Irish - Giardia is an organic compound that enters the water supply via decomposing plants, animals, insects and such. What it does as it enters the digestive system is attack the walls of the intestinal tract and causes diarreah, vomiting, and in some cases in the elderly or infirm bleeding and eventually death. In Wisconsin about 4 years ago they had Girdia in the municiple water supply. People died because of it. Federal Law states that any municipality must test their water on a consitant basis to assure that it is safe to drink. They had tested but ignored the results. All they had to do was place carbon filters throughout the system and it would have taken care of the problem.

Giardia is organic. Since you live where you have a well, you should shock your well at least once a year or twice a year. If you live in an older home or the pipes leading from your well are older than that can be a breeding ground for Giardia. If you have high levels of Iron Bacteria in your water, chances are you can have other organic matter there as well.

One of the things you can do without going to a huge expense if purchase a carbon filter system. You can get them from Home Depot, Menards, any home improvement store. They will run about $100 and are very easy to put in in you are mechanically inclined. All you have to do is make sure you change the carbon filter every 3-5 months at least. That type of filration system will put your mind at ease. Make sure that it is NSF certified. A blue round logo with white NSF letters inside the circle should be located on the box.