Coliforms are not one kind of bacteria, but many, and they can make you sick if ingested from drinking water. But most coliforms are harmless residents of soil and will not make people sick. Some strains of E. coli, the most common fecal coliform bacterium (usually living in animal fecal material) may cause disease. Some E. coli strains found in food have been lethal. Their presence should be taken very seriously.
Your immune system also determines whether on not …
What are nuisance organisms in drinking water?
Nuisance organisms in drinking water are those that are not pathogenic (disease causing) but cause other types of problems related to aesthetics (color, taste, odor) and corrosion or plugging of pumps, wells and distribution systems. Two common nuisance organisms in ground water are iron bacteria and sulfur bacteria. Two common nuisance organisms in surface water are algae and zebra mussels.…
In towns and cities, what is the major cause of pollution of drinking water sources?
The major source of pollution in drinking water sources is rainwater that flows into street catch basins (called urban runoff or stormwater runoff). While this rainwater alone is not necessarily harmful, it frequently carries untreated waste products from our streets and yards directly into rivers, streams, and lakes — our drinking water sources.
Other potential sources of drinking water pollution are products that are flushed through the sewer system, not removed by waste treatment, and then passed back into our …