Coliforms & Pathogens

Hammonton Lake is a 65-acre recreational lake in New Jersey, USA. It is downstream of a wastewater treatment works and suffered from excessive levels of coliform bacteria. This caused the swimming beach to be shut to the public by the Health Department for 13 days in 2006 because the coliform cell count was above the 300 cells per ml public health limit at all other times.

On 19^th July 2007, the solution program was commissioned. When the first post solution tests were done on July 23^rd the coliform count was 180 cells per ml.

On the night of July 30^th, a large storm created stormwater inflow to the upstream sewage works that “flushed” it out, sending the coliform count in the lake up to 1 621 on July 31^st.

On August 2^nd the coliform count had dropped to 356 and on August 3^rd the count was 185.

Over the next two weeks, the coliform count continued to drop, reaching 58 on August 19^th.

On the night of August 19^th, a large storm created stormwater inflow to the upstream sewage works that “flushed” it out, sending the coliform count in the lake up to 1 400 on August 21^st.

On August 24^th the coliform count had dropped to 200.

These two rain events demonstrate the extent to which our solution acts as a public health protection mechanism in such situations.