Microbial contamination of drinking water in rural area of Changping district of Beijing

Objective To investigate the contamination of drinking water and the distribution of microorganisms in rural area of Changping district of Beijing, provide evidence for the revision and perfection of National Standards for Drinking Water Quality, and ensure the safety of drinking water in rural area. Methods A total of 105 samples of terminal tap water and finished water were collected from self-water supply system of 75 natural villages in Changping from May to August in 2016 for the detection of total colony count, total coliforms, thermotolerant coliforms, Escherichia coli, mold and yeast, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Cronobacter spp., Streptocoocus faecium, Aeromonas hydrophila and diarrheogenic Escherichia coli. Results The pass rate of total colony count, total coliforms, thermotolerant coliforms and Escherichia coli detections were 96.19% (101/105), 70.48% (74/105), 87.62% (92/105) and 89.52% (94/105), respectively. The overall qualified rate was 68.57% (72/105) .The detection rate of other microorganisms was 67.62% (71/105), Pseudomonas aeruginosa was predominant (35.24%, 37/105). Conclusion Microbial contamination of drinking water was found in the detection of water samples from self-water supply system in rural area of Changping. Except the microorganisms specified in the National Standards for Drinking Water Quality, the contaminations of Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Aeromonas hydrophila and Acinetobacter were detected too. It is necessary to strengthen the control of other pathogenic microorganisms, which are not specified in the National Standards for Drinking Water Quality, to reduce the outbreak of waterborne communicable diseases.