County officials plan to use results of the testing program, started in the fall of 1998, to help determine whether sewer and water districts should be established in areas where residents currently rely on private septic systems and wells.

Water samples from 238 wells in 34 subdivisions were screened for contaminants in the most recent round of tests, Anthony Patton, the departments director of environmental health, said.

Coliform bacteria was found in 11 of the 298 wells and excessive levels of nitrates were found in 18 wells, Patton said. Water samples were taken from outside faucets.

The first phase of testing conducted in 12 different neighborhoods found coliform in 29 of 129 private wells tested. The return visits for inside tests at 25 of those homes found contamination in only eight samples.

Patton said he will seek authorization from the Board of County Commissioners to conduct a third and final round of water testing, possibly involving as many as 700 more home.

That would provide a database of more than 1,000 test results from which to draw conclusions about where water quality has been degraded in St. Joseph County, Patton said.

Residents of homes whose water supplies were found to be contaminated by coliform or nitrates have been sent health health advisories.

Coliform bacteria encompass a wide variety of organisms that live in the colons of people and animals. Most coliform do not make people sick, but their presence in water is an indicator of fecal contamination.

Excessive levels of nitrate in drinking water can cause serious illness and death in infants by interfering with the oxygen-carrying capacity of the child's blood, according to the Environmental Protection Agency. Symptoms include shortness of breath and blueness of skin.

Article published in the South Bend Tribune, written by David Rumbach