My well water is generally acceptable for household use.

Tests for coliforms, pH and nitrate raise no issues with regard to use of the water for bathing and cleaning. If my water sample had been collected from a lake or pond, the poor dissolved oxygen content might be insufficient to support aquatic life and the fair phosphate content might promote plant and algae growth. Fortunately the household use of water does not require the support of aquatic life and household water is not allowed to stand long enough for the growth of plants and algae to occur. The biochemical oxygen demand of my water is rated good. This suggests that the bacterial consumption of oxygen in my water is not excessive and therefore probably of no concern. Although my water appears to be acceptable for household use, we take the precautions of sterilizing the water with UV light and softening the water before using it. As a further precaution, we pass the water  through a reverse osmosis filter before it is used for drinking.

If we discovered that our well water was not fit for household use, we would report the problem to the City of Ottawa. The city would hopefully conduct environmental studies to determine the cause of the water problem and identify the best solution to the problem.

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