During a period of 8 months about 3000 drinking water samples derived from different water works and distribution systems around the area of the city Bonn were examined for colony count, E. coli and coliform bacteria and bacteria suppressing the growth of E. coli and S. faecalis. A modified agar diffusion test was used for the determination of antagonistic substances. Bacteria which revealed an antagonistic activity were isolated and identified. The majority of water samples (81.9% of the samples examined for antagonistic bacteria against E. coli) contained no bacteria in 1 ml and therefore were not examined for antagonistic substances. Only 2.5% of the samples had bacterial counts greater 100 per ml. In 64.2% of the samples examined for bacteria antagonistic to S. faecalis, no counts were found and 2.4% had counts greater 100. The occurrence of fecal indicators was very low in samples with low colony forming units (cfu). At counts greater than 100 we found E. coli within 30.6% and coliform bacteria in 38.8% of the samples examined for bacteria showing antagonistic activity against E. coli. E. coli and coliform bacteria were determined in 24.2% and 33.3% of the samples examined for antagonistic bacteria against S. faecalis. 20% of the samples with colony counts between 1 to 10 contained bacteria showing antagonistic activity against E. coli and at counts greater than 100 they were found in 57.1% of the samples. On the other hand, the quantity of samples with suppression of S. faecalis was 10 to 20% lower and reached a maximum of 39.4% at cfu greater 100. Most of the isolated antagonistic strains belong to the genus Pseudomonas and even 57.8% of the inhibitory strains against E. coli and 26.5% against S. faecalis were found to be P. fluorescens.