All of the water fountains and faucets in lunch areas (most labs have RO or distilled water)are checked yearly for various non-biological agents such as heavy metals, pesticides, etc. by Safety, who sends out the samples to an independent testing laboratory. In fact, several areas (many of the buildings at Ft. Detrick are from the 30s, 40s and 50s), including ours had water fountains and/or faucets with various agents that exceeded recommended levels for potable water. In those areas, either bottled water or re-piping have been the solution.

As to types of bacteria found, most water testing for bacteria involves two numbers:

Total Colony Counts (TCC), where each colony represents a single bacteria at time point 0, which may include various Gram-positive organisms (like Staphylococcus spp., Streptococcus spp., Bacillus spp., etc.) and various Gram negative organisms (which includes non-glucose fermenting organisms like Pseudomonas aruginosa and glucose fermenters like E. coli). The TCC is likely what the student performed.

The other testing if for Fecal Coliforms Counts (FCC) (Gram-negative organisms like E. coli) and represent bacteria that may have come from ground water contamination by fecal mater. This number is the more important of the two, as it represents bacteria that may cause serious disease, such as Salmonella spp.. Ideally, all water sample should have a “0” fecal coliform count.

In some cases, such as ours where we test all of the water used in the animal facilities for bacteria, we include all Gram-negative organisms in the second count even though they are not true coliform organisms.

Pete

Pete I have a suggestion

In the morning , run the water for a few minutes before filling your coffee maker. I wont ask you to just waste the water, but to find something to do with it other than drinking it, like watering plants or washing or whatever.

...good advice.