Water supply

Question

Hello,

we would like to use our well for water supply. Is this water suitable for a CF individual? After a normal investigation in Sweden, we were told that it has drinking water quality.

Thanks

Answer

Dear questioner,

you want to use water from your well as drinking water in Sweden. Apparently, the quality of the water is drinking water quality according to national law. Possibly, your question concerns the bacterium Pseudomonas aeruginosa with regard to a CF individual.

P. aeruginosa is a motile bacterium which has been frequently found in the moist environment, but seldom in drinking water. Acccording to German law, you may use the water from the well for a CF-individual, if the water has "drinking water quality". Drinking water quality is defined by the Trinkwasserverordnung in Germany, which you may find in the Internet. Institutes which carry out investigations in this context, need to be certified. You may ask for such institutes in Germany at the local Public Health centre or the "Regierungspräsidium". Drinking water investigations have to be carried out regularly and repeatedly. Drinking water has to be free of bacterial pathogens. Particularly, not a single P. aeruginosa bacterium should be present in 250 ml of a water specimen.

If your water from the well is in accordance with these requirements, you may use it for the CF individual. However, you have to ask permission from national Instituts at least in Germany to take water from the groundwater source.

We hope that we have helped you and remain,


Sincerely yours,


Prof. Dr. Gerd Döring and Nanna Siegmann

28.01.2008