Reductions of E. Coli, Echovirus Type 12 and Bacteriophages in an Intermittently Operated Household-Scale Slow Sand Filter

Reductions of E. coli, echovirus type 12 and bacteriophages in an intermittently operated household-scale slow sand filter were examined. Feed water was obtained from the sample taps of local water treatment plants using one of three local water supply reservoirs. Three separate NaCl tracer tests were conducted to determine the effect of flow rate through the filter on residence time distribution (RTD). Reductions of bacteria, viruses, and turbidity by the BSF tended to be lower than those demonstrated for traditional slow sandfilter (SSF). The results from the microbial challenge observations indicated that increasing the retention time of water in the filter could increase reductions.