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Private wells test positive for dangerous E.Coli bacteria

According to an article in The Baltimore Sun, Frederick County officials in the town of New Market, MD announced August 21, 2007 that 45 of 57 private wells tested recently showed elevated levels of bacteria and that 17 of them registered potentially harmful levels of the kind of microscopic bugs (E.coli) that could make people sick.

The announcement highlighted the vulnerability of older drinking-water wells and stressed the need for well owners to check annually for possible contamination. According to a 2004 state report, about 900,000 Marylanders get water from private wells.  Recent construction booms make the current number much higher.

Of the 57 tested, 45 showed elevated levels of total coliform bacteria, a group of mostly harmless bacteria that are common in soil and water but can be found in the guts of animals and humans. When found in wells, they are an indicator, though far from conclusive, that the water might be contaminated with fecal matter from animals or humans.

Seventeen of the wells also tested positive for E. coli, a type of fecal coliform bacteria commonly found in the intestines of animals and humans. According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, finding E. coli in drinking water is "a strong indication of recent sewage or animal waste contamination" and of the presence of disease-carrying organisms.

Drinking water contaminated with E. coli can cause the sudden onset of abdominal pain and severe cramps, followed within 24 hours by diarrhea. As the disease progresses, the diarrhea becomes watery and then may become grossly bloody - bloody to naked eye. E. coli symptoms sometimes include vomiting, but rarely fever. The incubation period for E. coli infection (i.e., the period from ingestion of the bacteria to the start of symptoms) is typically 3 to 9 days, although shorter and longer periods are not that unusual. (source: http://www.about-ecoli.comnfo)  Generally, the illness is not life threatening, but children younger than age 5, the elderly and those with compromised immune systems might be vulnerable. E. coli contamination should be taken seriously. Contamination might be traced to cracks in older pipes allowing surface-water seepage, or to the lack of modern filters to keep out insects and other animals.

A handful of residents have carbon filters in their wells because of contamination with a gasoline additive that seeped underground from a nearby trucking terminal.

Bottom line - without regular testing, you can never be sure what is in your drinking water.  And even in-between testing, dangerous contaminants can find their way into your well.  A good filter along with UV light sterilization is your family's best defense to ensure nothing gets past your tap!

Full article: http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/local/bal-md.wells22aug22,0,7999018,full.story