Plate Count Agar w/o Dextrose is recommended for the determination of plate counts of microorganisms in water samples.It is recommended by APHA and FDA for the detection of plate counts in water samples. APHA recommends the use of pour plate technique. The samples are diluted and appropriate dilutions are added in Petri plates. Sterile molten agar is added to these plates and plates are rotated gently to ensure uniform mixing of the sample with agar. The poured plate count method is preferred to the surface inoculation method, since it gives higher results.