# Chapter 5: Microbial Quality of Drinking Water (Updated 2022) - [5.1 Introduction](https://guidelines.nhmrc.gov.au/australian-drinking-water-guidelines/part-2/chapter-5/5.1-introduction.md) - [5.2 Microorganisms in drinking water](https://guidelines.nhmrc.gov.au/australian-drinking-water-guidelines/part-2/chapter-5/5.2-microorganisms-in-drinking-water.md) - [5.3 Assessing microbial risk](https://guidelines.nhmrc.gov.au/australian-drinking-water-guidelines/part-2/chapter-5/5.3-assessing-microbial-risk.md) - [5.4 Enteric pathogens](https://guidelines.nhmrc.gov.au/australian-drinking-water-guidelines/part-2/chapter-5/5.4-enteric-pathogens.md) - [5.4.1 Enteric pathogens of concern in drinking water](https://guidelines.nhmrc.gov.au/australian-drinking-water-guidelines/part-2/chapter-5/5.4-enteric-pathogens/5.4.1-enteric-pathogens-of-concern-in-drinking-water.md) - [5.4.2 Contamination of source waters with enteric pathogens](https://guidelines.nhmrc.gov.au/australian-drinking-water-guidelines/part-2/chapter-5/5.4-enteric-pathogens/5.4.2-contamination-of-source-waters-with-enteric-pathogens.md) - [5.4.3 Management of risk from enteric pathogens](https://guidelines.nhmrc.gov.au/australian-drinking-water-guidelines/part-2/chapter-5/5.4-enteric-pathogens/5.4.3-management-of-risk-from-enteric-pathogens.md) - [5.5 Opportunistic pathogens](https://guidelines.nhmrc.gov.au/australian-drinking-water-guidelines/part-2/chapter-5/5.5-opportunistic-pathogens.md) - [5.6 Cyanobacteria](https://guidelines.nhmrc.gov.au/australian-drinking-water-guidelines/part-2/chapter-5/5.6-cyanobacteria.md) - [5.7 Nuisance organisms](https://guidelines.nhmrc.gov.au/australian-drinking-water-guidelines/part-2/chapter-5/5.7-nuisance-organisms.md) - [5.7.1 Organisms causing taste and odour problems](https://guidelines.nhmrc.gov.au/australian-drinking-water-guidelines/part-2/chapter-5/5.7-nuisance-organisms/5.7.1-organisms-causing-taste-and-odour-problems.md) - [5.7.2 Organisms causing colour problems](https://guidelines.nhmrc.gov.au/australian-drinking-water-guidelines/part-2/chapter-5/5.7-nuisance-organisms/5.7.2-organisms-causing-colour-problems.md) - [5.7.3 Deposits due to iron and manganese-oxidising bacteria](https://guidelines.nhmrc.gov.au/australian-drinking-water-guidelines/part-2/chapter-5/5.7-nuisance-organisms/5.7.3-deposits-due-to-iron-and-manganese-bacteria.md) - [5.7.4 Corrosion problems due to iron and sulfur-metabolising bacteria](https://guidelines.nhmrc.gov.au/australian-drinking-water-guidelines/part-2/chapter-5/5.7-nuisance-organisms/5.7.4-corrosion-problems-due-to-iron-and-sulphur-bacteria.md) - [5.7.5 Problems caused by large numbers of microorganisms](https://guidelines.nhmrc.gov.au/australian-drinking-water-guidelines/part-2/chapter-5/5.7-nuisance-organisms/5.7.5-problems-caused-by-large-numbers-of-microorganisms.md) - [5.8 References](https://guidelines.nhmrc.gov.au/australian-drinking-water-guidelines/part-2/chapter-5/5.8-references.md) --- # Agent Instructions This documentation is published with GitBook. GitBook is the documentation platform designed so that both humans and AI agents can read, navigate, and reason over technical content effectively. Learn more at gitbook.com. ## Querying This Documentation If you need additional information that is not directly available in this page, you can query the documentation dynamically by asking a question. Perform an HTTP GET request on the current page URL with the `ask` query parameter: ``` GET https://guidelines.nhmrc.gov.au/australian-drinking-water-guidelines/part-2/chapter-5.md?ask= ``` The question should be specific, self-contained, and written in natural language. The response will contain a direct answer to the question and relevant excerpts and sources from the documentation. Use this mechanism when the answer is not explicitly present in the current page, you need clarification or additional context, or you want to retrieve related documentation sections.