Microbial contamination in surface waters has become a worldwide cause for concern. As efforts are made to reduce this contamination, monitoring is integral to documenting and evaluating water quality improvements. Autosamplers are beneficial in such monitoring efforts, as large data sets can be generated with minimized effort. The extent to which autosamplers can be utilized for microbial monitoring is largely unknown due to concerns over contamination. Strict sterilization regimes for components contacting the water being sampled are difficult, and sometimes logistically implausible, when utilizing autosamplers. Field experimentation showed contamination of fecal coliform in autosamplers to be more of a concern than that of Escherichia coli. Further study in a controlled laboratory environment suggested that tubing configuration has a significant effect on residual E. coli concentrations in sampler tubing. The amount of time that passed since the last sample was collected from a given sampler (antecedent dry weather period – DWP) tubing was also a significant factor. At a DWP of 7 days, little to no contamination was found. Thus, simple protocols such as providing positive drainage of tubing between sample events and programming samplers to include rinses will reduce concerns of contamination in autosamplers.
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Research Article|
January 22 2014
Residual indicator bacteria in autosampler tubing: a field and laboratory assessment
J. M. Hathaway;
1Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, Tennessee, USA 37996
E-mail: hathaway@utk.edu
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W. F. Hunt;
W. F. Hunt
2Department of Biological and Agricultural Engineering, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, North Carolina, USA 27610
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R. M. Guest;
R. M. Guest
3URS Corporation, Melbourne, AUS 3006
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D. T. McCarthy
D. T. McCarthy
4Department of Civil Engineering, Monash University – Clayton Campus, Melbourne, Victoria, AUS 3800
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Water Sci Technol (2014) 69 (5): 1120–1126.
Article history
Received:
September 19 2013
Accepted:
January 09 2014
Citation
J. M. Hathaway, W. F. Hunt, R. M. Guest, D. T. McCarthy; Residual indicator bacteria in autosampler tubing: a field and laboratory assessment. Water Sci Technol 1 March 2014; 69 (5): 1120–1126. doi: https://doi.org/10.2166/wst.2014.035
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