Our Lake has been contaminated by coliform bacteria. How can I make sure that the water is safe to drink?
A. Water is the breeding ground for an almost unbelievably large variety of organisms. Water does not produce these organisms. It merely is an ideal medium in which they can grow. These organisms gain entry into water through a variety of sources. They enter the water supply from all sorts of natural causes, surface drainage and sewage. The most effective and economical method of treating water for a household is to use ultraviolet light. The use of ultraviolet light is an attempt to imitate nature. Sunlight destroys bacteria in the natural purification of water, but that takes a lot of time. Exposing water to pure ultraviolet light destroys any dangerous organisms in the water. To assure that the treatment works, the water must be free of any solids down to 5 Microns and must be filtered first. Otherwise, some bacteria will be protected from the germ-killing ultraviolet rays. Since ultraviolet light adds nothing to the water it will not creating taste or odour problems and has no resi
