Eastern Region Water Quality Association 2018
B.F. Environmental Consultants Inc and the Keystone Clean Water Team attended the Eastern Regional Water Quality Association 2018 Conference at Kalahai in the Poconos in September 2018. During this conference, we did the following:
- Taught our 1 day course on water sampling, chain-of-custody, and working as a water professional.
- Conducted a 1 hour training session on what is in my water 2018 by Brian oram!
- Presented our new tools for the industry
- Diagnose It – http://www.knowyourh20.us/diagnostic
- Presented our Updated Free Phone Apps – http://www.knowyourh2o.us/download-our-mobile-app
- Announced our NEW Drinking Water Educational Booklet – http://keystone.carbonwaters.org/pennsylvania-groundwater-quality-guide
- Announced our New Training Portal for Professionals
Things you can do to make a difference.
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Lycoming County Pennsylvania Flooding Private Wells
Lycoming County, Pennsylvania – Flooding Private Wells
With the significant and long-term rainfall events, we have 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:
- Do not panic!
- If you are not handy, we recommend that you contact a licensed professional well driller.
- If you are handy and have power, we recommend that you inspect the area around the well and remove the well cap and shock disinfect the well.
- We would recommend the well be purged to waste – do not purge the water into the septic system or back directly into the well initially. When the well water appears clear, recirculate the water back into the well to wash down the sides of the casing. Please make sure to by-pass any water treatment devices and water filters and do not run this water through your main plumbing of the home.
- We then recommend that the well and main line be shock disinfected twice. This is our website that contains information on how to shock disinfect a well and a link to a video that reviews the process and to the preferred chemical to use (Link to Amazon). Please note- Some local well drillers has this chemical available. If you can not get this chemical, it is ok in an emergency to use household bleach that does NOT contains scents, fragrances, or other additives.
- After the well has been shock disinfected and purged one to waste, the second shock disinfection should be to the well and the distribution system of the home. When you conduct this disinfection, it is critical that you remove all aeration devices, by-pass all filters, and remove any hoses or connections that have inline filters or screens, i.e., your washer hoses and you may want to consider raising the casing, adding a sanitary well cap, and adding a Well Seal.
- When you believe you have shock disinfected the well properly, we recommend the following:
- Screen the raw untreated well water and the water from the piping of your home using a DIY Informational Water Testing Screening Test. (Link to TA – portion of the proceeds benefits the Keystone Clean Water Team)
- If the screening test is negative, we would suggest that you then contact a certified laboratory PA by county and have the water tested for at least total coliform and E. coli. using a method that gives you a physical count, i.e., an enumeration method.
- If the water is still positive for total coliform and/or E. coli, we would recommend that you shock disinfect the well and distribution system a second time, but use a longer reaction time and then retest using a certified laboratory.
- If you are in an area with farming or petrochemical storage or high use, we would also recommend an informational water screening test that includes trace metals, herbicides, pesticides, and volatile organic compounds (Link to NTL – portion of the proceeds benefits the Keystone Clean Water Team).
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 !
New Question – Looking for Filter to Remove Giardia and Cryptosporidium
During the last week, we received multiple calls about testing for Giardia and Cryptosporidum in Well Water and City Water. Our response is yes we can help, but is that the best course of action?
We first asked why? Is someone sick – Response – NO!
Then why the interested?
The repsonses:
Newspaper Article about a problem in different area. (2 people)
A friend as this problem. (1)
They saw something on social media.(8)
A water treatment person (plumber) mentioned that my system does not remove. (2)
What is your water source? Well Water (3 people), City Water (10 people).
Have you had your water testing for Total Coliform Bacteria and general water quality? Yes (2 people) and NO (11 people).
Do you have a copy of your “city water” annual report? NO (10 people)
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My suggestions:
1. Get a copy of the “city water annual report” by calling the water company or going to their website or go to https://www.epa.gov/ccr. If you need help reviewing, contact the Keystone Clean Water Team.
2. Get your water tested or run at a minimum a self testing. At a minimum, go to https://watertestingkits.com/ref/10/.
3. Try a point of use filter – Should meet NSF Standards 42 & 53 for contaminant reduction, such as PUR Classic Clear FM-3333B filtration system, see https://amzn.to/2QN6hQU using the PUR RF-3375 2-stage filter https://amzn.to/2xwtU9p
As always, we hope this helps – someone.
Water Treatment – “The Salt Free Water Softener”
The Keystone Clean Water Team is a 501c3 and the main goal of the organization is to educate and inform the public on issues related to watershed management, water quality, groundwater, conservation, and the links between the environment, economy, and living within a community. As a group, we provide educational outreach via are webportals, workshops, and other training programs. During the past year, one of the most common questions we get ask is: “What do you think of the “Salt Free Water Softener”, my normal answer is “It depends”.
For some “salt free water treatment” systems by most common answer is quackery. I will not mention these systems, but I will refer you to a great website so we do not have to worry about liability (H20.com). Of the softener and “salt-free” systems we have been able to seen the field the ones that appear interesting would include the following:
Water Softener (Conventional and With A Twist)
In general water softeners reduce the level of total hardness in the water and when this hardness is removed it is replaced with ions of sodium or potassium. The total hardness can include elements like calcium, magnesium, iron, manganese, and other divalent/or mulivalent cations, i.e., ions that have a positive charge of more than one. These ions are replaced by ions with a positive charge of one. The system requires an internal resign that acts as the treatment area and a brine tank that is used to backwash and recharge the resin. These have a long-history of use, but can increase the level of sodium and potassium in the water. These systems can be vulnerable to bacterial regrowth, chlorine interaction, and in some cases “Iron Out” needs to be added to the brine tank. A water softener can add in dealing with issues related to more significant scale formation and problems with iron and manganese. If you are considering this treatment system, we recommend that you conduct a comprehensive water quality test and seek the advice of a local expert. If you are a DIY, get your water tested and please visit this portal (Whole House Water Softener / Alternative No-salt Softener (just reduces hardness- Using a Crystal Eagle Anti-scale media ) ). For the record, we have seen problems when a water softener is added to an older home and system. In these cases, we have seen that water softener was typically removing too much of the water hardness. When this softened water was introduced to the system, the system experience elevated levels of lead, copper, and other trace metals and because the line was not properly shock disinfected intermittent water quality problems with “dirty and discolored water” (PS: this is Flint Michigan in a nutshell).
Aquios Systems (Aquios FS-220) (Salt Free)
The Aquios technology uses a polyphosphate/silicate additive in the media to bind or sequester the hardness as a mineral form. The media is known as Siliphos Data Sheet. Rather than feeding a polyphosphate chemical into the water like is done for corrosion control and sequestering for some municipal water sources, this is accomplished using a point of entry or use treatment system. The filter has a fixed capacity for hardness reduction, so it is critical to get a detailed water quality test so the system can be properly sized. In addition, the system normally included prefiltration to reduce or remove sediment and chlorine.
This systems uses a chelatin approach to reducing the total hardness of the water. Therefore, the hardness is bound and sequestered within the media, which is very similar to the Aquios approach, but they use CitraCharge. CitraCharge appears to be an additive that includes citric acid, which is a weak organic acid. From the companies website, “The chelant in CitraCharge creates a ring structure to bind the ions to the CitraCharge instead of to other ions, which is what typically causes scale and hard-water deposits.”
Other Products
Lemi Shine Natural Dishwasher Cleaner – Citric Acid Cleaner (Dishwasher, etc)
Citic Acid based cleaner-Food Grade Citric Acid Powder Natural Cleaner & Descaler
Please make sure to get your water quality tested. For this problem we would recommend, the following for Well Water or City Water.
Keystone Clean Water Team – Groundwater Foundation Library – Links to Educational Webinars – Groundwater Guardians Pennsylvania
“The Groundwater Foundation’s library of FREE educational webinars, available on-demand.”
The Keystone Clean Water Team (KCWT) -Carbon County Groundwater Guardian Program (CCGG) is a 501(c)(3) non-profit, volunteer, environmental education organization which provides homeowners with information on private wells, water quality and quantity, and septic systems. We are dedicated to protecting private well owners from illnesses caused by our drinking water. We advance good groundwater stewardship by raising awareness on a variety of groundwater issues that affects everyone with a private water supply. We can help you get your water tested at the lab of your choice and explain the test results.
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Click on the webinar title for a description, presenter information, length, and link to view.
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Becoming a Groundwater Guardian Green Site: An Overview of the Application Process
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Introduction to Groundwater Guardian Green Sites
Our Educational Booklet on Groundwater
Looking for a speaker related to Well Issues, Septic Systems, or Groundwater in Pennsylvania – contact: http://www.pacleanwater.org
Your Appliances Have a Warranty – Does Your Drinking Water Quality Violate this Warranty?
Have you read your warranty on that $ 1500.00 appliance, GUESS WHAT? If you water quality is not appropriate your warranty may be invalid. The same goes for the water heater, other heat exchange devices, dishwashers, clothes washers, and other water related appliances. At the Eastern Regional Water Quality Conference in September 2017, I meet Kris Toomey from LH Brubaker Water Conditioning. He told me a bit about his business.
“Appliances and water treatment go hand in hand. The benefits of soft water for appliances are plentiful. It is a perfect marriage between providing an appliance that improves the quality of life for a family and offering water treatment equipment to ensure the long-term reliability of the state-of-the-art appliances and at the same time providing a barrier to protect the family. Providing the appropriate water quality treatment of the household water is like offering an additional “insurance policy” for the house, family, and the appliance. Not only are you protecting their investment, but you are helping with soap savings, skin and hair benefits as well as protecting the plumbing system, water heater, and plumbing fixtures. In many cases, this action is necessary to protect the warranty on the new equipment. There is no better feeling than ensuring that the family walking through your door making an investment in their home is given the right information to ensure the reliability of the appliances. Every fridge that leaves the store has an opportunity for an RO system to provide the highest available purified water option and this additional barrier protects not only the appliance, but also the family.”
Kris Toomey CWS-1
Director of Water Sales
LH Brubaker Water Conditioning
ktoomey@lhbrubakers.com
717-945-5851 ext. 206
Impact of Water Quality on Water Heating Equipment
“The local water quality is one of the factors that contributes most significantly to the long-term
performance and longevity of water heating equipment. Specifically, highly alkaline water will lead to
the accumulation of scale, which will impact the efficiency of tankless and gas storage water heaters and
can lead to decreased equipment life.”
Note:
Learn about the warranty when purchasing a water related appliance and Get Your Water Tested (Well Water or City Water) Requires Different Testing!
Your Drinking Water and Your Health – You are Not an Observer !
Even though 60% of the human body is water, water is a resource that is often taken for granted. The primary concerns with water relate to having adequate quantity of the proper quality. In terms of hydration, drinking water is probably one of the best ways to keep your body healthy. Water is used in your body to help maintain your temperature and ensures the proper operation of your circulatory, digestive, and neurological systems. Water is one of the pathways that potential contaminants and disease causing agents can enter the body, so the quality is also important. Therefore, we need drinking water of adequate quantity of the proper quality.
When the body is not properly hydrated, our body’s response is to make us feel thirsty, but if you miss this clue watch out for dry mouth, swollen tongue, weakness, dizziness, confusion, palpitations, and fainting. If over hydrated, you can become water intoxicated or hyperhydration. If hyperhydration occurs, the kidneys can not process all the water and the system becomes overwhelmed. There are phone apps and other tools to help you to remember to drink enough water, but our general recommendation is if you feel thirsty it is time to get a drink and given a choice pick water.
Water comes in many forms, which can include premium bottled water, tap water, spring water, carbonated water, soda, coffee, tap water, nutrient infused water, juices, and purified water. Of all these, it is my professional opinion that we just need to drink water. The two most common sources of drinking water for a community is either public water or a private water source. A public water source is always regulated by both the federal and state governments and many may call this city water or tapwater, but well or spring water may be from a public or private source. If you get your water directly from a well or spring, this is a private source and this is not commonly regulated.
If you get your water from city water, the most common health concerns are related to the presence of chlorine-by-products or corrosive by-product in the United States, the public water supply systems are disinfected using various forms of chlorine and phosphate is added to attempt to control corrosion. The chlorine is used to disinfect the water, but it can react with naturally occurring organics to form trihalomethanes, i.e., a potential carcinogen; while phosphate will react with the metals in the water to form a scale or coating on the inside of the piping, see “Flint, Michigan”. If you are on well water, the most common problems are the presence of bacteria and elevated levels of salts in the water, like nitrate, chloride, and sulfate, or corrosive water. In some cases, the water may contain elevated levels of radionuclides and trace metals, like arsenic, iron, lead, and manganese. The quality of the drinking water depends on type of water, location, level of treatment, the condition of your plumbing, and your home or house. In some areas, the community is concerned about pipelines and natural gas development, but a hidden problem may be the existing quality of their drinking water.
For citizens, our general recommendations related to drinking water are:
1. City Water Customers– Review any annual “Consumer Confident Reports” produced by your water supplier and act accordingly.
2. Private Water Sources -Get your water tested, at least annually, and have the results review by an expert (our Mail order program) or maybe conduct a in-home screening test yourself and calculate your Water Quality Rank.
3. Look out for potential problems with your drinking water, based on what you can see, taste, smell, or otherwise detect with your senses or problems that may be caused by the water.
4. Review our Drinking Water Diagnostic Web Application.
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!
Websites of Interest
Consumer Confidence Reports
https://www.epa.gov/ccr/ccr-information-consumers
Neighborhood Hazardous Reports and Water Testing
http://www.knowyourh2o.com
Water Testing From Throughout The USA !
DIY – Do it Yourself- Citizens are screening the quality of their drinking water. With thousands of customers around the world, where starting a new project where everyone can share their results & then view other results submitted from around the world. Compare your water quality with other people from all over. Compare your drinking water quality to others throughout the USA. Does you water score a 100 (A+) or does it get an F.
Check out the Informational Map
Get a DIY Water Testing Kits
he Keystone Clean Water Team (KCWT) -Carbon County Groundwater Guardian Program (CCGG) is a 501(c)(3) non-profit, volunteer, environmental education organization which provides homeowners with information on private wells, water quality and quantity, and septic systems. We are dedicated to protecting private well owners from illnesses caused by our drinking water. We advance good groundwater stewardship by raising awareness on a variety of groundwater issues that affects everyone with a private water supply. We can help you get your water tested at the lab of your choice or use our Mail Order Program, plus explain the test results –Get our Educational Booket.
Well Water Testing is Critical – You Must Know Your H20
Well Water Safety
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 TestAssured’s Well Water Testing Kit. This kit is a great screening test to help you determine the quality of your water.
This single kit includes all of the following water tests:
- Chlorine
- Copper
- Nitrates & Nitrites
- Iron
- Alkalinity
- pH
- Hardness
- Bacteria
Specially designed for people on well water, the Well Water Testing Kit includes 8 tests for a complete water analysis. You’ll be able to identify the presence of chemicals, metals, and even bacteria like E. coli.
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.
Please review and share some of our PSAs on Well Water.
Get our Educational Booklet on Drinking Water Quality for Private Well Owners.
Corrosion Index, LSI, Hardness and Alkalinity – Do you have a problem??