From what I have read, the water is not unsafe, simply not potable. I live on an acreage with a relatively shallow well (which the previous owner paid to have drilled). We currently are saving up for a new softening and filtration system that will be 100% paid for, repaired, and maintained by us. Until then, we live every day like we are on a "boil water advisory". All it means is that I have to purchase bottled water for consumption and must boil my tap water a little longer before I throw in the pasta. We still bathe in it. Wash the dishes with it. Brush our teeth with it. Feed our animals and greenhouse with it. My family (3 of us) go through 2-3 bottles of water/week. Our choice to live rurally comes at a fairly steep cost if we want clear water we can drink straight from the tap. But it is our choice, and it would be ludicrous to ask the government to subsidize, or pay entirely, for our water treatment system let alone its maintenance, repairs, upgrades and eventual replacement.