This idea is for a completely sterile cistern that is 10 or so feet under ground where no bacteria can grow. The theory being that there is a point underground where bacteria do not live because it's a hostile barren environment.This theory is easily tested by comparing the bacteria level of a sample from the surface and then a sample from 10 feet or more underground.The cistern may collect rain water as it seeps through the ground and into a silicone bowl or bucket. Silicone was chosen due to ability to not oxidize and durability. The bucket is filled with sterilized stones before being buried(with room between the stones for water to fill) and which is then covered with sterile pebbles and sterile sand. This rainwater collecting technology may work very well, and maybe even last forever and be effective forever, as long as bacteria or mold didn't get into the cistern somehow. The scenario being, if bacteria got through the 10 or so feet of sand filtering, or as backwash through the connected water collection plumbing.The stones would be sterilized with chlorine and then left to dry before being put down the hole, and the deeply dug sand would be dug in layers and each layer dug up and put onto separate clean tarps of more and more sterile piles with the shovel being freshly cleaned, before the start of each new pile. This method is for the purpose of having the most predictable sterilization levels in each deeper layer of soil, as you dig them up and then put them back into the hole in order of sterility.But to be sure that any and all bacteria have died in the artificial aquifer, you may choose to wait a year(or whatever the lifetimes of the bacteria are) until you start to use it.And the water would be collected from the underground cistern through a pipe or straw or pump, or some other better and easier to install technology. This cistern would be located right next to the house for ease of collection instead of going to the store for jugs of water.This would essentially try to copy the exact same function as modern aquifers, which are everywhere in Florida already. For a do it yourself way of getting limitless fresh water anywhere except in the coldest regions. This may even work in regions where it only rains once a year.This idea may never be able to be improved upon for the cause of infinite, free, fresh drinking water. If the theory is someday proven correct. Because we still use natural aquifers to this day, without complaint.This is an untested theory, that may deserve testing.If this technology did work it may also help poor people in developing countries to get fresh clean water, because there would be very little start up costs necessary for this technology.
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Bacteria can live hundreds of feet underground. If rainwater can soak down into the cistern, then so can bacteria. There's really no need to sterilize it anyway. You can simply treat the water after you pump it up. Millions of people use well water. They usually just pass it through a filter to clean it. That doesn't necessarily remove all the bacteria, but the truth is, a little bacteria in your water won't hurt you.
I read somewhere that as little as four feet of sand will filter out the debris and small particles that the bacteria eat. That's why there are not large amounts of bacteria present in well water. Considering that most wells are drilled considerably deeper than that it is easy to see why there are few bacteria in a properly designed well. But there are some, though most pose no threat to human health.
And as to the bacteria that can cause illness. . .people have been ingesting them for ages. You acquire a certain immunity to their presence. This is why people in developing countries can eat their native dishes with no ill effect but you end up doing the trots.
I thing what you mean is a rainwater/groundwater collection, filtration, treatment, and storage system. While doable, it might not be worth it, and would take time and money to build an maintain.
A municipal water system is generally a sure bet in most higher density developed places, even though it costs a bit.
Testing water is expensive. If you want to verify that a well is producing safe water - the test is expensive. To do it over and overis quite a painful charge. If you don't test it, you can never be sure that water is not contaminated by some weird underground deposit. Even if your borehole is full of nice rocks and sand, the surrounding strata can be so full of salts that it produces bad water. Then you're back to treating it with charcoal, reverse osmosis and ceramic filters, UV filters. One water test is the equal to half the cost of a whole water filtering system. Economics say to filter your cheapest clean water source.