W. G Mackay, and D. C. Reid. 2001. Helicobacter sp. recovered from drinking water biofilm sampled from a water distribution system. Water Res. 35: 1624-1626 https://doi.org/10.1016/S0043-1354(00)00582-0
  20. Pepper, I. L., P. Rusin, D. R. Quintanar, C. Haney, K. L. Josephson, and C. P. Gerba. 2004. Tracking the concentration of heterotrophic plate count bacteria from the source to the consumer's tap. Int. J. Food Microbiol. 92: 289-295 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijfoodmicro.2003.08.021
  21. Prescott, A. M. and C. R. Fricker. 1999. Use of PNA oligonucleotides for the in situ detection of Escherichia coli in water. Mol. Cell. Probes 13: 261-268 https://doi.org/10.1006/mcpr.1999.0246
  22. Sathasivan, A. and S. Ohgaki. 1999. Application of new bacterial regrowth potential method for water distribution system - a clear evidence of phosphorus limitation. Water Res. 33: 137-144 https://doi.org/10.1016/S0043-1354(98)00158-4
  23. Servais, P., P. Laurent, and G. Radon. 1995. Comparison of the bacterial dynamics in various French distribution systems. J. Water SRT-Aqua 44: 10-1
  24. Van der Bruggen, B. and C. Vandecasteele. 2003. Removal of pollutants from surface water and groundwater by nano filtration: Overview of possible applications in the drinking water industry. Environ. Pollut. 122: 435-445 https://doi.org/10.1016/S0269-7491(02)00308-1
  25. Yoon, T. H. and Y. J. Lee. 2004. Bacterial regrowth in water distribution systems and its relationship to the water quality: Case study of two distribution systems in Korea. J. Microbiol. Biotechnol. 14: 262-267