TAKE NOTE: If you drink spring water or well water, you might
want to take some extra precautions given the large volume of
gastrointestinal illness in the Bradford area.

On Tuesday, we carried a report from Bradford Regional Medical
Center which called attention to the importance of hygiene in
possible transmission of gastroenteritis from person to person.
Although a viral infection is the most likely cause of this
so-called “stomach flu,” other sources of contamination are not
impossible.

That’s the word today from Jim Clark, Cooperative Extension
agent for McKean County.

Jim noted that many McKean County residents drink water which
has never been tested – spring water and well water. In the summer
of 2007, his agency tested drinking supplies of 200 of these rural
residents to discover that 62 percent contained coliform bacteria –
also linked to gastrointestinal illnesss.

The municipal water supply in the Bradford area, on the other
hand, goes through multiple steps to test and treat tap water.

So the word from here is … be skeptical of your water supply if
you are uncertain of its exact origin. Just because water tastes
great – and some springs in the Bradford area deliver a superb
supply – doesn’t mean it doesn’t harbor contamination.

The story Tuesday noted that this is the time of year when these
“stomach bugs” start to appear, causing viral illnesses to show up
at the hospital. Since bacterial contamination is also possible,
however, you might want to err on the side of caution and buy a few
gallons of tested spring water for human consumption – particularly
if you’ve been sick and are dehydrated.

Any concerns, of course, can be directed to BRMC or the state
Health Department.

COUPLE MORE: Ed Archer of Port Allegany tells us Monday about
spying a robin while visiting his son and daughter-in-law. On
Tuesday morning, Kim Brown calls to tell us a robin “almost flew
right into me.”

OH, ZIPPO: The new blockbuster movie, “Watchmen,” contains a
Zippo. Bill Miller of Smethport reports the Zippo comes into play
for the character, “Comedian,” who is a cigar smoker.

COACH PFLUG: We had told readers about one of Bradford’s great
athletes, Larry Peace, and reported that Coach Pflug had called him
a tough “SOB.” Another reader, however, says Coach Pflug would
never have “sworn” by using the term, “SOB.”