Control of Coliform Bacteria in Finished Drinking Water Stored in Redwood Tanks

Abstract

Supported by nutrients leached from the redwood, Klebsiella can multiply to 10 6 per mL in dechlorinated water supplies stored in redwood tanks. Coliform growth was controlled in an experimental tank as a result of careful monitoring and simple design adjustments—maintaining a free chlorine residual of 0.2–0.4 mg/L in the tank water, limiting retention time to four to seven days, and using a separate overhead inlet water pipe.