When I was a kid there was a trap door on the kitchen floor, under it was a well. The well had a pump in it that pumped the water to the sink. The well was walled with stones stacked loose so water could seep in. When I got my first house and had kids we got our water from a spring with a pump in the woods with a cover over it. It had moss on the stones, I think that kept the dirt out. YES I drink the water from the tank.