Private water supply investigated by law

[JoceAndChris]

I do hope so, or at the very least not to turn up on a day when the thick snow is so visibly criss-crossed with a thousand footprints of rats!

 

[ilona73]

I do hope so, or at the very least not to turn up on a day when the thick snow is so visibly criss-crossed with a thousand footprints of rats!

Just tell em you are surrounded by your neighbours!

 

[JoceAndChris]

Furry neighbours? Having no human ones, they shouldn't begrudge me what company I can get! :lol:

 

[ilona73]

Furry neighbours? Having no human ones, they shouldn't begrudge me what company I can get! :lol:

Exactly what i was thinking too!!
Looks stunningly beautiful and so tranquil too you are blessed!

 

[JoceAndChris]

I should feel more blessed - just been looking at the images of Haiti, oh my God. Just so awful.

 

[ilona73]

We are all blessed as i tell my children when they moan.. we don't know how lucky we are and we take things for granted. Haiti is such a reason to be thankful for what we have . Its so shockingly sad

 

[JoceAndChris]

Update

Now I feel stupid, more stupid than normal. I resented this heath and safety obsessed invasion of my little kingdom, but the very kindly water inspector has just phoned me urgently. He had the well water tested, and it was found to be dangerously full of E.Coli. He has advised me not to drink anymore, or serve it to others until I have a UV filter fitted.

Why am I so full of robust health? And everyone else who drinks it?

 

[jocelyn plummer]

OMG!

Has he got the right address?

Trouble is, unlike damp treatment prescriptions which are often not the best , you rather feel that you will have to proceed with the fitting of a filter!!!!

 

[Schoolmarm]

Same result as we had, none of us were poorly but the filter then had to be fitted by law once the results were known under threat of them cutting the supply off. All on our own land and fully private.


The UV filter is not a problem. The UV bulb has to be changed once a year. The difficulty is to resist turning a tap on during power cuts.

 

[JoceAndChris]

:lol: Hadn't thought of that potential benefit! I'd forgotten you were on a private supply too, how interesting.

Yes Joss, you're right - it's an injunction I can't in all conscience ignore. He said that kids and the elderly are more likely to be affected, and we have plenty of both coming to visit.

 

[Schoolmarm]

No, it isn't a benefit :lol: I meant the UV wouldn't sterilise the water during a power cut but people still flush toilets and run taps, thus drawing poisoned water into the system.

 

[jocelyn plummer]

Good point Schoolmarm--- odd isn't it, that everything revolves around the efficacy of the power supply-- what happens if the power supply is gone for a long period of time, as has happened in some areas affected by severe weather-- 2/3 days.

 

[Flyfisher]

Did they give any details of the type of E.Coli and the likely source? Just thinking if there could be any cross-contamination between your spring and foul water arrangements. Not a pleasant lunchtime thought, I know, but worth considering. Also, did they give any details about what "full of" actually means in terms of the recommended safe limits? Are you 2x the 'safe' limit, 4x, 10x, 100x ? I would also guess that our standards for 'safe' water are pretty stringent in the grand scheme of things.

As for your "robust health", it would be interesting to know if your water supply is actually a contributing factor. Your immune system is obviously dealing with the water quite adequately, but I wonder if it's a chicken-or-egg thing.

It's interesting that they can force you to fix the water quality from your own private supply though, but it's probably the best thing to do - you'd feel guilty if you consigned house guests to a bout of sickness. Well, I assume you would. :wink:

 

[JoceAndChris]

No, it isn't a benefit :lol: I meant the UV wouldn't sterilise the water during a power cut but people still flush toilets and run taps, thus drawing poisoned water into the system.

Oops, I didn't understand first time around - thanks for clarifying.

Did they give any details of the type of E.Coli and the likely source?

Hopefully your lunch is over and thanks for your interest FF! The very efficient water inspector has just driven here with the results. He really did appear most alarmed.

"I can now confirm that the results have shown the Well water sampled to be unsatisfactory for the tests undertaken. I have received a telephone call from the Health Protection Agency lab to say that the results from the well water tests have detected 27 Coliforms and 2 Escherichia Coliforms in a 100 ml sample.

it is recommended that you boil your water before drinking until further notice.

You may wish to make enquiries for the insatllation of a UV filter to treat the well water to remove the contamination risk."

Then there is a piece of literature all about bacteria, with mine highlighted in pink. E.coli 0157 and Coliforms: "pathological orgainisms of a faecal origin". Nice.

How this cross-contamination is occuring is beyond me. The soakaway is a good distance from the well. I can only suspect the pipes supplying the soakaway.

And yes, much as I curse my family from time to time I've no wish to poison them.

 

[Nigel Watts]

Think of our poor caveman ancestors: all those trip hazards from discarded mamoth bones, the workplace stress for the men out hunting sabre toothed tigers, the risk of RSI from all that flint chipping and fire lighting, no compulsory folic acid fortification in the flour or flouride in the water, no language in which to write safety signs or issue closure notices. It's miracle human beings evolved at all.

 

[Nigel Watts]

.

 

[JoceAndChris]

:lol: Absolutely! People have been drinking from that well for 200 years and have been absolutely fine. Now, suddenly, it's a matter of urgency that I filter it through UV light or whatever it is.

And BTW, doesn't this result rather rubbish all these anti-bacterial sprays pushed on us? Clearly a bit of bacteria is not particularly harmful, and probably even strengthens our immune systems.

 

[jocelyn plummer]

Accountability, accountability, more than his job's worth stuff. What a nightmare. Still you'll become quite an expert by the end of the tale, and as we said before, at least you have been made aware of a potential hazard.If you should sell up at any time then you will have all the supporting documents to help a smooth sale.

 

[JoceAndChris]

Thanks Joss. xx

 

[Flyfisher]

And BTW, doesn't this result rather rubbish all these anti-bacterial sprays pushed on us? Clearly a bit of bacteria is not particularly harmful, and probably even strengthens our immune systems.

Absolutely. The whole principle of vaccination is based on exposing our immune systems to infectious agents (or a signature of them). A sterile environment could only be safe if you could be absolutely sure of never coming across any form of pathogen in the future.

I don't think they do such things in schools these days, but does anyone remember culturing bacteria on agar jelly in petri dishes during biology lessons? We would swab all sorts of surfaces and liquids but I don't recall any petri dishes that didn't contain loads of bacterial colonies when removed from the lab incubator the following week. Perhaps I went to a particularly filthy school.