Figure 1. Color changes in first eleven meltwater samples taken from first snow column.

Figure 1. Color changes in first eleven meltwater samples taken from first snow column.

Second indoor study

solutes, it would also be more likely to remain unfro-

zen even at temperatures slightly below 0C.

To confirm our previous findings, we repeated the

The fecal streptococci were reduced by one to three

previous study with a few modifications. We did not

orders of magnitude but were detectable throughout the

perform coliform analyses because we had been un-

experiment (Table 3). Unlike the total counts that in-

able to detect any coliform bacteria in either the snow

creased throughout the experiment, concentrations of

or the meltwater fractions in the first study. Also, all

these microorganisms decreased slightly.

the melted fractions were analyzed in this study.

Table 3. Results from first indoor study.

Mean

Mean fecal

Sample

Fraction

total count streptococci

Sample

date

time

no.

Comments

(CFU*/mL) (CFU/100 mL)

2.7 103

3 103

Snow

7.4 101

Melted fraction

4/29

0900

1

yellow, bad smell

50

2.4 101

0900

4

lt. yellow, bad smell

30

1.8 101

0900

8

relatively clear

30

0900

16

relatively clear

3.0

80

1.4 101

5/7

0900

24

relatively clear

50

3.6 105

5/8

0900

25

yellow, off odor

240

4.8 104

0900

26

almost clear

23

3.5 103

0900

30

lots of black specks

50

2.2 104

1500

31

lots of black specks

30

4.4 104

5/19

0700

32

slightly yellow

13

2.9 104

5/20

0900

34

clear

4

3.8 104

5/21

0830

36

clear

13

2.9 105

1330

39

clear

13

2.7 106

5/28

0845

40

clear with black specks

<2

2.4 106

0845

41

clear

4

2.4 106

0845

42

clear

2

3.8 106

1300

43

clear

4

2.2 106

5/29

0845

44

few black specks

2

2.4 106

0845

45

more black specks

23

6.2 106

0845

46

lots of black specks

23

8.7 106

0900

Rinse

23

*Colony Forming Unit

7