Getting Your Well Water Tested for E.Coli
Published September 19, 2008 | 
If you rely on a personal well for your water, it is important to get it tested on a regular basis, especially if you don’t have disinfection technology.
Many wells are older, dug wells without proper seals and are very susceptible to surface water run off contamination. Wells can even be susceptible to contamination from your septic tank.
Most health units, at least here on Ontario, provide free testing services for private wells. They test for two things – total coliform and E.coli or Fecal Coliform.
Total coliform is an indicator organism, and lets you know if there might be a problem with the well. Coliforms are a very common organism and reside in shallow water aquifers and the surrounding soil. Total Coliforms may not be a problem, but too many of them can mask a much more serious problem – E.Coli or Fecal Coliforms.
Ecoli and Fecal Coliform presence in your water means direct contamination from human or animal waste. This is a problem because the E.Coli’s that cause serious gastrointestinal problems are ones that come from animal waste.
So what can you do if an E.Coli is detected? The first thing is to find another source of drinking and cooking water, and retest. Sometimes an E.Coli result is a fluke and another test will either confirm that or will tell you that there is an E.Coli issue.
Your other options are having a new and more secure well drilled, and/or installing treatment technology such as filtration and Ultraviolet Disinfection or a chlorinator.
Remember, if you do install a new well and/or some treatment technology, it’s important to disinfect the plumbing in your house. Bacteria can form colonies in your plumbing if it’s been contaminated with dirty well water.
Run some bleach through the lines and make sure you run it to each and every tap in the house by turning on the fixture until you smell the bleach. Let it sit undisturbed for a few hours before flushing the bleach through – that will disinfect your plumbing.
It’s important to disinfect your plumbing whenever you open it up to do a repair, install a new fixture or add a new line. Bacteria can come from your hands and tools as well and can procreate themselves in your plumbing.
Remember, test the water you drink on a regular basis, even if you have a treatment system. Treatment systems mitigate risk but the only way to prevent a problem for sure is to know about it.
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The Truth of Lead
Published September 16, 2008 | Lead in water, especially in Ontario, has been a hot ticket item for a long time. Since a high concentration of lead was found in the drinking water of a London Ontario home a few years ago, the Ontario government has instituted an aggressive new lead regulation aimed at municipalities, requiring them to take a sampling of lead in the older homes in their cities.
But where does lead come from? Simply, lead comes from lead. Lead water lines, plumbing solder with lead in it, lead fittings, gaskets, and even from old brass fixtures that have lead in them.
Large amounts of lead exposure over a long period of time can be toxic to human health, but it is especially detrimental to the old, the very young, and pregnant woman. The elimination of lead in gasoline, paint, etc. has vastly reduced the amount of lead exposure to people in recent years. However, if you are in an older home you could still be exposed to lead in your drinking water due to the old plumbing and fixtures. So how do you reduce or eliminate lead from your drinking water if this is the case?
Change your plumbing.
It’s as simple as that. By ripping out all the plumbing in your house and replacing it with new materials, you eliminate all possibilities of lead contamination. This is the most expensive way, and there are other ways of dealing with lead.
Filter it out.
Both reverse osmosis and certain carbon filters will reduce or eliminate any lead in your drinking water, and can be easily obtained from water supply or hardware stores.
Run your water.
In order to contaminate water, your water needs to be in contact with lead for a prolonged period of time. Exactly how long and how much lead you get in your water depends on the corrosiveness of your water, among other factors. However, the time is measured in hours, not minutes and seconds. The easiest, cheapest and fastest way to ensure there is no lead is to simply flush your tap for a few minutes when water hasn’t been used in a long time.
There is another way to deal with lead. There has been some discussion on epoxy coating the interior of your pipes. Personally, I think this is probably not a good option considering the filtration and flushing options.
Lead in your drinking water is a contaminant of concern. If you do suspect lead in your pipes, it is easily and cheaply dealt with, as we have seen.
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