testing collected rainwater for e.coli & others

[uluru]

hi everybody,

I am about to start working on a project involving a RWH system in a rural region of a developing country. I already posted about my concerns with UV on the PVC pipes, but I have a question about sampling the water.

I'm looking to sample for pathogens, and potentially to make sure that the chemical composition of the water is safe to drink. In terms of pathogens, I'm looking for basic coliform/e.coli tests, and these are the two best ones I've come across (in terms of price & simplicity of use)

http://www.carolina.com/product/bac...ter+kit.do?keyword=e.+coli&sortby=bestMatches

I was also considering petrifilm, but it seems the petrifilm needs an incubator but I was wondering if anybody has used it before and knows if it is really needed. The petrifilm is a better value (from what I can tell, I get 50 tests for about $80, vs. 20 tests for about $60 from Carolina).

 

[uluru]

but I meant to post about H2S tests - does anybody know if these would be useful or worthwhile in addition to e coli tests?

 

[bimr]

Here is a resource for e coli testing:

http://waterinternational.org/?page_id=270

Hydrogen sulfide oxidation by oxygen occurs rapidly in surface waters. There is no possiblity of having hydrogen sulfide in a RWH system. Hydrogen sulfide is more commonly associated with anaerobic well waters.