Study Summary:
We recommend the following:
NSF Intl. has developed a test method and protocol to verify a water treatment device’s ability to reduce perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) and perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS) to below the health advisory levels set by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
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Interesting Article by
“In 1654, Rembrandt painted a woman, in Amsterdam, bathing in a stream. As she lifts her nightdress above her knees and treads deeper, the woman is stepping from one world into another. Among art historians, the transition she is making is metaphorical. But to a biologist, it is also ecological.
We imagine water to be clean, and we imagine clean to mean lifeless, and yet all the water you have ever bathed in, swum through, or drunk has been full of life, from bacteria to tiny crustaceans. So, too, the pipes in which it travels. As water passes through pipes in general and showerheads in particular, a thick biofilm builds up. Biofilm is a fancy word that scientists use to avoid saying “gunk.” It is made by individuals of one or more species of bacteria working together to protect themselves from hostile conditions—including the flow of water, which constantly threatens to wash them away—via their own excretions.”
This is a very timely article – we work with a lot of private water systems, public water supply systems, and businesses that have a biofilm problem and to be honest I have had this problem in my home (s) that were serviced by both city water and well water.
First Step – Learn
Second – Diagnose
Third Step – Test/ Monitor
NSF/ANSI 401 addresses the ability of a water treatment device to remove up to 15 individual contaminants (listed below), which have been identified in published studies as occurring in drinking water. While not a public health issue, the contaminants covered in NSF/ANSI 401 have been detected in drinking water supplies at trace levels and can affect some consumers’ perception of drinking water quality. (NSF/ANSI 401 also applies to reverse osmosis (RO) water treatment.)
Over-the-Counter Medications
Chemical Compounds
Get Your Water Tested
National Testing Laboratory – Water Testing Options
Tap Score – Water Testing Options
For some reason, this year we received a lot of questions from individuals looking to purchase or install a reverse osmosis treatment system. The first question they all ask was about the features, models, and other details, but none answer the question why? What was the problem or purpose? They assumed they needed this system.
So my questions went as follows:
Question 1: Why? What is the Problem – their answer in all cases was they thought it would be better.
Answer 1: They all thought they needed to install a reverse osmosis unit on their drinking water to protect their family. They did not identify a problem such as salty water, metallic taste, etc. When this happens, my first assumption is something went wrong somewhere or there is a new water treatment ad on TV pushing citizens to drink “Pure Water”, i.e., H20 or dihydrogen monoxide, only. First – Drinking absolutely pure water for the long-term is not wise.
Question 2: Where does your water originate? Well water, City or Public water, or shared spring.
Answer 2: 80% said city or public water, 10 % said private well, and 10% said a local spring.
For the city and public water users, I said it was unlikely you needed a reverse osmosis unit because your source is regulated and must meet the state and federal drinking water standards, but after Flint and other cases this may not be true 100 % of the time. I ask them if they look at the Consumer Confidence Report for their system and they had no idea what I was describing. I pointed them in the direction of the EPA Consumer Confidence Report (NOTE: If there is no report online, you will need to call your water supplier) and in every instance the water source was meeting drinking water standards, but they had some occasional problems with trihalomethanes, i.e., chlorine by-products, bacteria, and a few with copper, arsenic, fluoride, and lead or corrosion issues. For these individuals, I recommended the following:
a. Get a Comprehensive City Water Information Analysis
b. Based on the initial information and assuming the primary issue was trihalomethanes and chlorine by-products, the primary need most individuals was an under the counter “Point-of-Use” Carbon Filtration System for the Sink, Refrigerator, and/or Shower and in some cases for older homes I suggested a first flush test for lead and copper and then have a plumbing contractor inspect the service lines and plumbing in the home. In one case, the homeowner found a slimy bacterial growth in the toilet tank reservoir, so we suggested they flush the system and suggested the installation of a water filter canister so they could flush and shock disinfect the water lines in the home. For a small office, I might suggest a water cooler model. I do not recommend a Whole House Reverse Osmosis unit.
c. Reverse Osmosis Treatment was not needed in ALL cases.
For the well water users (POE Systems- UV disinfection), I asked them when was the last time they tested their water and if the water had any aesthetic problems. One complained of a salty taste, one was just concerned because of health issues, and the rest reported aesthetic problems ranging from odors to discoloration to staining. If they did not have a recent water test, we recommended the appropriate water testing based on their description of the problem and surrounding land-use activities.
Homeowners that reported – Salty Water Taste and not near a gasoline station or farming area we recommended a basic water quality test with bacteria.
Homeowners that reported discoloration that was red, black, green, and/or a metallic taste we recommended a basic water quality test.
Homeowners that reported a chemical odor or metallic sheen and located in an area surrounded by agricultural activities or petrochemicals we recommended a test that included bacteria, metals, Volatile Organics, herbicides, and pesticides. If they reported slimy coatings or films, we added a nuisance bacteria test.
We also directed a few of these users to our Phone App and Diagnose It for a self Diagnose.
At this point, NOT one of these individuals has installed a reverse osmosis unit, but it looks like the guy with the salty water may need a system. We did find out that about 90% of the well owners needed to shock disinfect their well, 50% needed to install a UV disinfection System, 30% had a corrosion related problem, and 20% had to treat the water for an iron, manganese, or sulfur problem.
For the “Spring User” – we recommend the water be tested for total coliform and E. coli. and general water quality. If the samples come back positive and there was a concern iron and manganese content we recommended a water test that included bacteria (including standard plate count and nuisance bacteria, iron, manganese, and total dissolved solids). Some of the users complained about getting diarrhea, so we recommend the equivalent of a Pathogenic Screen Test for Your Drinking Water.
Guess What ! – the diarrhea case was positive for 1 pathogenic organism. Our recommendation was to not use that spring and if possible have the spring properly abandon. If you want to use a local spring source, plan on boiling the water at a minimum and use a water pitcher filter (test regularly at least quarterly).
For the guy that needed a reverse osmosis system, he also needed a pretreatment system to deal with the bacteria, hardness, and prepare the water for the R/O unit. For individuals on city water that want a point of use R/O, we have found that is is typically necessary to prefilter the water to remove particles, add a carbon unit to remove chlorine, and is some cases reduce the hardness of the water. Please keep in mind both applications are for Point-of-Use and not – Wholehouse RO treatment.
Looking for a Reverse Osmosis Unit – Questions?
Interesting R/O Unit with Booster Pump
Finally -You may want to be looking for an NSF/ANSI 58 approved systems – You can try this product search. “NSF/ANSI 58 establishes the minimum requirements for the certification of point-of-use (POU) reverse osmosis systems designed to reduce contaminants that may be present in public or private drinking water. The scope of NSF/ANSI 58 includes material safety, structural integrity, total dissolved solids (TDS) reduction and other optional contaminant reduction claims. The most common optional claims addressed by NSF/ANSI 58 include cyst reduction, hexavalent and trivalent chromium reduction, arsenic reduction, nitrate/nitrite reduction, and cadmium and lead reduction.” and you most likely want to hire a local trained professional to assist with product selection and install. If your looking for a treatment system to remove Pfas/Pfos (meets NSF P473)
Training
If you are looking for Training on the Subject – Visit : Basic Water Treatment Course (Search Water Supply
(Topics: Desalination, Disinfection, Membrane Filtration)
More -Training – Visit Training Professionals
Please share the site – We try to be as fact based as possible and try to provide solid information.
Manufacturers
Lycoming County, Pennsylvania – Flooding Private Water Wells – contaminated drinking water
With the significant and long-term rainfall events, we have rural areas that have undergone flooding. If your area has been flooded and you use private water wells, you must take some action to ensure that your water well is thoroughly cleaned and sanitized. When water wells become inundated or a region floods, it is possible that the contaminated water may enter the water well directly via the well cap or indirectly through natural macropores (i.e., spaces between the rock or particles of sand and gravel, in the unconsolidated material or bedrock. OUR suggestions are as follows:
PS: Adding too much disinfection chemical to the well is not wise, this can cause the release of arsenic and other trace metals into the water.
Recent Concerns:
Worms in Well Water
Forever Chemicals in Drinking Water
The Keystone Clean Water Team is a 501 c3 that focuses on Pennsylvania, but helps private well owners and small water systems worldwide.
For more information about us, please visit our portal. We have a new educational booklet on groundwater in Pennsylvania. More Questions -visit us at Water-research.net
If you can – give us a hand – all we ask is you share, retweet, and help promote our social media platforms. If you can donate – GREAT !
Could plate tectonics be tied to the development of life on Earth?
Earth is the only planet known to sustain life. It is also the only planet with active plate tectonics. Coincidence? Most geoscientists think not. In part two of EARTH Magazine’s feature on plate tectonics, EARTH correspondent Mary Caperton Morton examines the links between two phenomena that are unique to our planet.
Although other planets in our solar system possess active volcanoes, faults, and other evidence of surface deformation, Earth’s global plate tectonics is “a very rare animal,” according to Chris Hawkesworth, a geochemist at the University of Bristol in England. And life beyond our planet is rarer still.
The key ingredient for both seems to be water: Aqueous environments spawned the first single-celled organisms, and minerals become weaker when water is embedded in their crystalline structure – weak enough for Earth’s eggshell crust to crack. The development of complex life appears even more closely tied to tectonics, and that may just be a missing piece in the evolutionary puzzle.
Read part two of the plate tectonics double-feature in EARTH Magazine, now online.
The July issue of EARTH is now available online. Read the cover story, “Burying the Sky,” to learn how two projects – one in Iceland, the other in eastern Washington state – are taking advantage of their common underlying geology to capture and store greenhouse gases as carbonate rock. For these stories and more, The Conversation
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The Department of Environmental Protection’s Office of Oil and Gas Management has scheduled the first in a series of question-and-answer sessions regarding the implementation of Chapter 78a. The webinar will be held on December 6 at 1:00 p.m. DEP staff will be taking written questions and providing as many answers during the webinar as possible, however some questions may require additional discussion and will be answered at a later time. All written questions will receive a written answer that will be posted to the Oil and Gas Program’s FAQ website. In order to make the webinar as productive as possible, DEP asks that written questions be provided to Scott Perry at scperry@pa.gov by Tuesday, November 29. These questions will be prioritized at the webinar.
Participants may join the webinar up to 20 minutes prior to the meeting. Participants will want to make sure that they allow time to get the webinar setup on their computers. For audio, participants must use an available telephone line. They can choose to call the toll-free number attached or they can choose to have Webex call them by providing the telephone number they wish to use.
Event link: https://copa.webex.com/copa/onstage/g.php?MTID=e3af2c72988aaceabb90a847fcebece64
Date and time: Tuesday, December 6, 2016, 1:00 p.m.
Duration: 2 hours
Event number: 646 830 722
Event password: OOGM_1
Audio conference: 650-479-3208
Access code: 646 830 722
If you have questions or difficulties, please contact
Katherine Hetherington Cunfer, DEP External Affairs Director, at
717-705-2693 or khethering@pa.gov.