Control of Sulfate‐Reducing Bacteria

Sulfate‐reducing bacteria have been implicated in numerous instances of damage, as recorded by Postgate. One of the most important of these situations is the corrosion of buried pipelines. Von Wolzogen Kuhr, in 1937, proposed the first widely accepted theory of the corrosion activity of sulfate‐ reducing bacteria. This thesis has been tested by Starkey and Wight and further discussed by Starkey, Updegraff, and Sharpley. Although the importance of sulfate‐reducing bacteria in the external corrosion of pipelines is well known, their activity inside water mains is often overlooked. Rusty water or offensive odors at isolated points in a distribution system are often attributable to sulfate‐reducing bacteria.