Bacteriological quality of some farm water supplies in Queensland

Abstract

Sixty water supplies from 44 dairy farms were examined bacteriologically to determine the total bacterial count, coliform, lipolytic, proteolytic and psychrophilic counts, numbers of yeasts and moulds and the production of changes in litmus milk. Many of the samples were from rain-water storage tanks, but samples from bores, dams, creeks, springs and a well were also examined. Many waters had very high counts of organisms which could cause deterioration of dairy products and only five did not contain biochemically active bacteria in 1 ml. In many samples, including most of the samples of rain water, coliform organisms were not detected in 1 ml. It is concluded that all farm water supplies should be suspected of containing appreciable contamination which can lower the quality of milk or cream, and so should be heat-treated or chemically sterilized before being used for dairy purposes.