Tim, thanks much for your response. The public here has absolutely no confidence in the "safety" of our water. I think that is related to what you said about language. They (water company and public officials, federal CDC) have said the water is "appropriate" for any use. When pressed by reporters or the public, no one will use the word "safe" because there is virtually no information available on the toxicity of the chemical that was leaked into our system. They also are simply covering their own behinds as well since the lawyers have been lining up with law suits literally since the court house opened on the morning after the leak was announced. They were in line waiting to file suits.
Some public officials as well as the president of the water company say they are drinking the water. Others, like our Senator Rockefeller, say they won't. Rockefeller said he wouldn't drink it if they paid him. That doesn't help public assurance. He has been castigating big corporations throughout this thing and is just amazed that there was so little regulation of above ground storage tanks--but he has been governor in the past as well as US senator now for eons. Nothing was done on his watch to prevent these problems. (My little rant) :rolleyes:
Our water here at the house has lost the smell and taste. I admit to some limited drinking of it--trying to ease back into full use. We are using it for everything else--showering, laundry, etc.
Seems sort of funny to me that folks don't trust the water company and the CDC when they tell us we can use the water, but they buy bottled water that they don't "know" is "safe" either because they are willing to trust some lab guy some place who supposedly has tested the water in the bottles and declared it safe. We put huge trust in our soft drink manufacturers, food processors, etc. every day. Just sort of an interesting matter of trust.