farmstead 

 water supplies 



Scope of taskforce considerations 



The purpose of this part is to give considera- 

 tion to water quality criteria that will be of con- 

 cern in the use of water by the human farm popu- 

 lation for their own needs and for all other pur- 

 poses associated with the operation of a farm 

 excluding use for livestock production and the ir- 

 rigation of crops. Specifically included will be con- 

 sideration of quality criteria for water to be used 

 by humans for drinking, food preparation, laundry, 

 and bathing. Consideration will also be given to 

 its use for the washing and hydrocooling of fruits,, 

 vegetables, milk, and other animal products in 

 preparation for sale either on the fresh market or 

 to food processors. 



Water for Use by the Human Farm Population: 



An essential requirement for health and corh- 

 fortable living in rural areas is that every farm 

 have a dependable water supply for domestic use 

 that is palatable, convenient, safe, and of adequate 

 quantity. The ability of the individual farm opera- 

 tor to treat water is limited to simple disinfection, 

 filtration, and softening. Accordingly, the quality 

 of the raw supply and that of the finished water 

 should be the same, unless otherwise indicated. 



Farm water supplies can be of ground or surface 

 origin. Ground sources are generally regarded as 

 providing a more dependable supply and as being 

 less variable in composition than surface water. 

 However, it should be recognized that all supplies 

 are subject to pollution and care must be exercised 

 in both the installation and maintenance of water 

 systems. 



In general terms, raw waters should be free of 

 impurities which are offensive to sight, smell, and 

 taste. They should be free of any significant con- 

 centrations of toxic substances. They should be 

 free also of bacteria or other living forms which 

 cannot be controlled or eliminated by simple proc- 

 essing techniques such as chlorination. The water 

 should be relatively free of radioactive substances 

 since all forms of exposure to radioactivity are 

 considered detrimental to man. 



In the development of specific quality character- 

 istics, much reliance has been placed on the Drink- 

 ing Water Standards developed by the U.S. Public 

 Health Service (USPHS) for water and water sup- 

 ply systems (175) used by interstate carriers and 

 others subject to Federal quarantine regulations. 

 Over the years these standards have been found 

 to be reasonable in terms of the possibility of 

 compliance and acceptability of such water for 

 domestic use. The absence of specific references 

 for the quality criteria listed in this report indicates 



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