Water Plate Count Agar (Dehydrated), 500 g

Enumerate all culturable microorganisms from water using colony count technique this medium while conforming to ISO 6222: 1999.

Waters of all kinds invariably contain a variety of microorganisms derived from various sources, such as soil and vegetation. Estimation of the overall numbers provide useful information for the assessment and surveillance of water quality. Separate counts are usually made of the microorganisms which are able to grow and form colonies on nutrient agar media at 36°C and 22°C.

Colony counts are useful for assessing the integrity of ground water sources and the efficiency of water treatment processes such as coagulation, filtration and disinfection and provide an indication of the cleanliness and integrity of the distribution system. They can also be used to assess the suitability of a water supply for the preparation of food and drink to avoid contaminating the product with spoilage organisms.

The main value of colony counts lies in the detection of changes from expected counts, based on frequent, long term monitoring. Any sudden increase in the count can be an early warning of serious pollution and a call for immediate investigation.