The potential health risk of rural drinking water was the topic of a talk Charles Sturt University (CSU) researcher Dr Andrea Crampton gave to Rotarians in Wagga Wagga last month. Dr Crampton, who is a member of CSU’s Institute for Land, Water and Society (ILWS)  found that more than 50 per cent of rural tank water drinkers were drinking water that exceeded the Australian Drinking Water Guidelines. In one instance the level of E.coli was 230 times the acceptable limit. Interviews with participants in the study identified a need for more information on potential risks and how to reduce those risks, steps already known but not communicated effectively to the rural community. “Not surprisingly most were more than happy for the government to stay away from their water supplies, preferring to manage their own systems but in a more informed manner,” Dr Crampton said.