{"id":2600,"date":"2026-06-25T20:40:39","date_gmt":"2026-06-25T20:40:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.tarleton.edu\/tiaer\/?page_id=2600"},"modified":"2026-06-29T14:01:37","modified_gmt":"2026-06-29T14:01:37","slug":"drinking-water-bacteria-testing","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.tarleton.edu\/tiaer\/drinking-water-bacteria-testing\/","title":{"rendered":"Drinking Water Bacteria Testing"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><mark style=\"background-color:rgba(0, 0, 0, 0)\" class=\"has-inline-color has-tarleton-black-color\">TIAER can test tap drinking water for fecal indicator bacteria (total coliforms and E. Coli). These bacteria serve as indicators of the presence of potentially harmful pathogens resulting from contamination with fecal bacteria.  Follow the instructions on this page to ensure that your sample is collected correctly and that the results will be valid. <\/mark><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ol class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li class=\"has-tarleton-black-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-48d30a0d66d145c03a909565c493fa9c\"><mark style=\"background-color:rgba(0, 0, 0, 0)\" class=\"has-inline-color has-tarleton-black-color\"><strong>Collect bottles from the TIAER Lab<\/strong><\/mark>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><mark style=\"background-color:rgba(0, 0, 0, 0)\" class=\"has-inline-color has-tarleton-black-color\">Call or e-mail in advance to schedule pick-up (254-968-9333, jhunter@tarleton.edu)<\/mark><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li class=\"has-tarleton-black-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-58c5e8ebaf60e21b0a96fde98b27683f\"><mark style=\"background-color:rgba(0, 0, 0, 0)\" class=\"has-inline-color has-tarleton-black-color\"><strong>Collect bottles from Stephenville Lab (<\/strong><\/mark><a href=\"https:\/\/maps.app.goo.gl\/JzHh1aVEenboiaXN9\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><strong><mark style=\"background-color:rgba(0, 0, 0, 0)\" class=\"has-inline-color has-tarleton-purple-color\">201 N. Felix St., Stephenville, TX, 76401<\/mark><\/strong><\/a><mark style=\"background-color:rgba(0, 0, 0, 0)\" class=\"has-inline-color has-tarleton-black-color\"><strong>; see map below)<\/strong><\/mark>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><mark style=\"background-color:rgba(0, 0, 0, 0)\" class=\"has-inline-color has-tarleton-black-color\">Verify that bottles have a white powder (chlorine neutralizer) and are not expired. <\/mark><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li class=\"has-tarleton-black-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-51aece266a1f0a815ca63efcede7a54f\"><mark style=\"background-color:rgba(0, 0, 0, 0)\" class=\"has-inline-color has-tarleton-black-color\"><strong>Choose Collection Site<\/strong><\/mark>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><mark style=\"background-color:rgba(0, 0, 0, 0)\" class=\"has-inline-color has-tarleton-black-color\">Collect directly from an outdoor faucet &#8211; without a hose or other attachment<\/mark><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><mark style=\"background-color:rgba(0, 0, 0, 0)\" class=\"has-inline-color has-tarleton-black-color\">Do not collect from kitchen or bathroom sink, fire hydrants, dirty areas, or near bushes<\/mark><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><mark style=\"background-color:rgba(0, 0, 0, 0)\" class=\"has-inline-color has-tarleton-black-color\">Do not sample during rain or high winds<\/mark><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li class=\"has-tarleton-black-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-d02b26f4e346e19106c37aa8473996ab\"><mark style=\"background-color:rgba(0, 0, 0, 0)\" class=\"has-inline-color has-tarleton-black-color\"><strong>Collect Sample<\/strong><\/mark>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><mark style=\"background-color:rgba(0, 0, 0, 0)\" class=\"has-inline-color has-tarleton-black-color\">Do not open bottle until ready to collect<\/mark><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><mark style=\"background-color:rgba(0, 0, 0, 0)\" class=\"has-inline-color has-tarleton-black-color\">Sterilize faucet with a disinfecting wipe<\/mark><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><mark style=\"background-color:rgba(0, 0, 0, 0)\" class=\"has-inline-color has-tarleton-black-color\">Open the faucet to full flow and let water flow for 3 minutes to clear the line<\/mark><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><mark style=\"background-color:rgba(0, 0, 0, 0)\" class=\"has-inline-color has-tarleton-black-color\">Reduce the flow to a slow stream &#8211; about 1\/4-inch diameter (the thickness of a pencil)<\/mark><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><mark style=\"background-color:rgba(0, 0, 0, 0)\" class=\"has-inline-color has-tarleton-black-color\">Carefully open the bottle without touching the inside of the bottle<\/mark><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><mark style=\"background-color:rgba(0, 0, 0, 0)\" class=\"has-inline-color has-tarleton-black-color\">Fill the container without splashing &#8211; fill to the shoulder of the bottle. Do not rinse the container out or empty and refill. <\/mark><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><mark style=\"background-color:rgba(0, 0, 0, 0)\" class=\"has-inline-color has-tarleton-black-color\">Close and seal the container tightly <\/mark><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><mark style=\"background-color:rgba(0, 0, 0, 0)\" class=\"has-inline-color has-tarleton-black-color\">Record Sample Collection Time<\/mark><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><mark style=\"background-color:rgba(0, 0, 0, 0)\" class=\"has-inline-color has-tarleton-black-color\">Store sample on ice<\/mark><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li class=\"has-tarleton-black-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-68940a39b6b20d56b1837dce59ea0380\"><mark style=\"background-color:rgba(0, 0, 0, 0)\" class=\"has-inline-color has-tarleton-black-color\"><strong>Return Sample to TIAER lab<\/strong><\/mark>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><mark style=\"background-color:rgba(0, 0, 0, 0)\" class=\"has-inline-color has-tarleton-black-color\">Keep sample on ice until delivery to lab<\/mark><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><mark style=\"background-color:rgba(0, 0, 0, 0)\" class=\"has-inline-color has-tarleton-black-color\">Return to TIAER lab within 6 hours of collection. <\/mark><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><mark style=\"background-color:rgba(0, 0, 0, 0)\" class=\"has-inline-color has-tarleton-black-color\">Analysis costs: $20 per sample for presence\/absence or $45.06 per sample for enumeration. Discount available for large (10+) sample volumes. <\/mark><\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"597\" src=\"https:\/\/www.tarleton.edu\/tiaer\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/59\/2026\/06\/map-version-3-1024x597.png\" alt=\"How to find the TIAER lab for sample drop off and bottle pick up.\" class=\"wp-image-2601\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.tarleton.edu\/tiaer\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/59\/2026\/06\/map-version-3-1024x597.png 1024w, https:\/\/www.tarleton.edu\/tiaer\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/59\/2026\/06\/map-version-3-300x175.png 300w, https:\/\/www.tarleton.edu\/tiaer\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/59\/2026\/06\/map-version-3-600x350.png 600w, https:\/\/www.tarleton.edu\/tiaer\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/59\/2026\/06\/map-version-3-768x448.png 768w, https:\/\/www.tarleton.edu\/tiaer\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/59\/2026\/06\/map-version-3.png 1325w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>TIAER can test tap drinking water for fecal indicator bacteria (total coliforms and E. Coli). These bacteria serve as indicators of the presence of potentially harmful pathogens resulting from contamination &#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1045,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"template-fullwidth.php","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"inline_featured_image":false,"advgb_blocks_editor_width":"","advgb_blocks_columns_visual_guide":"","footnotes":"[]"},"class_list":["post-2600","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"acf":[],"coauthors":[],"author_meta":{"author_link":"https:\/\/www.tarleton.edu\/tiaer\/author\/dmenefee\/","display_name":"dmenefee"},"relative_dates":{"created":"Posted 1 week ago","modified":"Updated 7 days ago"},"absolute_dates":{"created":"Posted on June 25, 2026","modified":"Updated on June 29, 2026"},"absolute_dates_time":{"created":"Posted on June 25, 2026 8:40 pm","modified":"Updated on June 29, 2026 2:01 pm"},"featured_img_caption":"","featured_img":false,"series_order":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tarleton.edu\/tiaer\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/2600","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tarleton.edu\/tiaer\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tarleton.edu\/tiaer\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tarleton.edu\/tiaer\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1045"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tarleton.edu\/tiaer\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2600"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/www.tarleton.edu\/tiaer\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/2600\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2607,"href":"https:\/\/www.tarleton.edu\/tiaer\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/2600\/revisions\/2607"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tarleton.edu\/tiaer\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2600"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}