Editing Enterococcus (section)

== Water quality ==

In bodies of water, the acceptable level of contamination is very low; for example in the state of [[Hawaii]], and most of the United States, the limit for water off its beaches is a five-week geometric mean of 35 colony-forming units per 100 ml of water, above which the state may post warnings to stay out of the ocean.<ref name=Hawaii_DOH>{{cite web|title=Clean Water Branch |work=Hawaii State Department of Health |url=http://gen.doh.hawaii.gov/sites/har/AdmRules1/11-54.pdf |access-date=2012-05-18 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111111031411/http://gen.doh.hawaii.gov/sites/har/AdmRules1/11-54.pdf |archive-date=2011-11-11 }}</ref> In 2004, measurement of enterococci took the place of [[fecal coliform]]s as the new American federal standard for water quality at public saltwater beaches and alongside ''[[Escherichia coli]]'' at freshwater beaches.<ref>{{cite journal|title=Water Quality Standards for Coastal and Great Lakes Recreation Waters; Final Rule|journal=Federal Register|date=16 November 2004|volume=69|issue=220|pages=67218–67243|url=https://www.federalregister.gov/articles/2004/11/16/04-25303/water-quality-standards-for-coastal-and-great-lakes-recreation-waters|access-date=26 November 2014}}</ref> It is believed to provide a higher correlation than fecal coliform with many of the human pathogens often found in city sewage.<ref name=Jin_2004>{{cite journal | vauthors = Jin G, Jeng HW, Bradford H, Englande AJ | title = Comparison of E. coli, enterococci, and fecal coliform as indicators for brackish water quality assessment | journal = Water Environment Research | volume = 76 | issue = 3 | pages = 245–255 | year = 2004 | pmid = 15338696 | doi = 10.2175/106143004X141807 | bibcode = 2004WaEnR..76..245J | s2cid = 35780753 }}</ref>