Virus and bacteria removal from wastewater by land treatment

Secondary sewage effluent and renovated water from four wells at the Flushing Meadows Wastewater Renovation Project near Phoenix, Arizona, in operation since 1967, were assayed approximately every 2 months in 1974 for viruses and enteric bacteria during flooding periods. No viruses of Salmonella sp. were detected in any renovated well water samples, and the numbers of fecal coliforms, fecal streptococci, and total bacteria were decreased by about 99.9% in the renovated well waters after the wastewater was filtered through about 9 m of soil.