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For over a century, coliform monitoring has served as the primary means of assessing themicrobiological quality of water within a distribution network. In some ways, typical coliformmonitoring strategies today bear little resemblance to those of decades past. For example, theuse of commercially available defined substrate media is now widespread, and compliance withthe Total Coliform Rule is now based on the presence or absence of coliforms instead ofcoliform densities. Yet in other ways, the number of samples collected, the frequencyof sampling, and sampling locations, coliform monitoring strategies have remained remarkablystatic over the years.A monitoring strategy consists of the monitoring objectives, the sampling design (i.e., numbers,locations, and frequency), the analytical design (i.e., test methods and sampling SOPs), anddecision rules (i.e, basis for compliance). The refinement of the analytical methods for detectingcoliforms parallels the rapid advances in analytical methods in other areas of environmentalscience. Likewise, the lag in development of rational sampling designs has been identified inenvironmental monitoring programs outside of drinking water.While the monitoring objectives of the TCR may seem obvious and unchanged over the years,they are in fact quite nuanced. How useful is coliform monitoring in predicting waterborneoutbreaks? How effective is coliform monitoring in controlling cross connections? Is coliformmonitoring primarily a check on the integrity of the distribution system?By evaluating the essential elements of a monitoring strategy in the context of the TCR, the whitepaper considers options for optimizing coliform monitoring strategies. Includes abstract only.

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Edition: Vol. - No. Published: 11/01/2005 Number of Pages: 1File Size: 1 file , 54 KB