By fnord12 | July 16, 2007, 9:38 AM | My stupid life | Comments (2)| Link

That which does not kill me...

Received a nice note in the mail today. Here's some excerpts:

Public NoticeViolation of Microbiological Standard

The Franklin Township Water Department, as is required by law, provides the following notification that it violated the Total Coliform Rule by exceeding the maximum containment level (MCL) for E.Coli during the month of April 2007. In addition, Franklin Township Water Department violated provisions for timely reporting of the MCL violation to the appropriate State agency and for providing public notification within 24 hours of the MCL violation.

Fecal Coliform and E. Coli bacteria can make you sick, and are a particular concern for people with weakened immune systems. Fecal coliforms and E.coli are bacteria whose presence indicates that the water may be contaminated with human or animal wastes. Microbes in these wastes can cause diarrhea, cramps, nausea, headaces, or other symptoms.

...Normally, as a precaution, you would have been advised to "Do Not Drink the Water without Boiling First" until corrective actions were implemented and additional tests showed no bacteria...

On the one hand i'm grossed out and mad at the Water Department for screwing this up. On the other hand, at least this shows that there is some kind of testing going on, whereas with bottled beverages it is my understanding that there are no such requirements.

Still, it's gonna be a few days before i can drink cold tap water again (even through the Brita, which does nothing for E. Coli).