During the spring and summer the universe presented two important learning opportunities involving drinking water and the importance of quality controls and testing to ensure it is safe. When my family traveled abroad, despite following medical best practice, some of us still experienced GI illness, the most likely culprit being water contaminants. Thankfully, a relatively quick trip to the doctor for antibiotics took care of it. The second, far more significant lesson, occurred at my sons’ school, Saint Olaf Catholic School in Bountiful, Utah, where I work as the communication director. With that title, I feel a sense of duty to share our experience, including our discovery of a potential lurking problem in the pipes of homes, businesses and schools all around us. During our yearly water quality check last spring, low levels of lead and bacterial growth were present in the drinking fountain water, leaving us surprised and wondering how this happened? Where did the contaminants come from and who or what was responsible, financially or otherwise to correct this?