TESTING BACTERIAL CONTAMINATION

IN DRINKING WATER BY TESTING SULPHIDE

ION
Project
Submitted to:
The Kids Club Senior Secondary School,
Vijayapuram

Submitted By:

Harini & PDK

( )
Under the Guidance of
Mr. S.Surendran, M.Sc., M.Phil., P.hd.,
JANUARY 2019
DEPARTMENT OF CHEMISTRY,
KIDS CLUB SENIOR SECONDARY SCHOOL,
Affiliated to CBSE (NCERT Curriculum)
Vijayapuram, Tirupur- 641 606
DEDICATION
Dedicated To:
GOD

PARENTS

TEACHERS

PRINCIPAL

MANAGEMENT

STUDENTS

SCIENTIST

INDIANS
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
 Acknowledgement :
“It is not possible to prepare a project without
the assistance &
encouragement of people. This one is certainly
no exception.”
First of all I would like to thank God Almighty for giving me this
Opportunity

Secondly, I would like to thank my parents for giving encouragement,

enthusiasm and invaluable assistance to me. Without all this I might not
have been able to complete to this project properly.

Thirdly, I would like to thank my Institution – Kids Club Senior Secondary

School, and its Trust Members
Chairman –
Mr. Mohan K.Karthik,
Correspondent –
Mrs. Vinodhini Karthik,
Admin Director –
Mrs.Ishwariya Karthick,B.A.,M.Sc.,(Business Admin)UK
I am also extremely thankful to my Principal
Mrs. Nivethika Sriram,M.A.,M.Phil.,P.hd.,
and my Chemistry Teacher
Mr.S.Surendran, M.Sc., M.Phil., P.hd.,
for their guidance and support, without whom this project would not have
been possible.
I would like to extend my thanks to WATER RESEARCH CENTER of
PENNYSYLVANIA & INDIA WATER PORTAL DEPARTMENT for giving
me all the information about the bacterial contamination in water and also it gave
me the idea for precaution.

Last but not the least I would like to extend my sincere thanks to all my
friends especially ATHISH.V.P , RASHWANTH, THARSHAN, MITHRA,
SUDHEKSHA, PRATIBA, AJITHA, KANNAN, MAHANDHA,& SRI
VARSHAN who helped me directly or indirectly to
complete this project successfully.
CONTENT
Content:
S.NO INDEX Pg#

1] Synopsis 1
2] Introduction
2.1] Contamination & Types 2-3
2.2] Water contamination & Effects 4
3] Purpose 5-6
4] Aim 7
5] Materials required 8
6] Procedure 9-11
7] Result 12
8] Precaution 13
9] Conclusion 14
10] Bibliography 15
SYNOPSIS:

Tests were done and results were analyzed

on the base of the Indian Standard: The standard categories

various characteristics as essential or desirable. The

standard also mentions the desirable limit, permissible

limit in the absence of alternate source and indicates their

background. All the essential characteristics should be

examined in routine. Besides, all desirable characteristics

should be examined ever when a doubt arises or the

potability of water from a new source is to be established.

 INTRODUCTION

Contamination is the presence of an

unwanted constituent, contaminant or impurity in a

material, physical body, natural environment, workplace,

etc. Contaminants are biological, chemical, physical or

radiological substance.

Types of contaminants:
Biological Contaminants – These include organisms
that live in water, like bacteria, parasites, viruses, and
protozoan. Most of these include microorganisms or
organisms that are so small they cannot be seen with the
naked eye
.
Chemical Contaminants – These include compounds or
elements found in water, like metals, salts, toxins,
pesticides, bleach, and more. Chemical contaminants can
either be human-made, or they can naturally occur. Water
that is contaminated by chemicals can be extremely
hazardous to your health
.
Physical Contaminants – These change the physical
properties or appearance of water. It includes sediment and
other organic matter. Physically contaminated water can be
visually identified without having to perform testing.
 Radiological Contaminants – Unstable chemical
elements with an unbalanced amount of neutrons or
protons can cause a radiological contamination like
uranium, plutonium, or cesium. Radiation is incredibly
hazardous to your health.
Water contamination:
This form of environmental degradation
occurs when pollutants are directly or indirectly discharged
into water bodies without adequate treatment to remove
harmful compounds.
Water pollution affects the entire biosphere of plants and
organisms living in these water bodies, as well as
organisms and plants that might be exposed to the water.

Effects of Water Contamination :

The effects of water contamination are, for the most part,
not quite as extreme as those related to water pollution, but
they may be very similar. Contamination does have the
potential to cause a lot of serious issues just like pollution
does, and it’s in these effects where the two really show
their differences. Where pollution is always sure to cause a
lot of widespread damage and destruction, contamination’s
effects are sometimes subtler than that.
 PURPOSE
PURPOSE OF TESTING BACTERIAL
CONTAMINATION IN WATER:
Human and animal wastes are a primary source of bacteria
in water. These sources of bacterial contamination include
runoff from feedlots, pastures, dog runs, and other land
areas where animal wastes are deposited. Additional
sources include seepage or discharge from septic tanks,
sewage treatment facilities, and natural soil/plant
bacteria. Bacteria from these sources can enter wells that
are either open at the land surface or do not have water-
tight casings or caps.

Insects, rodents or animals entering the well are other

sources of contamination. Old wells were dug by hand and
lined (cased) with rocks or bricks. These wells usually
have large openings and casings that often are not well-
sealed. This makes it easy for insects, rodents, or animals
to enter the well.

Another way bacteria can enter a water supply is through

inundation or infiltration by flood waters or by surface
runoff. Flood waters commonly contain high levels of
bacteria. Small depressions filled with flood water provide
an excellent breeding ground for bacteria.
 Whenever a well is inundated by flood waters or surface
runoff, bacterial contamination is likely. Shallow wells
and wells that do not have water-tight casings can be
contaminated by bacteria infiltrating with the water
through the soil near the well, especially in coarse-textured
soils.

Older water systems, especially, dug wells, spring-fed

systems, and cistern-type systems are most vulnerable to
bacterial contamination. Any system with casings or caps
that are not water-tight are vulnerable. This is particularly
true if the well is located so surface runoff might be able to
enter the well. During the last five to 10 years, well and
water distribution system construction has improved to the
point where bacterial contamination is rare in newer wells.
 EXPERIMENT

AIM : To check the bacterial contamination in

drinking water by testing Sulphide ion
 MATERIALS REQUIRED

Collection of Samples
small volume of cadmium-zinc acetate
solution.
80 mL of water
cadmium-zinc acetate solution 20 mL to
obtain a total volume of about 100 mL.
50 g zinc acetate
1.0 L of water
Titration of Fixed Solution
100 mL fixed solution in a titration flask,
20 mL 0.025 M iodine solution
15 mL, (1:1) HCl
Iodine against 0.05 M Na2S2O3
starch solution
 PROCEDURE

Drinking Water Testing:

Testing for all individual pathogens is impractical and
expensive. Instead, the EPA has designated total coliform
bacteria as a standard to determine bacterial safety of
water. Coliform bacteria originate in the intestinal tract of
warm-blooded animals and can be found in their wastes.
Coliform bacteria can also be found in soil and on
vegetation. Coliform bacteria are relatively simple to
identify and are present in much larger numbers than more
dangerous pathogens. There are now DIY bacterial
screening tests. Coliform bacteria react to the natural
environment and treatment processes in a manner and
degree similar to pathogens. By monitoring coliform
bacteria, the increase or decrease of many pathogenic
bacteria can be estimated.

Due to this association, the bacterial safety of drinking

water is monitored by testing for coliform
bacteria. Bacterial testing is provided, for a fee, by our
partners, some city/county health department laboratories,
and most commercial water testing laboratories. After
selecting a laboratory, contact them to obtain a drinking
water bacterial purity test kit or YOU can call the
Keystone Clean Water Team and host a community
education and water quality screening program. The kit
will contain a sterilized sampling bottle, an information
form, sampling instructions, and a return mailing box. Use
of the bacterial test kit is necessary to help ensure the test
is accurate. The bottle in the kit is completely sterilized.
This assures the sample is not contaminated by bacteria in
the bottle. The use of any other container is discouraged.
The kit contains detailed instructions on how to collect the
water sample. Follow the instructions carefully to avoid
outside contamination and to obtain a good representative
sample.

To avoid unnecessary delays and possibly a need for

resampling, mail or carry the sample to the laboratory
immediately. The sample must be received at the
laboratory within 48 hours after collection or it will not be
tested. Avoid mailing samples when they may be delayed
over a weekend or a holiday. In most cases, samples need
to arrive at the laboratory on Monday, Tuesday, or
Wednesday. Be sure the form accompanying the sample is
accurate and complete. If there is no date or time of
collection on the form, it will be assumed the sample is
over 48 hours old. If there is no return address, test results
cannot be sent to you.

When a laboratory receives a water sample, it gives the

sample a number and the time of arrival is stamped on the
accompanying form. One hundred milliliters (ml) (about
3.4 fl. oz.) of the sample is then drawn through a
membrane filter. This filter is placed on a nutrient broth
culture plate and placed in an incubator for 24 hours at
35°C (95°F) for culturing.
The plates then are removed from the incubator and the
number of coliform bacteria colonies are counted.
 RESULT
Interpreting Test Results:

The EPA establishes standards for drinking water which

fall into two categories -- Primary Standards and
Secondary Standards. Primary Standards are based on
health considerations, and are designed to protect people
from three classes of toxic pollutants: pathogens,
radioactive elements and toxic chemicals.

Bacterial contamination falls under the category of

pathogens. The EPA Maximum Contaminant Level (MCL)
for coliform bacteria in drinking water is zero (or no) total
coliform per 100 ml of water. The number of coliform
colonies found in the incubated water sample, if any, is
reported and the form is checked to indicate whether or not
the water meets the EPA bacteriological standard of zero.
At times, excessive numbers of other bacteria in a sample
can interfere with the counting of coliform types. These
samples may be classified as "too numerous to count" or
"confluent growth."

If the laboratory report indicates the presence of coliforms,

or states "too numerous to count," or "confluent growth,"
the State Department of Health recommends another
sample be analyzed to help evaluate the contamination. If
you suspect bacterial contamination in your water supply,
use an alternative water supply or disinfect your water
supply while waiting for test result.
PRECAUTION
 CONCLUSION

Bacterial contamination of drinking water can be a

problem. A drilling water test and test kit are the only way
to evaluate whether bacteria is present in a water
supply. Proper well location and construction are keys to
avoiding bacterial contamination of drinking water. If
contamination is present, attempt to identify and eliminate
the source of the contamination. A contaminated water
supply can be disinfected, but it is recommended that you
contact a professional consultant for your area.
BIBLIOGRAPHY

1] Water Research Center

2] BOOK-the sulphate reducing bacteria
3] WWW.YOUTUBE.COM
4] By JU’s learning app
5] NCERT Chemistry text book