the story about Egyptian challenges fitness of zam-zam is true. The rest of the article has lot of irregularities and mistake. In common sense, your friend living in Makkah could have acquired free booklet on Zam Zam from SGS office. Zam Zam has been tested in 40 laboratories world wide and is certified fit for drinking after basic filtering ie: removing sand and grit.
The Miracle of Zamzam Well
According to Arab historians, the Zamzam Well, except for a few periods when it became dry or was buried under sand, has been in use for around 4000 years. The well marks the site of a spring that, miraculously , had issued forth from a barren and desolate wadi (non perennial stream) where the Prophet Ibrahim (Peace be upon him-pbuh), under Allah's command, had left his wife Hajar and their infant son Ismail (pbuh). In her desperate search for water, Hajar ran seven times back and forth in the scorching heat between the two hills of Safa and Marwa to provide water for Ismail (pbuh), who was dying of thirst. Allah, in His mercy, sent the Angel Gabriel, who scraped the ground, causing the spring to appear. On finding the spring, and fearing that it might run out of water, Hajar enclosed it in sand and stones. The name Zamzam originates from the phrase Zomë Zomë, meaning ‘stop flowing’, a command repeated by Hajar during her attempt to contain the spring water. The area around the spring, which was later converted to a well, became a resting place for caravans, and eventually grew into the trading city of Makkah, birthplace of the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh).
Structure and hydrogeology of the Well
The Zamzam Well is hand-excavated and is about 30.5 m deep, with an internal diameter ranging from 1.08 to 2.66 m. Hydrogeologically, the well lies within Wadi Ibrahim, which runs through the Holy City of Makkah, and taps groundwater from the wadi alluvium and, to a much lesser extent, the underlying fresh bedrock. The well is now housed in a basement room, protected by glass panels that allow a clear view of the well. Electric pumps are used to draw water from the well, replacing the ropes and buckets. No visitor is allowed to enter the Zamzam Well room and surroundings. Outside this room, there was a service area, where cold Zamzam water fountains and dispensing containers were provided for drinking purposes. Recently, the Al-Haram Tawaf area has been extended to cover the entrance to this area and it is no more accessible to pilgrims. Instead, cold Zamzam water fountains and dispensing containers are now placed at the periphery of Tawaf area.
The upper 13.5 m of the well is excavated in the sandy alluvium of the Wadi Ibrahim, and the lower 17.0 m in the underlying diorite bedrock. In between lies a 0.5 m thick highly permeable weathered rock. Most of the alluvial section of the well is lined with stone masonry except for the uppermost 1m, which has a reinforced concrete collar.. The weathered rock section is lined with stone and it is this section that provides the main water entry into the well.
Urbanization of the Wadi Ibrahim catchment and its effect on recharge
Pumping system of Zamzam wellTo sustain groundwater supply from wells, aquifers need to be continually recharged, either from direct infiltration of rainwater or from rivers flowing over the aquifer. In arid climates, where there is no permanent surface drainage, natural recharge is limited to rainfall from occasional, brief storms. Supply can be severely threatened during long dry periods, when water is effectively ‘mined’ from the aquifer with no source of replenishment.
The surface area or ‘outcrop’ of the Wadi Ibrahim alluvium covers only 60 square km. Limited recharge of the wadi alluvium aquifer occurs through infiltration of rainwater falling directly on the outcrop, supplemented by run-off from adjacent hillsides. Urban development of Makkah has now extended over the wadi bed, diminishing the already meager amount of rainwater infiltration into the underlying aquifer due to surface sealing and channeling of rainwater into storm drainage systems.
Modeling of aquifer recharge is therefore crucial to ensure that supply and demand for Zamzam water is appropriately balanced. The Zamzam Studies and Research Center is therefore assessing and quantifying the effects of urbanization on recharge, and developing recommendations for planning controls to limit further development on the outcrop of the wadi alluvium aquifer.
Source: SGS Wesbite
http://www.sgs.org.sa/index.cfm?sec=311&page