| E. coli Monitoring in Upper Middle River
In July, 2015, FOMR began an E. coli monitoring program in the Upper Middle River area.
Volunteers
collect water samples once a month from 15 different sites: eight sites on the main stem of Middle River, four sites on Back Creek, and two sites on Eidson Creek. In addition, one sample is collected from Bells Creek just before
it enters Middle River, but it is not in the Upper Middle River area.
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| | Why is testing for E. coli so important?
"Fecal coliform bacteria are microscopic organisms that live in the
intestines of warm-blooded animals. They also live in the waste
material, or feces, excreted from the intestinal tract. When fecal
coliform bacteria are present in high numbers in a water sample, it
means that the water has received fecal matter from one source or
another.
Although not necessarily agents of disease, fecal coliform
bacteria may indicate the presence of disease-carrying organisms, which
live in the same environment as the fecal coliform bacteria."
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| FOMR uses Coliscan Easygel for calculating the number of E. coli in a water sample.
Three milliliters (3 mL) of sample water are put into the Easygel, shaken up, and then the mixture of water and Easygel is poured into a petri dish like the one shown.
The petri dish is allowed to incubate for 24 hours at approximately 95°F so that if there are any bacteria colonies present, they will have time to grow to become visible.
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After incubation, E. coli bacteria will show up as dark blue or purple dots (bacteria colonies).
Fecal
coliform concentrations are reported in units of the number of
bacterial colonies (CFUs) per 100 milliliters of sample water (#CFU/100
mL).
In Virginia, the standard for drinking water is 0 CFU/100mL. The standard for human recreational activities is 235 CFU/100 mL. Anything over 235 CFU/100 mL is considered unhealthy. The presence of fecal contamination is an indicator that a potential health risk exists for individuals exposed to the water. |
| How do our samples compare to VA State Standards?
Each month, the results of our testing are available on the FOMR website.
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| FOMR wishes to thank the following volunteers for their help with this program:
Water sample collectors: Justin Fischbach, Bobby Whitescarver, Mike Harmon, Robbie Brown, Joe Thompson, and Courtney Hallacher and her students at Riverheads High School.
Processing & counting the bacteria colonies: Courtney Hallacher and her students at Riverheads, Jo-el Neson and Louisa Esteban at the Shenandoah Valley Governor's School
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The Frontier Culture Museum
will have an exciting opportunity available for students and families this Fall and everyone is invited! The Museum will be hosting the Smithsonian Institution's Museum on Main Street exhibit, Water/Ways, from October 21st until December 3rd.
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