Reduction of FRNA-bacteriophages and faecal indicator bacteria by dune infiltration and estimation of sticking efficiencies

A field study was performed to investigate reduction by dune infiltration a nd to estimate sticking efficiencies of F-specific RNA bacteriophages, tota l and thermotolerant coliforms, faecal streptococci and spores of sulphite- reducing clostridia. Reduction was considered as a P-binomially distributed process and a Monte Carlo simulation was applied for estimating sticking e fficiencies. Reduction of F-specific RNA bacteriophages within the first 2 m was 3.8 log(10) and the sticking efficiency was about 0.002. The faecal i ndicator bacteria were removed only 0.9 log(10) within 2m and sticking effi ciency was 0.007. Concentrations of spores of sulphite reducing clostridia were reduced 1.9 log(10) and their sticking efficiency was about 0.009. (C) 1998 IAWQ Published by Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.