The principles of flocculation and sedimentation/filtration have been widely applied in the treatment of municipal drinking water sources for many years. Recent times have seen increasing adoption of combinations of floccing agents as more effective means of bringing about removal of suspended particulates, including microbes. Many of the most useful flocculants for these purposes are unsuitable for recreational water use, but the principles of enhanced flocculation and filtration offer an opportunity to enable conventional filtration technologies to become more effective in the treatment of pool and spa water. In reviewing these principles in this presentation, we will provide data on the efficacy of several different flocculant schemes, appropriate for application to recreational water, in enhancing the filterability of both inanimate and microbial particulates, including E.coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Giardia, and Cryptosporidium, by conventional depth filter media in both experimental laboratory bench simulations, and in some real world pool and spa situations. Evidence for filterability has been collected in a variety of ways, and examples of these will be illustrated in support of the development of claims that can form the basis of prophylactic and remediation methods for use as tools in the prevention and control of RWI. Dr. Jeff Williams is Sr. VP and Chief Technology Officer for HaloSource Incorporated, serving as advisor to the CEO on all aspects of the company's technology portfolio, and its bioscience applications. He is an experienced specialist in microbiology and infectious diseases, joining the company after a 27-year career as Professor of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics at Michigan State University (MSU). He has published over 200 scientific papers and textbook chapters in this area of biomedical science. During his tenure at MSU he served four years as a member of the Board of Counselors to the US-NIH Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, and was a frequent consultant to the World Health Organization of the UN in Geneva, Switzerland. In recognition of his leadership and accomplishments in microbiology, he was elected a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science in 1996. From 1980-82 he was consultant to Merck Inc., and then, from 1982-1999, was retained consultant to Pharmacia Inc. (now Pfizer), gaining valuable experience and insights into the processes of drug discovery and product development in the biomedical industry. For 15 years, while at MSU, he was the Director of the NIH Program Project on Infectious Diseases in Sudan, a major health research program focused on water-borne diseases of the tropics. Jeff joined MSU after spending several years as research scientist with the PanAmerican Health Organization in Argentina. He holds degrees in Veterinary Science (B.V.Sc., University of Bristol, UK, 1964), and Pathobiology (Ph.D, University of Pennsylvania, 1968), where he was a Fulbright Scholar (1964-68).
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