The old thread is closed, but thought that I should post the results of my water well sampling expedition to Carrigain yesterday. I began my hike with an "alpine" start at noontime, arriving at the controversial water well just below the summit about three hours later. I spent a lot of time on my way up surveying nearly all 38 individuals on their way down; none drank from the well. Results were fairly evenly split into the following three groups: 1) did not see the well, 2) saw the well, but noted the USFS non-potable sign, so would not consider drinking from it, and 3) would not consider drinking from the well even if the USFS non-potable sign were not in place. One person was preparing to camp on the summit and planned to filter and boil water from the well for supper. Unfortunately, my water sample may not be representative, as the heavy rain from Friday night raised the water level in the well to near the top, and there was obviously overflow recently. So, I doubt that the water in the well ever will be cleaner than it was when I sampled on Sunday afternoon. That said, if we measure a significant number of coliform bacteria colonies on our growth plates, I think that we can safely assume that the bacteria counts would be even greater most other times. On the other hand, if bacteria counts are minimal, I should probably make a return visit when the water level is lower, such as it apparently was this past summer. Please stay tuned.
Dr. D.
Dr. D.
