Well Water City Drinking Water Quality Screening Test – DIY at Home

Complete Water Testing Kit – Because it is important to KnowYourH20 

Whether you have well water or municipal water, you won’t know what you’re drinking unless you test it.  Crystal clear water can contain a number of contaminants from chemicals to metals and even bacteria.  Many of the contaminants that are cause for concern can easily go undetected. They are colorless, odorless, and tasteless.

Safe Home Complete Water Analysis Test Kit includes 10 tests that are easy to administer and give you results within 10 minutes with the exception of the bacteria test which takes 48 hours. This single kit includes all of the following water tests:

  • NEXT GENERATION of drinking water test kits for 2024, with patented technologies for testing any drinking water supply (City Water or Well Water).
  • INCLUDES 27-testing mechanisms that provide testing for 14-different parameters (302 Total Tests/Kit). See attached image of package-back, for a complete list of parameters to be tested.
  • EXCLUSIVE BRAND of water test kits to earn the Good Housekeeping Seal. Named one of the Top-10 New Products at the National Hardware Show. Includes trilingual instructions. Made in the USA!
  • YOU GET MORE BENEFITS for your dollar with Safe Home – Our team guides you before, during, and after testing. See details on attached image with this listing.
  • YOUR PURCHASE MAKES A DIFFERENCE in people’s lives. Safe Home donates a portion of every test kit sale to clean water initiatives around the globe. See attached video to learn more!

These tests allow you to quickly and accurately analyze your drinking water and are compatible with well water, city/municipal water, tap water, residential drinking water, ground water, spring water sources, and bottled water. The results are fast and easy to read by following along with the color-coded charts and instruction manual. Testing can easily be done in your home, classroom, school, office, or anyplace else where you would need to test water quality.

If you looking for more information on water quality and drinking water, please visit the Water Research Center.

What is in your well water? Well Water Testing is Critical Know Your H20

What is in your well water?

If your water comes from a private well, you know that the safety of your drinking water is up to you.  At the federal level and in most states there are no regulations that govern private wells, but the CDC and EPA does recommend that you test your well water at least once a year. You may want to check the quality of your water more often if there are known problems with wells in your area or if you have experienced any flooding or land disturbances near your well.  Indications of a change in water quality include cloudiness, odor, and unusual taste.

You can quickly and easily test your well water for a variety of contaminants with Groundwater City Water Well Water Testing Kit (Safe Home).  This kit is a great screening test to help you determine the quality of your water.

A DYI Well Water single kit includes all of the following water tests:

  • Chlorine (Just in case the well was shock disinfected)
  • Copper
  • Lead
  • Nitrates & Nitrites
  • Iron
  • Alkalinity
  • pH
  • Hardness
  • Bacteria

These easy to use tests will give you results within 10 minutes, with the exception of the bacteria test which takes 48 hours for full results.   There’s no need for expensive equipment or to mail samples to a lab.  Each test is calibrated to the EPA standards.  Once you have your results, compare them to the EPA recommendations and guidelines for water quality limits.

If you would rather a more detailed chemical analysis of your Well Water or City Water.   We would recommend the  specially designed water testing kits for people on well water, the Well Water Testing Kit includes over 70 water quality  tests for a complete water analysis or City Water (over 80 parameters) .  You’ll be able to identify the presence of chemicals, metals, and even bacteria like E. coli.

Please review and share some of our PSAs on Well Water.
Get our New Educational Booklet on Drinking Water Quality for Private Well Owners.
Corrosion Index, LSI, Hardness and Alkalinity – Do you have a problem??
Well water testing kits or City water testing kits

Pennsylvania Ticks – Yes they are a problem

 

Pennsylvania has led the nation in  confirmed Lyme disease cases each year since 2011.   When detected early, Lyme disease and other tick borne diseases can be   treated. Left untreated, tick borne   diseases can cause a whole host of problems. Early diagnosis is important in  preventing long term complications.

After coming inside, always check yourself for ticks. The target areas, head and hair, armpits, back of knees, and waist line/middle of the body,  are prime spots to find a tick as they seek out out-of-the-way crevices and warm spaces. Look closely, they are  smaller than a freckle.

If a tick does manage to attach itself   to you, use fine-tipped tweezers to grasp the  tick as close to the skin’s surface as possible.
Pull upward with steady,  even pressure. Avoid twisting  or jerking. Clean the bite area and see a physician.   If possible – Save the Tick!

TickBrochure_FINAL

More about Lyme Disease and Ticks

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Pharmaceuticals and Personal Care Products (PPCPs) and Your Water

“A study by the U.S. Geological Survey published in 2002 brought attention to PPCPs in water. In a sampling of 139 susceptible streams in 30 states, detectable yet minute quantities of PPCPs were found in 80 percent of the streams. The most common pharmaceuticals detected were steroids and nonprescription drugs. Antibiotics, prescription medication, detergents, fire retardants, pesticides and natural and synthetic hormones were also found.

The potential human health risks associated with minute levels of PPCPs in water in general and drinking water in particular is still being determined. Until more is known, there is much the public health and environmental protection community can do to educate the public about taking proactive steps concerning the use and disposal of PPCPs.”


“Pharmaceuticals and personal care products (PPCPs) are a diverse group of chemicals including:

  • all human and veterinary drugs
  • dietary supplements
  • topical agents such as cosmetics and sunscreens
  • laundry and cleaning products
  • fragrances and all the “inert” ingredients that are part of these products

Pharmaceuticals and personal care products are introduced to the environment as pollutants in a variety of ways, including:

  • intentional disposal of unneeded PPCPs (flushing)
  • bathing or swimming
  • discharge from municipal sewage systems or private septic systems
  • leaching from landfills
  • excretion by humans and domestic animals
  • runoff from confined animal feeding operations
  • discharge of raw sewage from storm overflow events, cruise ships, and some rural homes directly into surface water
  • accidental discharges to a groundwater recharge area
  • loss from aquaculture
  • spray-drift from antibiotics used on food crops.”

Other Resources
pharmaceuticals-PPCPs
ppt_ppcp_Presentation
Drinking Water Testing – PFAS

Water Treatment – Point Of Use for PFOS and PFOA- NSF P473


Technical References


Nationwide Program: Community Environmental Report Your Home Health Status and Know Your H20?

Nationwide Program:
Community Environmental Report
Your Home Health Status and Know Your H20?

Direct Link to this Nationwide Program-
Visit Us at Keystone Clean Water Team

Know Your H20?

We Launched Two – New Phone Apps and they are Available for IOS and Android Platforms

  1. Know Your H20? – Know Your H2O? is an educational tool that can help you diagnose the problem with your water. This app will lead you through a series of questions to pinpoint the issues with your water. You can reach your diagnosis through describing symptoms that are effecting your home, your health, or the water itself. This App is linked to the Water Research Portal.
  2. Baseline Water Testing (Pennsylvania) – The PA Baseline Testing mobile app is an educational tool for residents of Pennsylvania who are impacted by Oil & Gas Development or Subsurface Coal Development. By selecting which factor impacts your region, you can discover various recommendations and tiers of water testing that can help bring you piece of mind about the safety of your drinking water. Got Data? You can also submit your own testing data and results to help continue to build the PA Clean Water Team’s database.
  3. New Online Water Quality Diagnostic Tool.

The Nationwide Program

  1. The program helps you to identify the existing and historic environmental hazards in your community.
  2. We are working with a national environmental database search company to offer a report to help you understand your home or your future homes environmental health status within a community.
  3. We are doing this by taking a snapshot of the current and historic environmental concerns and hazards in the community and a review of select criminal activity.
  4. Featured Activities or Issues: Old Landfills, Leaky Fuel Tanks, Hazardous Waste Sites, Department of Defense Facilities, Superfund Sites, Radiological Sources, Clandestine Drug Labs, Floodplains and Wetlands and more.
  5. Neighboorhood Hazard Reports cost $ 55.00 per property, payable to the Keystone Clean Water Team.

Questions – please contact us at (570) 335-1947 or email the program manager, Mr. Brian Oram, at bfenviro@ptd.net.

Keystone Clean Water Team – 501c3
15 Hillcrest Drive, Dallas, PA 18612
http://www.pacleanwater.org

B.F. Environmental Consultants Inc.
http://www.bfenvironmental.com

@KnowyourH20

Starting Off the New Year Right – Drinking Water Water Resources Sustainability

Starting Off the New Year Right

by Brian Oram

Happy New Year, I would like to propose we make one additional commitment this year.  This commitment is to care about the water we drink as we try to remember how we impact or influence the quality and quantity of the water resources.  Although it is the beginning of a new year (wishing you GOOD Luck in 2017!), for the water cycle the new year started in October.  This is the time of the year when the aquifer begins to recharge. Many people are unaware that the aquifer must recharge, it is not infinite.  In Pennsylvania and the Northeastern United States, we are blessed with having abundant water resources, but something we should not take for granted.   In 2016, we had an interesting election year that brought up many concerns. Also in the news, came a reminder of the limitlessness of the water.  A number of regions of Pennsylvania were put on a drought advisory and many small streams, springs, and even a few shallow wells dried up, i.e., no water.  With 2016 in the rear-view mirror, I would like to suggest a few small steps to help move us forward in a positive direction.  These steps are as follows:

  1. Learn about how and where you get your drinking water – Does your water come from a private source or city water supply source?
  2. If the water is from a private well- When did you have the water tested? For parts of Pennsylvania, New York, and New Jersey, it is not uncommon for about 40 to 50% of private wells to have a problem that may make the user or a guest sick.
  3. If you are on a city water source- Have you ever looked at the Annual Confidence Report about the quality of your drinking water? The most common problem with community water sources is elevated levels of trace metals like lead and chlorine by-products like trihalomethanes, i.e., suspected carcinogens.  For information on water testing, please visit water-research.net.
  4. Are you using your water wisely? There are ways to use our drinking water resources more efficiently.   A website titled, wateruseitwisely.com, offers over 100 tips on how to best use water.  My favorite tip is “Turn off the water while you brush your teeth and save up to 4 gallons a minute. That’s up to 200 gallons a week for a family of four”.  There are over 4 million households in Pennsylvania, this one lifestyle change could save 41.6 billion gallons of water.  This is only one change!
  5. Our surface water and groundwater are connected, and “we all live downstream”. This phrase means that how we use the groundwater resources directly impacts the surface water resources and we all are interconnected.  Therefore, when using cleaning products, chemicals, or managing a waste we all live downstream from someone else.   For example, the biggest source of man influenced global oil pollution is not massive spills or leaks.  Only 8% of man influenced oil pollution comes from pipelines and major releases. The biggest sources are the small leaks from our boats, cars, and other means of transportation and the improper disposal of waste oil by individuals.
  6. Know Your H20? – it is important to know how you can influence the quality of the water resources, but it is also important to know the historic hazards in your community that may be contributing to a problem. With this in mind, it is important to learn about the historic hazards in your community and surrounding your home.  The Keystone Clean Water Team offers neighborhood or community hazard survey reports for communities within the Unities States.  The 501 c3 offers a few free reports each month.  To get more information about this program, please visit – https://www.knowyourh2o.com.

The best way to start off the New Year is not with a significant lifestyle change, but baby steps.   Make a few basic commitments and make small changes that will help you and your family save and conserve water, check the quality of your drinking water, learn about the hazards in your community, and perhaps implement 1 item each month that will save and conserve water.   It is important to remember that the less water you use, the more money stays in your pocket.

A few short phrases we should try to remember.

We ALL Live Downstream !

Groundwater and Surface water are Connected!

We are Part of the Water Cycle – Not just an Observer!

You can help – Make A Donation !

 

 

Professional Forest Industry Association, ProFIA “Fuel for Friends – Looking for Families

The Professional Forest Industry Association, ProFIA, is once again looking for recommendations for their annual program, “Fuel for Friends”. As the cold days are increasing in number, those that are struggling financially have a difficult time staying warm. Through this program, ProFIA donates a free cord of firewood to a family in need. If you know of a family who is finding it difficult to afford heat this winter please contact me so I can forward their information to ProFIA for consideration. We will be meeting tonight.

Kind Regards,

Kelley

Kelley S. Thornton
Forest Specialist

Wayne Conservation District
648 Park Street
Honesdale, PA 18431

Phone: 570.253.0930 ext. 3954
Email: kthornton@waynecountypa.gov

America’s infrastructure collapsing Hexavalent chromium (chromium-6) was just found in 75% of drinking water

“(NaturalNews) An Environmental Working Group review of government water analysis data reveals that 75% of drinking water in America is contaminated with cancer-causing hexavalent chromium (also known as chromium-6). In a widely publicized report, EWG warns that 200 million Americans are right now being exposed to this toxic chemical in their water.

This is on top of our own efforts at EPAwatch.org where my lab tested hundreds of municipal water samples from across the country and found high levels of lead and other heavy metals in 6.7% of samples.

America’s infrastructure collapsing into Third World status

This quote at a recent rally in  Michigan is very true- “”we used to make cars in Flint and you couldn’t drink the water in Mexico. Now the cars are being made in Mexico, and you can’t drink the water in Flint.”” Nor can you safely drink public water almost anywhere in America, as it’s almost universally contaminated with chromium-6, heavy metals or other toxic chemicals.”

To Read More: http://www.naturalnews.com/055408_chromium-6_drinking_water_chemical_suicide.html

Personally – We are the solution, not big govt, we must act to be informed, understand risk, and act.  You can Act NOW! Just some suggestions:

Act NoW !

  1. Get Your Water Tested – We recommend the Well Water or City Water Test Kit.
  2. Neighboorhood Hazard Reports
  3. Get or Install a Point of Use Water Treatment Device  (Treated Water for Pennies a Gallon) !

Private Well Owner Outreach to Private Property Owners Association in the Poconos – Monroe County

The Keystone Clean Water Team was very happy to work with the local “Poconos Region” Property Owners Association to offer a private well water screening test for the residents drinking water.  For the 2016 program, a total of 16 residents participated in the program and for this program water testing was offered at two different tiers.  The basic tier provide general information related to the bacterial quality of the water and level of nitrate, iron, and total hardness.  The advanced tier provided testing for trace metals such as arsenic, copper, lead, zinc, and more comprehensive analysis of the overall quality of the water.  The following is a summary of the results:

2 samples were positive for total coliform bacteria, but no samples were positive for E. coli.;

1 sample exceeded the drinking water standard for lead and 5 other samples had detectable levels of lead in the water;

13 of the 16 samples contained detectable levels of nitrate, but at no point did the level exceed or approach the drinking water standard of 10 mg/L;

1 sample had elevated levels of manganese, but 3 had detectable levels of manganese in the water; and

15 of the 16 samples were considered slightly to corrosive to metal piping and 1 sample was considered very corrosive to metal piping.

The pH of the water ranged for 6.2 to 7.5 and only two samples had a pH that was less than the recommended drinking water standard of 6.5.  These samples were associated with water that had detectable levels of lead, but not the highest level of lead.  The sample with the highest level of lead appeared to be a sample collected at the kitchen sink after the water had been treated with a water softener.

From this snapshot, we learned the following:

  1. There appears to be a 13 % probability that a private well may contain total coliform bacteria.
  2. The water produced from the aquifer tends to be slightly corrosive and have total hardness that ranges from 30 to 150 mg/L.
  3. The groundwater does not appear to have elevated levels of nitrate.
  4. The groundwater does not appear to have E. coli. bacteria.
  5. Lead was detected in some water samples, but the occurrence in the well water is related to the corrosiveness of the water, type of water treatment, and type of plumbing fixtures in the home and not the groundwater aquifer.
  6. Homeowners that reported problems with sulfur odor or black particles were the same homeowners that had elevated or detectable level of manganese.
  7. If you are considering the use of a water softener, please consider the type of household plumbing and it may be necessary to install a neutralizing filter.

Based on these results, we recommend that all private well owners conduct an annual water quality test.  To facilitate this effort, the Keystone Clean Water Team offers an online mail order informational water testing program for private well owners throughout the USA and we offer our Know Your H20? Free Phone App. To learn about our mail order program, please visit us at http://www.water-research.net or http://www.knowyourh20.us.   If you have any questions, please call or email 570-335-1947 or bfenviro@ptd.net.

 

Respectfully submitted,

 

Mr. Brian Oram, PG

 

Environmental Health Product – Tri-Heat Heating Pad

Since I am getting Older – I came across this product seems interesting at our local BNI Business Meeting – Where I was speaking about the Know Your H20 Program and it is part of our BUY Local and Support Local Business Efforts.

heating pad with controller

Tri-Heat is a new style heating pad that was designed to help people with muscle, joint and arthritic pain find a more comfortable and effective way of applying heat therapy.Heat application is a commonly prescribed therapy in today’s medical field and Tri-Heat’s unique design makes it perfect for treating pain in hard to target areas such as the neck, wrist, shoulder, elbow and knee, among others. 

Traditional heating pads are flat, flimsy and offer no support. When you try to wrap them around the injury you have to struggle to hold them in place and fit them to your joints. When you constantly have to readjust them you lose the heat and therefore any benefit they offer.

Tri-Heat is different. When you place it in the area that needs treatment you don’t have to adjust it or struggle to make it fit into the muscle and joint because the design allows it to comfortably stay in place and heat effectively. It’s great for Arthritis sufferers, as well as athletes looking to warm up their leg, arm, and shoulder muscles before a big game.

Tri-Heat comes with:

  • 4 Heat Settings
  • Moist Heat Capability
  • Two Heated Sides
  • 40 Min. Auto Off

Tri-Heat Brochure 1

Forty Fort, PA 18704 Email: contact@triheating.com 844-Tri-Heat or 844-874-4328

Think Healthy, Eat Healthy, Safe Community, Drink Clean Water, and Make a Difference !

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