For the rapid and reliable detection of toxic compounds in water, a novel toxicity detection methodology based on sulfur-oxidizing bacteria (SOB) has been developed. The methodology exploits the ability of SOB to oxidize elemental sulfur to sulfuric acid in the presence of oxygen. The reaction results in an increase in electrical conductivity (EC) and a decrease in pH. Using a synthetic stream water (EC=0.12 mS/cm and pH=7.2), the baseline steady-state EC and pH values were 0.5~1.2 mS/cm and ~2.5 over 7 days of testing at HRT 30 minutes. When nitrite compounds were added to the system, the effluent EC decreased and the pH increased due to the inhibition of the SOB. Optimum HRT was 30 min and this HRT could be decresed by using smaller sulfur particles.