BACTERIA IN WATER

Test Kit

According to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), total coliform and E. coli bacteria testing is recommended to indicate the presence of organisms that can cause serious disease. Test your drinking water to be sure it is free of harmful baterial contamination.

WHAT ARE BACTERIA IN WATER?

Bacteria are microscopic, one-celled organisms capable of causing disease. Coliform Bacteria are rod shaped bacteria that are commonly found in the environment. They are also present in the intestines of humans and animals. Fecal Coliform Bacteria, like Escherichia coli (E. coli), is a form of coliform bacteria that are associated with human and animal fecal waste.

HOW DO YOU COME IN CONTACT WITH BACTERIA IN YOUR WATER?

Coliform bacteria from human and animal wastes are indicators of the sanitary quality of your water. Drinking water and swimming pools get contaminated from leaking septic tanks, failing leach fields, sewer malfunctions and overflows, animal manure or direct drainage from rain and snowmelt runoff.

Bacterial contamination is a serious water quality problem for individual private and small community wells partly because private water supplies are not required by law to be tested. Families drinking non-chlorinated water (such as from an underground well) and apartment dwellers with rooftop wooden storage tanks are especially vulnerable to bacterial contamination. Home water treatment devices may also become a breeding ground for bacteria.

WHAT CAN BACTERIA IN YOUR WATER DO TO YOU?

The presence of Fecal Coliform Bacteria indicates that you are at high risk for illness from these disease-causing bacteria. The most common symptoms of Fecal Coliform Bacteria in drinking water are nausea, vomiting, fever, cramps and diarrhea. Fecal Coliform Bacteria can also lead to diseases such as typhoid, dysentery, hepatitis A, and cholera.

HOW DO YOU FIND OUT IF YOU HAVE HARMFUL BACTERIA IN YOUR WATER?

To find out if bacteria are a problem in your water, you must test. The PRO-LAB® Bacteria in Water Test Kit offers two (2) types of testing methods. The first method simply involves counting the number of colonies that are growing on the petri dish. The second method (optional) requires sending the petri dish to PRO-LAB® for a more detailed analysis ($40 lab fee required), which will identify the type of Fecal Coliform Bacteria present in your water.

PRO-LAB® Test Kits are available to the general public at over 60,000 leading home centers, hardware stores, pharmacy chains, supermarkets, and a wide category of specialty outlets. Stores include The Home Depot, Lowe’s, Menards, Ace Hardware, True Value, Do It Best, Kroger, Fred Meyer, Giant Eagle, and CVS.

If you cannot find the PRO-LAB® Bacteria In Water Test Kit in any of the stores above, please call 954-384-4446 to purchase.