Disinfection of surface water containing dissolved iron (0.3 mg L(-1)) at natural neutral pH ( approximately 7.5) was carried out via solar disinfection (SODIS) treatment in PET bottles with H(2)O(2) (10 mg L(-1)). Wild coliforms and Salmonella sp. were monitored for 6 h of sunlight irradiation and 72 h of dark post-treatment period. In our conditions, SODIS treatment could not avoid Salmonella sp. re-growth during dark storage, meanwhile the addition of 10 mg L(-1) of H(2)O(2) showed a strong enhancement of the inactivation rate without any re-growth of both bacteria. Finally, total coliforms (Escherichia coli included) demonstrated to be an inappropriate indicator for monitoring bacterial contamination in water during solar disinfection processes.
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