The purpose of this investigation is to compare the behavior of human pathogens with that of bacteriophages. Bacteriophages have been widely used as models for human enteric viruses (HEVs) in environmental fate studies because they have similar morphological features with HEVs and are easier and more cost effective to analyze. However, systematic comparison of the behaviors of bacteriophages and HEVs is rare and there has been report of poor correlation between the removal of model organisms and enteric viruses during activated sludge water treatment process. In the present study, we are conducting column experiments to investigate the transport and retention of HEVs (Aichi and Hepatitis A) and bacteriophages (MS2 and φX174) through oxide-removed, goethite-coated or aluminum oxide-coated sand. We use an artificial ground water solution at pH 7.5 as background electrolyte. Input solution containing viruses at 10⁸ pfu/L is used for all experiments and effluent samples are collected and concentrations of the viruses are determined via plaque assay (for MS2 and φX174) and TCID₅₀ (for Aichi and Hepatitis A) and used to construct breakthrough curves. To examine whether the viruses retained in the columns are inactivated or irreversibly sorbed, 3% beef extract solution of pH 9.5 is used to elute the columns at the end of the experiments. To assess the nature of virus interactions with mineral surfaces, zeta potentials of both viruses and sand (clean and metal oxides coated) are measured and used for calculating Derjaguin–Landau–Verwey–Overbeek (DLVO) potential energy profiles. We will also employ Cryo-SEM and AFM to examine attachment of the various viruses onto metal oxide coated sand. The behavior of the viruses will be systematically evaluated to draw conclusions on the suitability of using bacteriophages as models for HEVs.