ATP and Its Use in Environmental Groundwater Assessment

As increasing demands are placed on our water supplies, the ability to effectively monitor those water sources becomes ever more important. Bacterial presence in groundwater is widespread and has the potential to be extremely problematic within water systems. Foul odors, production losses, corrosion, and overall decline in water quality are all conditions which can be associated with bacterial populations in a drinking water system. Assessment and monitoring of the general microbial quality can play a vital role in both diagnosing the problems associated with a water sample, as well as determining the most effective treatments. Adenosine triphosphate (ATP) analysis is an excellent method for accomplishing this. The simplicity, affordability, timeliness and accuracy of ATP analysis gives it distinct advantages over traditional methods for quantifying bacterial populations. Using ATP in association with conventional bacterial assessment methods offers a more comprehensive evaluation of water systems and an innovative approach to groundwater monitoring.