Nitrates in Water


Posted September 18th, 2018

Nitrates in Water: The Basics

nitrateseepage

 

The primary sources of nitrates in water are human sewage, livestock manure, and fertilizers. Areas with a high density of septic tanks and animal agriculture in close proximity to the drinking water source are most vulnerable to contamination by nitrates. Research has shown an increase in nitrates in water as both agriculture and population grows. While nitrates used to be a “well water” problem, many urban water suppliers  now having to work to keep nitrate levels down. (See Nitrate Levels in Drinking Water Are on the Rise.)

The foremost health hazard associated with excessive levels of nitrates in water is blue baby syndrome, a condition that affects the blood usually in infants 6 months old or younger. Young infants’ digestive systems convert nitrates to nitrites and can be fatal.

Nitrates and nitrites are very soluble and cannot be precipitated from water. They are not removed by conventional filtration.  This means they have to be treated with a chemical or biological process. The best residential treatments for nitrate contamination are reverse osmosis, distillation, and anion exchange. Reverse osmosis is normally the product of choice for residential applications. Anion exchange can also be effective but it is important to have a water analysis to show other contaminants. Anion treatment is less effective in water with high TDS, high hardness, and high sulfates.

EPA maximum contaminant levels (MCLs) are 10 mg/L for nitrate and 1 mg/L for Nitrite.

Vinyl Chloride


Posted September 17th, 2018

Vinyl Chloride

Vinyl chloride is not found in nature. It is a man-made cancer causer that gets into water supplies mainly as a result of manufacturing emissions and spills. It serves as a raw material to produce polyvinyl chloride (PVC) polymers (plastics). PVC is used to manufacture many industrial and consumer products: water and sewer pipe, wire insulation, floor and wall coverings, toys, medical devices, food packaging, etc.

Vinyl chloride is a known carcinogen. It is a danger especially to workers in manufacturing plants where it is used. As a water contaminant, the greatest danger is from contaminated wells.  It seeps into wells as a result of manufacturing leakage and spills.

Removal of vinyl chloride is accomplished best by filtration with granular activated carbon and by reverse osmosis units. Some distillers remove vinyl chloride.

Go here for more information.

A Filter Control Valve that Costs Less and Does Not Need Electricity

2510manualcontrol

 

Fleck’s Simple 2510 Manual Control.  No Electricity Required. It Isn’t Sexy, But It’s Very Functional.

Fleck 2510 Manual.  This is the most basic of filter valves, yet in many situations it can be the best.  In spite of the low price, it’s a tough and durable piece of equipment.  The 2510 Manual is a  non-electric control that requires manual backwash and rinse.  It is, therefore, not practical if backwashing needs to be performed daily (as with many iron filters, for example), but for a clean city water application where chlorine removal is the main purpose, a monthly backwash is often sufficient and performing it can be a 15-minute task.  The valve operates with a simple selection lever and has only three choices: Service (means the filter is in service, providing water for the home), backwash, and rinse.  Performing the backwash and rinse is like shifting gears in an car: pull the lever to backwash and let it run for five to ten minutes, pull it down to rinse for a couple of minutes, then return it to service.

2510manual03

Simple lever-controlled programming includes Service, Backwash, and Rapid Rinse positions. No electricity needed.

The 2510 Manual Control unit has exactly the same capacity as the larger-format, fully automatic 2510 timer control, but it costs approximately $150 less and requires no electrical connection.

Suggested uses:

City water chlorine or chloramine filters that require only infrequent backwashing.

Remote installations like seasonal cabins where an electrical connection is not available.

“Off the grid” installations where saving electricity is high priority.

Installations where a permanent drain connection is not convenient. (The filter must have a drain for backwash and rinse water, but it can be hooked to a garden hose and used for lawn or garden irrigation. The filter’s drain can be easily fitted with a garden hose connection.)

Any intermittent-use application where it’s easier to regenerate the filter manually than to continually reprogram an electric control valve.

 

 

 

 

N.J. is first state to regulate toxic PFNAs in drinking water

 

New Jersey has become the first state to regulate its drinking water for a man-made, toxic chemical compound once used in making nonstick cookware and now linked to a variety of health problems.

A new Department of Environmental Protection rule will cap the amount of compounds known as PFNAs, short for perfluorononanoic acid. For years, the state has been concerned about the level of PFNAs detected in water samples and has studied how the compounds were making their way into water.  The state has even found some of the compounds in fish from recreational waterways and has begun issuing consumption advisories.

PFNAs are part of a large group of chemical compounds known as PFAS, short for per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances. The compounds were also used to make firefighting foam, stain-resistant clothing, and food packaging.  They have been linked to low infant birth weights, effects on the immune system, cancer, and hormone disruption.  PFAS can accumulate in the body and remain for long periods.

There are no federal standards for the compounds.  Environmental Protection Agency officials under the Trump administration sought to block the release in June of a federal study showing that the same class of chemicals that contaminated water supplies near military bases and other areas, worrying it would cause a “public relations nightmare.”  Since then, the EPA has held a series of public forums on the compounds, including one in Horsham that drew hundreds of residents.

The New Jersey rule amends the Safe Drinking Water Act to set a maximum contaminant level of 13 parts per trillion of PFNAs starting in 2019.  It aligns with Gov. Murphy’s much more aggressive environmental policies compared with the Christie administration, which declined to take up the issue. Environmental groups have long sought such regulation.

“Today, the state has met the challenge to protect people from exposure to PFNAs, one of the most toxic perfluorinated compounds known,” said Tracy Carluccio, deputy director of the Delaware Riverkeeper Network.

PFNAs were first detected in the Delaware River watershed in Gloucester County in 2010, according to the Delaware Riverkeeper Network.  The compound was found in a groundwater well in Paulsboro near the Solvay plastics manufacturing plant.  The Paulsboro groundwater showed concentration of 96 parts per trillion.  Higher levels were later found.  The borough filed notice it would sue Solvay, which led to a water treatment system to remove the compound.

Reprinted from Philly.com

Pure Water Gazette Fair Use Statement

Prices and Tariffs


Posted September 6th, 2018

Prices they are a-changin’

 

When all the political smoke clears, the truth about “tariffs” is that they amount to a tax increase that isn’t called a tax increase.

And it isn’t the Chinese or the Mexicans or the Canadians who pay the tax. It’s American consumers.

For those who buy water treatment equipment, taxes are going up sharply. One of our vendors just notified us that all products from one major American supplier are going up 4 to 8 percent because of tariffs. Our main parts vendor has just notified us that the prices of filter media and softener resin, filter tanks, and control valves are going to increase sharply. That means prices of finished filters and softeners will rise considerably.

Prices tend to spiral. When a tax on Chinese carbon forces up the price, this allows domestic carbon makers some room to raise their prices and still remain competitive. Foreign-made and American-made both go up. And once prices go up, they hardly every come back down, tariff or no tariff.

In a nutshell: because of the tax increase, we expect that our water softeners, tank-style and cartridge-style filters, filter media and parts in general will be selling for about 10% more.  Very soon.