You are drinking water from WHERE?

I had a recent call from a renter (and soon-to-be new father) who wanted information on testing his drinking water supply.  When a baby arrives at a home, it’s a great time to have your water tested  – for lead if you are on public water (remember that most lead in tap water comes from the home itself, not from the water source – visit wellwater.maine.gov or http://water.epa.gov/drink/info/lead/index.cfm for information about lead), and for a host of possible contaminants if you have a private well. The recommendations for testing private well water are online at http://www.maine.gov/dhhs/eohp/wells/mewellwater.htm.

However, in this situation the source of water to the home was not either public water or a private well – water came in from a nearby lake.  The problem with testing water coming from a lake is that the water quality can change quickly and dramatically.  Bacteria (that can cause stomach issues) can enter a lake from polluted runoff, from animals, even from humans – and since we cannot smell or taste these bacteria, drinking water from a lake is risky.

It was easy to see why bottled water is best for this family at this time – especially with a new baby.  Most drilled wells, if properly sealed, will be safe from bacterial contamination.  Dug wells, springs, and other open sources of water (lakes, etc.) are vulnerable.  However, contamination of drilled wells with bacteria can happen, so if there’s a new baby arriving soon, it’s always best to test.