[Bacteriologic and virologic hygienic studies on waste water ponds]

Many problems arise with the overflow of wastewater after heavy rainfalls. Therefore a research project was started to investigate the possibilities of biological treatment for such sporadically occurring sewage. In this paper a helophyte bed is compared with a simple wastewater pond regarding virological and bacteriological hygiene parameters. The number of coliphages is an evident indicator for enteroviruses and its enumeration can be done easily and safely. It is suggested that the kind of sewage treatment described here is not suitable for municipal wastewater but for domestic sewage in the countryside. Furthermore the quantification of coliphages should become a constant part of routine hygiene examination.