WRC Home > Outreach and Public Engagement > Drinking Water and Human Health
 Citizens Monitoring Bacteria
Six upper-Midwest states were awarded a three-year grant (2003-2006) to assess the accuracy and reliability of E. coli bacteria test kits when used by volunteers monitoring surface water. The University of Minnesota Water Resources Center (WRC) is serving as the lead for that research grant from the Cooperative State Research, Education, and Extension Service (CSREES). In addition, the Legislative Commission on Minnesota’s Resources (LCMR) has awarded the WRC two years of funding (2005-2007) to enhance surface water monitoring by involving volunteers in monitoring bacteria.
Preliminary results from the research indicate that the test kits work well for volunteers; they are inexpensive (averaging about $2 per test); and the results are reasonably accurate when compared with lab analysis.
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