Golden Gate well water now safe to drink

Results released Monday by the Collier County Health Department show that 88 of 93 wells tested, or 95 percent, were free of bacteria contamination. The rest tested positive for total coliform, but none tested positive for fecal coliform bacteria.

Fecal coliform indicates the presence of animal or human waste. Total coliform is a more general category of bacteria that is "not likely" to make some people sick, said health department spokeswoman Deb Millsap.

Tests last fall showed fecal coliform contamination in 37 percent of more than 200 wells in Golden Gate.

Follow-up tests, using what Millsap called a more reliable testing method, found a less than 1 percent rate of fecal coliform contamination but found a 40 percent total coliform contamination rate.

The results prompted Collier County commissioners to allocate $35,000 of this year's budget for quarterly testing of Golden Gate wells. Monday's results were from the first quarter of testing.

Collier County Commission Chairman Tom Henning, who represents Golden Gate, called the results "great news." He said he considered the water in Golden Gate safe to drink and expected future test results to be similar.

"We'll verify it's OK, and if it is a problem, we'll have to address it," he said.

One fix would require Golden Gate residents to hook up to a central water utility, but Henning said Monday's results prove there is no need to take that step.

Henning dismissed last year's positive fecal coliform readings, citing inconsistent test results.

In October 2002, Golden Gate's public utility reported a problem with fecal coliform contamination in its raw water supply. The contamination did not pose a threat to customers because the water underwent treatment before going to homes, the utility said.

The health department urged residents on private wells to boil their water before using it. The boil notice was lifted in January.

Monday's results were based on raw water samples taken between Sept. 15 and Oct. 23. A second round of samples will be collected from mid-December through January 2004, according to the health department.

Of the five samples that tested positive during the first round, testers found three of the sites also tested positive for total coliform at an indoor tap. The locations showed no pattern of contamination, Millsap said.

She said residents at the three sites were notified of the problem and were urged to boil their water or drink bottled water until they could consult with a water treatment company.

Millsap said she could not say for sure what caused the difference between a total coliform contamination rate of 40 percent last year and 5 percent this year.

Efforts to educate the public about drinking water system maintenance might have helped, she said.