Bacterial populations in the groundwater on the US-Mexico border in El Paso County, Texas

In El Paso County, Texas, 73 domestic wells were sampled using a variety of selective media to determine the extent of bacterial contamination of the groundwater on the US side of the United States-Mexico border. Thirteen wells were contaminated by fecal coliforms, whereas other wells contained a variety of bacterial genera including some potential pathogens that normally would not be detected by standard methods of water testing.