An analysis of 2,000 water samples taken since August 2006 reveals that in fact only 20 percent of these wells meet the quality criteria in terms of bacterial safety. Water tests conducted by Research Center Seibersdorf (AIT) on behalf of Aqua Quality Austria (AQA) using the so-called “Wassercheck Bakteriologie” have shown that 34 percent of the samples exceed the indicator values, which makes the water unsuited for drinking. Nearly half the samples exceed critical health parameters and are therefore not safe to drink! Last summer’s heavy rainfalls have without doubt further aggravated this unhealthy situation. Surface run-off may enter into well shafts near the ground surface, contaminated nearsurface groundwater may penetrate into the wells through cracks or gaps. High groundwater tables can also cause water to infiltrate into the wells. As private wells are the responsibility of their owners, the latter are required to solve the problem by themselves and it is their voluntary effort to assure that the water remains of good quality.
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(Source: aqua press Int. 3/2009)
