Fecal Coliforms
Collect a 250mL water sample in a sterile container for laboratory membrane filtration (CFU/100mL).
Why this matters — One Health
Their presence suggests inputs from human or animal waste and therefore a potential exposure to enteric pathogens including pathogenic bacteria, and parasites. This makes them a reliable early warning signal for the potential presence of harmful pathogens such as E. coli O157, Salmonella, or viruses (e.g. norovirus causing gastroenteritis) and parasites associated with gastrointestinal diseases.
Source: Importance of indicator — VII. Fecal Coliforms (factsheet_text.txt)
Collection Protocol
Collect water sample in sterile container. Filter on selective growth medium. Incubate at warm temperatures. Count colonies as CFU/100mL.
Laboratory Protocol Required
Requires membrane filtration or enzyme-substrate culture testing in an accredited laboratory (Method 9222 / ISO 9308-1). Cannot be evaluated visually in the field.
You cannot determine the result in the field.
Deterministic assessment
Awaiting laboratory analysis- ObservationField record contains sample ID, collection protocol and notes only — no measurement.
input/FCL-06/sample - RuleOfficial measurement (factsheet §VII): a known volume of water is filtered onto a selective growth medium; after incubation, visible colonies are counted and reported as colony-forming units per 100 mL (CFU/100 mL). qPCR and eDNA methods are also described.
FCL-06/lab-pending - SourcesFactsheet §VII (Fecal Coliforms): colony counts "expressed as colony-forming units per 100 mL (CFU/100 mL)"; presence "suggests inputs from human or animal waste and therefore a potential exposure to enteric pathogens" (OneAquaHealth Key Indicators Factsheets, doi:10.5281/zenodo.20345207).
source/factsheet/FCL-06
- !We do not grade what we did not measure: no CFU/100 mL result exists until the laboratory reports one, so this indicator stays in pending state by rule.
Deterministic rules (streamvitals-assessment/1.0.0). No AI, no network, no hidden state.