PHOENIX - We have the results of our Filth Finder test of the flood water that ran throughout the Valley this week after the remnants of Hurricane Rosa rolled through...and they're not pretty.
We tested two puddles of standing water leftover from the storm; one in Scottsdale, one in Phoenix.
We sent the water to an aquatic testing lab to test for coliform and E. coli. Coliform are mostly harmless bacteria found in your stomach. E. coli are also found in your stomach and can either be harmless or make you very sick. Both are found in feces.
The tests cannot tell which kind of E. coli is presents, just whether the bacteria is there.
Both bacteria are knows as "indicator species", meaning their presence in water makes it likely there are other potentially harmful organisms in the water as well.
According to our results, both sample tested off the charts for coliform.
The Scottsdale location only tested at a 1 for E. coli, meaning there was approximately one cell per 100 milliliters of water. Drinking water should score a 0, so it's not completely safe, but it's under most states' threshold for recreational water.
The Phoenix sample, however, same in at 687 for E. coli, well above the limits.
"I would not go in that water at all," physician Dr. Andrew Carroll said. "That's pretty unsafe numbers."
"If E. coli is there, you're probably going to be exposed to something else as well," Carroll said.
So the next time your kids ask to play in the newly deposited water in your backyard, remember that water may be very dirty.