The Baynespruit River was shown to be heavily contaminated with
fecal coliforms and E. coli and did not meet the WHO guideline criteria
for safe irrigation. Target microorganisms commonly used as indicators
for the hygiene status of foods frequently exceeded the DOH
limit values for safe consumption. This indicates that the presence of
these organisms on produce might be due to a transfer from fecally
contaminated irrigation water which might place consumers at risk.