| 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 13 different sites: seven 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 the State Standards?
Click on the links below to see results from July '15 through October '16 at each site.
Back Creek 1 - Bridge
on Rt. 252 in center of Middlebrook
Back Creek 2 - Bridge
on Mish Barn Road, Rt 876
Back Creek 3 - Bridge
on Glebe School Road, Rt 708
Back Creek 4 - On
private property at confluence with Middle River
Bells Creek - On
private driveway before confluence with Middle River
Eidson Creek 1 - Bridge
on Glebe School Road, Rt 708
Eidson Creek 2 - On
private property upstream of bridge on Rt 254
Middle River 1 - Bridge
on Summerdean Rd, Rt 602
Middle River 2 - Bridge
on Cales Spring Road, Rt 603
Middle River 3A - Bridge
on Trimbles Mill Rd, Rt 707
Middle River 3B - Bridge
on Trimbles Mill Rd, Rt 707, at Boy Scout Lane
Middle River 4 - Bridge
on Cattleman Rd, Rt 876
Middle River 5 - On
private property upstream of bridge on Rt. 254
Middle River 6 - Bridge
on Morris Mill Rd, Route 720
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