Whats in your drinking water? In cases where your family home water supply is actually well water supply, you happen to be responsible for making certain your water is safe to drink, according to the EPA. Private wells should be tested annually for nitrates and coliform bacteria to detect contamination problems early. Reverse osmosis, also known as hyperfiltration, is the finest filtration known. This process will allow the removal of particles as small as dissolved individual ions from a solution. Reverse osmosis is used to purify water and remove ions and dissolved organic molecules. It can be used to purify fluids such as ethanol and glycol, which will pass through the reverse osmosis membrane, while rejecting other ions and contaminants from passing.