For more than 100 years, there has been debate among microbiologists and public health practitioners concerning the role of drinking water monitoring for either pathogens or indicators. By the 1890s, it was generally accepted that monitoring for specific pathogens was not in the best interest for public health protection because there were too many pathogens, they were present in very small concentrations, and methods for their detection were not practical. Public health officials decided that monitoring would be conducted to detect faecal pollution rather than individual pathogens.
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