When making a decision about which test methods to recommend for volunteers to use in Minnesota, Michigan, Ohio and Wisconsin (or other states) following the 2004 monitoring season, costs of each kit were taken into account. This factor was studied since cost was considered as a major factor for citizen monitoring groups that are interested in doing bacterial monitoring. The following table shows a general estimate of the cost of each of the five test kits that were studied during the first year of the project.
Method
Cost/Sample
Additional Costs
Coliscan®Easy Gel
$1.85
Incubator (varies)
3MTMPetrifilmTM
$1.06
Incubator (varies)
Coliscan®Membrane Filtration Method
$1.70
Incubator (varies)
Filter apparatus ($7.00)
Syringe & hose ($2.50)
ColisureTMMethodwith the IDEXX Quanti-Tray®/2000
$5.45*
Incubator (varies)
Sealer ($3,000)
UV light & box ($240)
*Value would be much lower if ordered in greater bulk.
