The promulgation of such regulations as the Interim
Enhanced Surface Water Treatment Rule (IESWTR)
and the Long Term 2 ESWTR (LT2ESWTR) has
pointed out the need for methods to compare the relative
efficacy of treatment alternatives for removing
Cryptosporidium during drinking water treatment.
Until recently, little was known about Cryptosporidium
removal by filtration during nonideal operating
periods. Furthermore, with the exception of formalin-inactivated
oocysts, no reliable, quantitative surrogate
for live oocysts has been demonstrated for a variety of
operational conditions and filtration regimes in the
peer-reviewed literature. This article consolidates and
updates the available information on Cryptosporidium
removal by filtration, with a focus on optimal and
suboptimal filtration performance. Includes 83 references, tables.