According to the Environmental Protection Agency, the average American family uses more than 300 gallons of water per day at home.
Roughly 70 percent of that use happens indoors.
That’s why Andre Whalen if Culligan Water Conditioning says it is very important that the water is clean and free from contaminants.
“Pasta drinks, your skin drinks.
And if you think about it, it does all drink.” Typically, you cannot identify contaminants in water simply by looking at it.
Chemists can test your drinking water for total coliform bacteria.
“The E. coli is more pathogenic, and it can actually cause a serious illness.” Thompson tested for the presence of total coliform bacteria in the drinking water of three Virginia Beach homes: one that uses household well water, one less than 10 years old on a public system, and one nearly 170 years old on a public system.
“Any presence of total coliform will make the water unsafe for human consumption,” says Thompson.
To perform the test at each home, Thompson removes the faucet’s aerator, cleans the faucet with bleach, and runs the water for at least 5 minutes to flush standing water in the pipes.
When the results came back for each home, they were all the same: negative for E. coli and total coliform.