The Truth of Water – Answers

The bacteria E.Coli has become a household catch phrase in the mouths of Canadians since the Walkerton tragedy of 2000.  A series of events combined that year to contaminate the water of the residents of Walkerton with a specific strain of E.Coli, E.Coli O157:H7.  As a result, seven people died and thousands of others were made sick. Since, new and stringent regulations have come into place to increase the protection from the risk of this infections disease from ever entering public water supplies again.

E.Coli is a contaminant risk not only in water, but in food as well.  There have been many food recalls because of E.Coli contamination.  And the risk of E.Coli is not just a risk for food and public water supplies, but it’s a risk for a private well, if you own one.

E.Coli is a particular type of coliform bacteria.  Coliform bacteria are all around us, in the soil, in water, in muck and all over the natural environment. Escheria Coli, or E.Coli for short, are specifically adapted to live in the guts of warm blooded animals.

Twenty or Thirty years ago, microbiologists would not have given second thoughts to classifying E.Coli as a dangerous microorganism.  This is because E.Coli is a natural part of your own digestive processes. Your gut is packed with these little bugs, and they help aid in digestion, produce small quantities of vitamins B12 and K, and even work to protect your gut from other invading organisms. At most, some forms of E.Coli were just a nusance, causing non life threatening diahrrea.

It wasn’t until the discovery of E.Coli O157:H7 that microbiologists began to worry about this organism.  Indeed, there were several outbreaks in the early 80′s of food borne contaminiation that left an impression.

This is why E.Coli is a mandatory test for all municipalities in their water suppies on a regular basis.  They must be sure that their water is free from this organism that has the potential to wreak such havoc on the health of all of us.  If you own a private well, it should also be a test performed by you on a regular basis.

There are two types of tests laboratories can do. The first can show if E.Coli is present and how much of it is there. The second identifies the type of E.Coli.  Generally, only the first test is done because it is fast, easy and inexpensive, as apposed to the second which costs much more money.  If you do have E.Coli in your water, it is important to take remediation steps right away as it is a positive indicator of fecal contamination. That is, feces has been in contact with your drinking water.

If you are on municipal water and want to know more about the quality of the water coming from your tap, contact your local municipality.  Most carry extensive records of all their tests and will be happy to share them with you and explain what the results mean. If you are on your own private supply, contact your local health unit.  They can do some testing for you, and if they can’t they can point you towards an accredited lab.
E.Coli is an important organism inside your own body.  If it’s in your drinking water or food supply, chances are it’s a strain that’s different from the one inside of you and you will need to take action. Remember, safe drinking water is all of our responsibilities.   Maintain your septic system and watch where you spread your fertilizer and dispose of your animals waste.

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 succeptable to surface water run off contamination.  Wells can even be suceptable 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.