Occurrence of Fungi in Water Distribution System

Abstract

it is demonstrated that contamination of water distribution systems with fungi is determined by the number and species composition of the mycoflora of waters supplying a given Water Treatment Plant (WTP) and the effectiveness of their removal in the unit processes of water treatment used. In the water dis - tribution system examined, a significant number of microorganisms occurring in waters supplying the WTP was reduced in the water supplied to the system to 200 cfu l -1 following sorption, coagulation, filtration and disinfection processes. Their number did not exceed 267 cfu l -1 in the water phase in the distribution system while it was as many as 1000-5000-times greater in the biomass suspended in it. These organisms occurred sporadically in pipe sediments. Moulds, including species pathogenic and potentially pathogenic to humans and warm-blooded animals, constituted the mycoflora.