The present invention provides a mixed bacterial culture, designated as
the culture Atz Mix 1, which degrades atrazine at various temperatures
(10.degree. C. to 30.degree. C.) in a wide range of atrazine
concentrations (several ppb to ten thousand ppm), without formation of
toxic metabolites. Atz Mix 1 is a stable mixed culture and includes
catabolic genes trzN, atzB, atzC coding the enzymes for the degradation
of atrazine to cyanuric acid, and the gene trzD coding the enzymes for
subsequent opening of s-triazine ring. The invention further includes a
microbiological method of degrading atrazine and other s-triazine
compounds for remediation of atrazine-contaminated soils, even those rich
in nitrogen, as well as for accelerating the process of atrazine
mineralization in waste waters containing high concentrations of
s-triazine compounds.