Transcript Which Artificial Source of Water Contains Coliform

Which Artificial Source of Water
Contains Coliform Bacteria?
Coliform
Bacteria
By: Nermin Moustafa, Nancy Uddin, Anny Sainvil and
Amairani Guaman (8-1)
Abstract – Which Artificial Source of
Water Contains Coliform Bacteria?
The purpose of our experiment was to find out which artificial
source of water contains Coliform bacteria. We think that if an
artificial source is used by multiple users, then it will have more
Coliform bacteria because the amount of users can also affect the
amount of bacteria it contains, other than Coliform bacteria. We
used the following procedures to do our experiment: first, we
collected water samples from different sources. Our five sources
were: the fish tank, the toilet, the sink, a bottle of water, and the
water fountain. We then put them into the test tubes with the
Coliform tablet, and waited a total of 48 hours for the results. The
data we collected were our observations of the test tube, which we
then compared to the Coliform Bacteria Color Chart. This data
helped us with our conclusion which was toilet water, bottled water
and fish tank water all contain Coliform bacteria, while sink water
and water fountain don’t contain Coliform bacteria.
Introduction
We wanted to do water testing for our project, but we didn’t know
what to test the water for. Then, we found that water can contain
Coliform bacteria. So, we decided to test water from different
sources for Coliform bacteria. We found the following information
on Coliform bacteria:
• Coliform bacteria is always present in the digestive tracts of
animals, including humans, and is found in their waste.
• Coliform bacteria is also found in plants and soil material.
• Different types of Coliform bacteria include Total Coliform,
Fecal Coliform, and Escherichia Coliform, also known as E.Coli
bacteria.
Hypothesis
If an artificial source is used by multiple users, like the toilet, then
it will have more Coliform bacteria because the amount of users
can also affect the amount of bacteria it contains, other than
Coliform bacteria.
Materials
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Fish Tank Water
Toilet Water
Bottled Water
Sink Water
Water Fountain Water
Pipette (to collect water samples)
Urban Water Test Kit (available at www.wetcity.org)
Procedure
1) Collect a water sample
2) Pour the sample into the test tube with the tablet until it is filled
to the 10 mL line.
3) Replace the cap on the test tube.
4) Stand the test tube upright, with the tablet flat on the bottom of
the test tube.
5) Incubate by storing the tube upright, at room temperature, out
of direct sunlight, for 48 hours. Store the tube where the
temperature will be fairly constant and between 70-80 Fahrenheit.
Do not disturb, handle, or shake the test tube during the
incubation period.
6) After the 48 hours, compare the appearance of the test tube to
the Coliform color chart to figure out if the results are positive or
negative.
7) Repeat this procedure two more times, so you will be doing
three trials in total.
Observations
• Trial 1
Water
Source
Negative
Positive
Toilet
X
Fish Tank
X
Bottled
X
Sink
X
Water
Fountain
X
Observations
• Trial 2
Water
Source
Negative
Toilet
Positive
X
Fish Tank X
Bottled
Sink
X
X
Water
X
Fountain
Observations
• Trial 3
Water
Source
Negative
Positive
Toilet
X
Fish Tank
X
Bottled
X
Sink
X
Water
Fountain
X
Observations
• This is our average
results chart. As you
can see, it is the same
as the trial 3 table.
Water
Source
Negative
Positive
Toilet
X
Fish Tank
X
Bottled
X
Sink
X
Water
Fountain
X
Observations (Trial 3)
Sink
Water
Toilet
Water
Toilet
Water
Sink Water
Observations (cont’d)
Fish
Tank
Water
Fish Tank
Water
Water
Fountain
Water
Water Fountain
Water
Observations (cont’d)
Bottled
Water
Bottled Water
Conclusion
After analyzing our observations, we came to the conclusion that
the types of water that contain Coliform bacteria are: fish tank
water, bottled water, and toilet water. The types of water that do
not contain Coliform bacteria are: sink water and water fountain
water. Since toilet water is used by multiple sources, toilet water
does contain Coliform bacteria.
Data Analysis
Our conclusion is based on the average results of all three trials.
We only took pictures of trial three because it contained the
information our conclusion contains. So toilet water, bottled water,
and fish tank water does contain Coliform bacteria. Sink water and
water fountain water does not contain Coliform bacteria.
Results
So, after analyzing our results, we decided that bottled water,
toilet water, and fish tank water contains Coliform bacteria. Our
hypothesis was correct; toilet water does contain Coliform
bacteria. What may have affected our data was that there might
have been a possible source of air. When collecting the samples
that were positive with Coliform bacteria, we used a pipette. We
collected the other water samples without using a pipette, so
those sources came out negative. We also believe bottled water
results should vary on the type of bottled water it is. For the
third trial, for bottled water, we used a bottled water that was
already drunk from, so that could have affected our results.
Bibliography
We gathered all our information from the Urban Water Test Kit,
which contained informational pamphlets.
Acknowledgments
• Special thanks to our science teacher, Jonathan Ryberg, for
ordering our water testing kit for us to be able to complete our
science project.
• We also want to thank Laura for allowing us to use her
computer when we needed it.