Abstract
The paper describes the experiment that tested five different water sources and the experiment that inoculated five Petri dishes with samples from different sources. The paper explains the results of these experiments and discusses how the presence and amount of coliforms indicate that the water source is polluted, or in contact with domestic sewage, animal wastes, soil, plant, or animal material.

Outline:
Introduction
Results
Discussion

From the Paper
"Water is an important part of one's survival. Therefore, the existence of clean, potable water source is integral to one's health. Unfortunately, many mircoorganisms can thrive in drinking water source, and a small glass of water from that infected water source can cause a number of life-threatening gastrointestinal diseases such as gastroenteritis, dysentery, giardiasis, typhoid, cholera, and hepatitis (Parrott, Ross, and Woodard, par. 1). In fact, the World Health Organization (WHO) has been investigating the disease burden of occupational and environmental risk factors, one of which is water, sanitation, and hygiene. It has been found that the worldwide risk factor of water, sanitation, and hygiene accounted for 5.3% of all deaths and 6.8% of all disability-adjusted life year (DALYs) (Pruss, Kay, Fewtrell, and Bartram, 2002). Furthermore, WHO estimated that every eight seconds, a child dies from a water-related disease every year, and more than five million people died from illnesses linked to unsafe drinking water or inadequate sanitation (Fewtrell and Bartram, p. 62)."

Tags:sanitation, pollution, microorganisms, hygiene

Abstract
This paper first explains that fecal coliform and escherichia coli (E. coli), a rod-shaped bacterium commonly found in the gastrointestinal tract and feces of warm-blooded animals, are the preferred indicators that freshwater recreational waters are contaminated. ). Next, the paper relates that bacteria production increases in southern Georgia blackwater rivers and subtropical streams, which have relatively high temperatures during the spring and summer months. The paper concludes that regulating the amount of fecal coliform in the water by controlling the sources, especially from agriculture, would help greatly with decreasing the health risks for humans.

From the Paper
"In southern Georgia, agriculture is fairly common and farm animals as well as wildlife are many. Manure is a valuable source of nutrients for the soil but it can also be an environmental contaminate if it is handled improperly. Manure could be an issue if it were to runoff into surface water or even groundwater. It is rich in bacteria which could be a major contributor to fecal coliform in blackwater rivers. It is believed that after large amounts of rainfall, the manure could travel into the water system. Studies have shown that, after a spring month application of manure on fields, E. coli was still discovered in the fall months."

Tags:sanitary, intestinal tract, shiga toxins, farm animals, runoff

Abstract
This paper examines how a study of Southern California coastal waters in 1999 showed that the waters rarely contain enough bacteria during the summer to make swimmers sick, except at creeks and storm drains that are releasing urban runoff. It looks at how significant portion of coastal water contamination comes from non-point source pollution such as agriculture and urban runoff, faulty septic systems, marinas and recreational boating and habitat degradation. It proposes a study to determine the coliform count in water samples from New Port Beach, California which is considered to be one of the best urban beaches in the United States and provides an analysis of the results.

From the Paper
"Newport Beach is the fifth best urban beach in the United States, according to the Surfrider Foundation report issued in May, 2000 (Mehta, 2000). The city was one of three California communities to make the list as a place where healthy shorelines and urban development coexist. However, Newport Bay suffers from extreme pollution from the Santa Ana River. In January, 2000 Gumbel (2000) reported that all 8 miles of Huntington Beach, a few miles north of Newport Beach, had been closed since the previous summer because the water had shown exceptionally high levels of enterococcus bacteria, indicating fecal contamination. Surfrider Beach in Malibu was plagued at the same time by E. coli bacteria and viruses. The contamination in both cases was attributed to urban runoff."

Tags:bacteria, pollution, shorelines

Abstract
This paper discusses the bacteria content and safety of the drinking water in Vancouver, Canada. It looks at how the environment can affect one's drinking water and what needs to be done to prevent bacteria from entering the water we drink. The paper then discusses what individuals can do to help the community improve the safety of drinking water.

From the Paper
"Vancouver's water system has experienced problems in the past. For instance, bacteria in the water can be a health risk. Bacteria can affect drinking water if it is not prevented. "Unfiltered surface water supplies have the potential of containing the protozoan pathogens Giardia and Cryptosporidium" (Water 7). In fact, this has occurred in the past such as during the late 1920's. Since this time, environmental concerns have been addressed by many communities in Canada and the United States. Canada is concerned about improving water and sanitation in the region (ADB Taking New Directions). While Vancouver gets much of its water from Eagle Lake and Montizambert Creek, testing for bacteria is required. Samples are tested for bacteria, physical and chemical parameters including metals as well as samples for fecal coliform, total coliforms, and E.coli (2005 Drinking Water ii)."

Tags:bacteria, coliforms, giardia, cryptosporidium