ABSTRACT
Because microorganisms are significant in water and in disease transmission they are the primary agents of water treatment processes. Water practitioners must have considerable knowledge of the biological characteristics of water. Simply put, waterworks operators and students of the science of water cannot fully comprehend the principles of effective water treatment and water science without knowing the fundamentals concerning microorganisms and their relationships to one another; their effect on the treatment process; and their impact on consumers, animals, and the environment. Water practitioners must know what principal groups of microorganisms are typically found in water supplies (surface and groundwater). They must be able to identify those microorganisms that must be treated (pathogenic organisms) and removed or controlled for biological treatment processes. They must be able to identify the organisms used as indicators of pollution or contamination and know their significance, and they must know the methods used to enumerate the indicator organisms. Finally, water treatment operators must be familiar with those organisms that indicate process conditions to optimize process operation.
