Water Safety Guidelines

Public water quality and treatment varies throughout the United States, so always check with the local health department and water utility regarding the water source as well as the safety of tap water and ice use by immunosuppressed persons.

Tap Water

Water from your home faucet is considered safe if your water source is a city water supply or from a municipal well serving highly populated areas.

Well Water

Well water must be tested for coliforms and Cryptosporidium a minimum of once yearly and preferably more frequently. The water should be tested immediately prior to your return home after treatment; the test results must be negative if the water is to be used for consumption particularly by persons considered immunosuppressed and at risk for infection.

No matter how frequently testing is done, there is no guarantee that well water will remain safe. More frequent testing should be preformed if the well water source is at risk for potential contamination. Examples of risk are when construction is occurring near the well, the well depth is shallow, or the well is located near a dairy or large numbers of livestock. Do not use well water until tested if spring runoff or flooding occurs.

Municipal wells: Drinking well water from municipal wells serving highly populated areas is regarded as safe because the water is tested more than two times each day for bacterial contamination. Private wells and small community wells: The quality of well water from these sources cannot be guaranteed. It is recommended that other approved water sources be used to ensure a safe water supply, including: boiled water, bottled water, or distilled water (see guidelines below).
Not considered safe: Most water filtration devices will not make the water safe if the private well water or smaller community well water supply is not chlorinated.

Safe Water Sources

The following sources of water are suggested if your water is not from a city water or municipal well supply.

Boiled and Distilled Water

Safe water can be made at home by bringing tap water to a rolling boil for 1 minute. Distilled water can be made using a home distiller. After processing, the water should be stored in a clean, covered container in the refrigerator and discarded within 72 hours.

Bottled Water

Acceptable forms of bottled water have been processed to remove organisms known to cause gastrointestinal infection. Bottled water labels reading "well water", "artesian well water", "spring water", or "mineral water" do not guarantee that the water is safe to drink. Water labeled as follows are considered safe:

• Reverse osmosis treated
• Distillation
• Filtered through an absolute 1 micron or smaller filter (NSF Standard #53 for cyst removal)

To confirm that a specific bottled water has undergone one of the above processes, contact the International Bottled Water Association (IBWA) at 1-800-928-3711, or visit their home page at www.bottledwater.org. If the IBWA does not have information on a specific brand, call the bottling company directly.

Water Filters

If you use a water filter located on household water taps the following specifications must be met:

A: The filters must be designed to remove coliforms and Cryptosporidium. Any of the following are acceptable:

• Reverse osmosis filter
• Absolute pore size of 1 micron or smaller
• Tested and certified by NSF Standard #53 for cyst removal

B: The water tap filter must be installed immediately before the water tap

C: Manufacturer directions must be followed for filter maintenance and replacement

Most water filtration devices will not make the water safe if the water supply has not been chlorinated. Portable water filters (such as a Brita® or Pur® system) as well as refrigerator-dispensed water and ice machine systems do not meet filtration standards. Portable water systems filter for chemical impurities, but not for bacteria. If a portable water system is used in combination with a safe water supply (to improve water flavor and remove chlorine and other impurities), it is recommended to change the system's filters frequently according to manufacturer's guidelines.

For a list of approved filtration systems, call the America National Standards Institute, NSF International, at 1-800-673-8010 or visit their home page at www.NSF.org.

	Adult Nutrition Guidelines
	Diet Guidelines
	Gastrointestinal Diet 1
	Gastrointestinal Diet 2
	Pediatric Nutrition Guidelines
	Water Safety Guidelines