What
Kind of Bacteria
Am I Drinking?
Doesn't
Chlorine Kill
Bacteria?
Bacteria:
If you are on a municipal system with
chlorination or chloramine, theoretically you are protected against bacteria.
However, if the level of chlorination isn't high enough from the municipal
source to your tap, bacteria can re-infect the water anywhere along the
distribution system. The piping system -- whether it's the mains or your house
plumbing -- has bacterial growth in it happening all the time.
- If you are on a spring or a wall, with no
chlorine, then you are very vulnerable to bacterial contamination. Even the
most pure sources cannot prevent occasional contamination from animals
either dying or defecating in the source, or from neighboring pollution
(i.e. septic tanks) traveling from an adjoining watershed to contaminate the
source. Also, the pipes are again a source of bacteria.
- Many people do periodic testing on their well or
spring source and rely on this method to assure themselves that they have
good water. What they don't realize is that there are a few problems with
testing.
- First, the test is only good for the moment the
sample was taken. Bacteria can have "blooms," if the conditions
are right, which potentially occur hours, days or weeks after the testing
and therefore remain undetected. Other casual contamination can occur from
animal or human sources, as mentioned above, which the test never detected
because the sample was taken before the contamination occurred.
- Second, testing can be very expensive to do,
depending on what is being tested for. Most basic tests cover bacteria (i.e.
E. coli), levels of sediment and decaying organic matter, and amount of
total dissolved solids (mineral levels such as calcium, magnesium, iron,
sulfur, etc.). With any extra testing the price goes up per test. Lead,
asbestos and specific chemical contaminants are more difficult and therefore
much more expensive to test for.
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