The number of holiday homes has increased significantly in recent years, but according to the National Registry of Iceland, there were 12,225 holiday homes in the country in 2011. With the increase in holiday homes, the number of privately owned water utilities has increased. The Municipal Health Inspectorate monitors drinking water from larger water utilities, but it is the responsibility of the owners of private water wells to monitor the quality of drinking water from smaller utilities.
The microbiological state of drinking water is one of the most important factors regarding its quality and safety. Microorganisms are hidden in many places in the environment and can easily enter the drinking water and many serious diseases can be transmitted by drinking water such as infections caused by Salmonella, Campylobacter and norovirus.
The greatest risk of infection is when drinking water has been contaminated with human or animal feces, which contains bacteria, viruses and protozoa that can cause infections in humans. There have been several group infections caused by Campylobacter in drinking water in Stöðvarfjörður in 1984, Djúpavogur in 1993 and in a hunting lodge in Borgarfjörður in 1998. There have also been several group infections caused by norovirus, but they were in Húsafell and Mývatn in 2004. more than 300 people became infected in these group infections. There have also been many cases where people were thought to have contracted noroviruses after consuming drinking water, but in those cases it was not confirmed.
The finish of the water bubble must be correct to ensure the safety of the drinking water. At boreholes and wells, it is important that the groundwater is not contaminated by surface water in the area as it can often be contaminated by unwanted microorganisms. There have also been cases where drinking water has been contaminated by septic tanks that are close to the water collection point, and therefore their location and finishing must also be carefully considered.
To ensure the safety of drinking water, it is necessary to have it tested regularly for certain microbial factors. The results of such studies indicate whether the drinking water meets certain requirements of the Drinking Water Regulation on usability and safety for consumption.
The vast majority of measurements of the chemical content of groundwater have shown that Icelandic water is very safe in terms of chemical pollution and therefore it is not considered necessary to carry out expensive chemical measurements of drinking water from smaller water bubbles.
In recent years, there has been a great awakening among cottage owners who want to ensure that their drinking water meets the requirements for drinking water. Matís Laboratory has decades of experience in research on drinking water and you can get all information about the implementation of sampling and the necessary sampling containers from the laboratory at tel. 422-5116 and the e-mail address radgjof@matis.is.