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[Bevanron <erthnsky AT bellsouth.net>]

Gene GeRue wrote:

> We recently installed an undersink 7-stage filter system from Crystal
>  Quest. http://www.crystalquest.com/Undersink-water-filters.htm 
> Through a state health clinic we sent water for testing to the State 
> Public Health Lab in Jefferson City, MO. The report came back with 
> these statements:
>
> E coli: Absent Total coliform: Present Interpretation: Unsatisfactory
>  for drinking water purposes.

Gene, almost all open water sources have coliform bacteria in them.
Most of the coliform are harmless, and you might have built up an
immunity to them anyway since you shower and bathe in the water.  Humans
have beneficial coliform bacteria that aid in digestion.  Fecal
coliforms, like Escherichia coli, are the dangerous ones, and they are a
subset of the total coliform count.
I just wonder how close your water came in to the detection limits and
what the counts actually were.  If your water had high counts for
harmless bacteria, but low to zero counts for fecal coliforms, then it
might be safe to drink.  Did the report you got from the state lab break
it down any further or list other reasons why they deemed your water
unsafe for drinking?  Did it test for protozoans or just bacteria? Just
remember that total coliform count is used more like an indicator of
possible pathogen load than actual pathogen load.  Also, this count can
vary widely.  Counts are lower in colder months, during droughts, etc.
Since coliforms live in the soil, too, a count done on the creek water
would like be higher after a rain.  If you are using an old pump, you
count might be higher due to bacteria accumulation in the pump itself.
If you have just a bacteria count, and you are afraid to drink the
water, explore non-chemical disinfectants such as UV or ozonation.
Protozoans like giardia and cryptosporidium may not be present in water
with a high bacterial count....if there are known cases of beaver
infected with giardia in your area, then you might come across the same
giardia source as the beaver did...lol..poor beaver!  There's really no
good way to know without tests.  When it comes to protozoan cysts, you
definitely want a ZERO count.  These things are parasites, whereas
bacteria break things down and could actually be beneficial, depending
on the type.
I looked at your link and it seems you have a couple of 1 micron filters
in your filter.  Since giardia oocysts are 7-10 microns in size or
larger, you shouldn't have any cysts in the water.  I don't recall
exactly how large crypto cysts are, but the 1 micron size should be
small enough to filter those out, too.  I do seem to recall that some
crypto cysts were going through public filtering systems, but I don't
know if that was due to heavy crypto loads or larger 'holed' filtration
media or what. Cryptosporidium may be close to the 1 micron size and
some smaller cysts may get through, but I think you are probably safe.
Since you went with the small filter size, you shouldn't need 'reverse
osmosis' filters-you got that covered already.

More info needed...make 'em tell you what kinds of coliform you have,
and exactly what the count is....

Bev, environmental chemist in my former life...



> I am now waiting for a response from Crystal Quest. I told them the 
> results and asked if they make a filter that will remove all 
> coliform.
>
> Since city water is chlorinated it is safe for drinking water but 
> many choose not to drink chlorine and the taste is often awful and 
> would greatly benefit from this filter system. I forget which 
> Internet vendor I bought it through, but the 30,000-gallon W13 
> Ultimate model only cost about $110.00. It is much more expensive 
> directly from Crystal Quest.
>
>
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--
erthnsky AT bellsouth.net  BevanRon of EarthNSky Farm      NW Georgia USDA Zone 7
34.498N 85.076W