Politics Takes Priority over Texas Water Needs

by Rep. Lyle Larson, Texas House of Representatives 

Introductory Note:  This piece from the Waxahachie (TX) Daily Light illustrates the complexity of water planning in the context of  current political realities.  Although Rep. Larson’s article has patent political motives, it speaks to the immense  difficulty of getting consensus even on such an obvious need as the provision and protection of water resources at a time of clearly increasing demand.  All agree that we need more water, but the need for education is also so compelling that water can become a political bargaining chip.  –Hardly Waite, Pure Water Gazette.

The Stress Nexus, the interconnectivity between water, energy and food, is not a concept we hear discussed often, but acknowledging its existence is necessary to understand the seriousness of our water needs.

A study by the International Water Association notes that agriculture uses 70 percent of the world’s water to irrigate 20 percent of the world’s cropland in order to produce 40 percent of the world’s food. In the United States, the energy sector withdraws 40 percent of the nation’s water to cool power plants and fuel turbines.

In the face of a growing population, rapid urbanization, and limited access to diminishing natural resources, it’s imperative that we embrace a progressive shift in the way that we think about how to ensure future security in these three areas.

Article Source: Waxahachie Daily Light

 

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Reference Source:  Pure Water Products

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Cold water can be deadly on warm weekend

by Rose Egge

 

SEATTLE, Wash. — With the state’s recent snow melt and few warm days so far this year, Wade Alonzo with Washington State Parks said the temperature of local rivers and lakes is still in the low 40s.

Most people will find these temperatures too cold for swimming, but Alonzo said he is concerned about people who unexpectedly end up in the water.

“If [boaters] capsize or they somehow fall overboard, they can be in trouble if they’re not prepared for the conditions,” Alonzo said.

Once a person is submerged in water that cold their body immediately goes into shock, said Elizabeth Bennett, a drowning prevention expert at Seattle Children’s Hospital.

“You take an involuntary gasp of air, and if you’re submerged you’re breathing in water,” she said.

Alonzo said the body starts to pull blood away from the limbs into the core after a few minutes, making it difficult to move.

“If you’re not wearing a life jacket going in, it’s going to be difficult to get one on once you’re in the water,” Alonzo said.

Tony Gomez, chair of Seattle-King County Drowning Prevention Coalition, was a life guard at Lake Sammamish and Snoqualmie River where he rescued swimmers who fell into cold water.

“As soon as they hit the water, they were in trouble,” Gomez said. “They were decent swimmers in a pool, but put them in cold water and they could only do a few strokes before they would get tired, start to panic and go under.”

If a person is in cold water for at least a minute hypothermia can set in, leading to permanent  disability or death.

This is especially concerning for children, who often have a higher metabolism and can lose body heat faster said Dr. Mark Lo from the Seattle Children’s Emergency Medical Department.

“When they come out of the water get them warm and dry as soon as possible,” Lo said. “If they start to hallucinate or feel sleepy then they need to be seen by a medical professional quickly.”

Alonzo said consuming alcohol can also threaten boaters’ safety, especially since its affects are exaggerated in the sun and on the water. When a person is intoxicated they can also feel warmer than they actually are.

“Alcohol is going to impair your judgment, so you might not be making the best decisions of where to go, when to go,” Alonzo said.

Despite the risks, Alonzo said residents shouldn’t avoid boats or beaches this weekend. Instead he says they should be prepared to end up in the water. He recommended boaters always wear a life jacket, stay in a group with others who can help them out of the water, and pack extra dry clothes.

“We want people to get out on the water, but we want to do it safely,” Alonzo said. “Get a life jacket you like that fits well and wear it.”

Bennett said parents wearing their own life jackets can set a good example for their kids and help them be ready to rescue them at any moment.

“You need to be in arm’s length of your child at all times,” Bennett said. “A number of children who drown just wander away, and all of the sudden they’re out of sight. Be right there with no distractions.”

Alonzo said it is also important to make sure your boating activity is appropriate to your skill level.

The State Department of Health advises anyone planning a river activity to always check river levels and conditions before leaving home. Runoff from mountain snow and rain can create high, fast-moving water that can carry debris and increase drowning risks.

Source:  KVAL.Com

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 The Purity of Tap Water Cannot Be Taken for Granted

In late April of 2013 a former suburban Chicago water official was convicted of lying about secretly mixing carcinogen-tainted well water into an Illinois town’s drinking water supply.

According to an article in the Insurance Journal, the 55-year-old long-time water department supervisor admitted to mixing tainted well water in with the more expensive Lake Michigan water in an effort to gain political advantage by keeping the town’s water bills low. The tainted water was added to the town’s water supply  from 1982 until the deception was uncovered in 2008.  Town citizens, therefore, drank dangerously polluted water for a quarter of a century without knowing it,  The cancer rate in the town was higher than normal and law suits blaming the water for a variety of illness, including brain cancer, are in progress.

It is unlikely that some evil water commissioner in your town is plotting to buy votes by selling you cheap polluted water, but it

is true that public water systems are not perfect.  Water systems can put out low quality water because of untrained or uncaring staff, because of the incursion of tainted water from natural causes, because of equipment failures, because of failing infrastructure . . . because of reasons too numerous to recount.

Public water supplies are wonderful, and we support them strongly.  But accidents happen.

And even under the best of conditions, no matter how well your city’s water supply system prepares your drinking water,  the water has to travel through miles of often unsafe piping to reach you.

It only makes sense to assure yourself safe water with a point-of-use drinking water system.  It the water is good, a good drinking water unit will make it better.  If it is unsafe, it will provide protection.

Read the entire story of the Illinois pollution incident in the Insurance Journal.

Radon

This article is taken from the Pure Water Products’ extensive list of water treatment issues.  Please visit.

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Health Effects of Radon in Water

According to the EPA:

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Over the course of a lifetime, consumption of drinking water containing radon can lead to an increased risk of internal organ cancers, primarily stomach cancer. Also, breathing radon released to the air from household water uses can increase the risk of lung cancer. However, radon in drinking water generally contributes a very small part (i.e., about 1-2 percent) of total radon exposure from indoor air.

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Water Treatment for Radon

Point-of-use devices, such as those installed on a tap or under the sink, are not effective in reducing radon in your water. It is important to treat the water where it enters your home (point-of-entry device) so that all the water will be treated.

Granular activated carbon (GAC) filter systems have been very effective at lowering water-borne radon levels, but the radioactivity that builds up in the filter bed may be of some concern. Install GAC systems only outside of your home.

Aeration systems are also effective and do not accumulate radioactivity. Aeration systems mix the water with air in an outside-vented chamber. After aeration, the water is piped into the house free of radon.

Source: EPA, Image: images-of-elements.com

In the Case of Automobiles, Cleanliness Is Not Next to Greenliness

 A woman I know always tells critics of her dirty truck that she values  the vehicle so highly that she only allows God to wash it. I’ve used her line a few times myself and I can say with accuracy that a month of Sundays, at least, is my regular truck washing interval.  Imagine my satisfaction, then, when I came across the article below in Stormwater.  While the author, Editor Janice Kaspersen, stops short of actually endorsing abstention from vehicle scrubbing, she does make it clear that when you give the kids from the church $20 for bathing your Chevy in the parking lot, you really don’t deserve a pat on the back. –Gene Franks.

 

Down the Drain

by Janice Kaspersen, Editor

Stormwater professionals have long acknowledged the water-quality problems associated with car washing, not only with centralized car washing services that direct water to the storm drains, but also with individuals who wash their own cars in their driveways or in the street. In both cases—unless the car wash either recycles the water or directs it to the sanitary sewer, and unless the person washing a car in the driveway has some means to capture the water—the detergent and whatever else comes off the car goes straight to the storm drain.

But nothing, perhaps, makes stormwater managers cringe as much as local fundraising car washes, which seem to take place on just about every sunny weekend—high school sports teams, band members, scout troops, or local charities raising money by washing dozens of vehicles on a convenient vacant lot.

Studies have been done to quantify how much harm the practice might actually cause to surface waters, as in this study in the Puget Sound area. Some stormwater programs have encouraged fundraising groups to hold their events at a professional car wash instead, where the water is properly handled. In addition to keeping it out of the storm drain, studieshave estimated that a commercial car washes uses 60% less water than washing with a hose, in part because the pressure nozzles mix air with the water to create high pressure with less water volume.

Alternatively, many organizations and local governments provide home car-washing kits to local residents, including catch basin inserts to trap and divert the soapy water. The use of such kits has been especially encouraged for community fundraising car wash events. Prohibiting the fundraisers outright proved to be extremely unpopular, however.

The water-quality message finally seems to be getting through, though, at least in some places. Officials in Washington state say the traditional vacant-lot car wash is dying out. Three-quarters of people surveyed now say the practice should be discontinued. Fundraising groups are looking to alternatives, such as partnering with a professional car wash to offer car-washing coupons. And there’s even some evidence that people who do pay for their car to be washed by a local group are more likely to ask where the runoff goes—evidence that the public education message is actually getting through.

Source:  Stormwater.

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Xerostomia Can Be Traced to the 1,800 Prescription Drugs That Cause It, and  Xerostomia Is What Drives Soaring Bottled Water Sales

 

William Pentland, writing in Forbes,  makes the case that the “blindingly obvious” reason that bottled water sales grew 7% in 2012 and has, in fact, grown steadily since the mid-1970s, is that people are thirstier than they used to be.  And the reason, they are thirstier, Pentland argues, is because of the prescription medications they take.

He continues:

“. . . . [we are ignoring] the blindingly obvious reason why bottled water has become a boondoggle: Americans are thirstier than they used to be.

Xerostomia is the subjective feeling of having a dry mouth resulting from the dysfunction of the salivary glands.

Drug-induced xerostomia is a common side effect of over 1,800 forms of medications, including antidepressants, antihistamines, anticonvulsants and antipsychotics and other medications prescribed for high blood pressure, anxiety, allergies, weight loss, pain and so on and so forth. The more drugs a person takes, the more likely he or she will experience dry mouth.

 

The graph shows linear growth of bottled water sales between 1976 and the late 1980′s and then exponential growth during the 1990′s and 2000′s. Generally speaking, the pace of growth in bottled water accelerated with the introduction of antidepressants. In 1987, the Food and Drug Administration approved Prozac. By 1988, nearly 2.5 million prescriptions for Prozac were dispensed in America. In 2002, Prozac prescriptions had increased to more than 33 million. By 2008, antidepressants were the third-most-common prescription drug taken in America.

The American Academy of Oral Medicine prescribes the following treatment for people suffering from dry mouth: “Frequent sips of small amounts of fluids, especially water, can be quite helpful in diminishing the effects of oral dryness. Many patients keep a bottle of water handy to moisturize their tissues.

 

”Yes, they do.

Triple Undersink Filters Excel in Variety, Capacity, and Overall Performance

 

There are several reasons why multiple-canister drinking water filters are superior to single-vessel units.  Here are a couple:

More Carbon

Filter carbon is the heart of all good drinking water filters. No matter who makes the filter, filter carbon is the essential ingredient because of its excellence at removing chemicals, whether they are disinfectants added by city water suppliers or  the thousands of possible chemicals–pesticides, herbicides, drugs, and petroleum products that are in the environment. It stands to reason that a double or triple filter with large 9.75″ X 2.5″ cartridges can hold a lot more filter carbon than  tiny single-canister cartridge proprietary filters.  In general terms, the “the more the better” rule is especially true when it comes to removing challenging chemicals like chloramines , volatile organics (VOCs), and PFAS.   The more carbon, the more contact time the water has with the carbon, and the more effective the filter is.

More Variety

Standard-sized filter cartridges, especially the most standard of all, the 9.75″ X 2.5″, are available in many varieties and from many manufacturers. When makers of single canister units add specialty materials to remove contaminants like lead or arsenic it is at the expense of the carbon content.  To add the specialty resin, they leave out some carbon.  With multi-canister filters, full sized carbon filters are present even when specialty cartridges are added. Great variety in cartridge selection allows the filter user to customize the drinking water filter for his or her own water.  With single cartridge systems it’s “one size fits all,” so you’re stuck with an “average” filter designed to do an average job on everyone’s water.  A filter that does everything usually doesn’t do anything very well. (more…)

“Regardless of the method of delivering a beverage — fresh ground, capsules, espresso, instant, you name it — the common denominator among them all is water. Because brewed coffee and tea are 98% to 99% water, this familiar fluid also can be the biggest enemy of quality hot drinks and well-working brewing equipment. Untreated or improperly treated water will result in increased service calls, accelerated equipment and component mortality rates, and degraded taste profiles of the products themselves.” — Matt Greenwald.

The process of water purification is very complex, and the intent of this article is not to be a comprehensive guide to the science of water and water purification. Rather it’s “Water 101,” an effort to point out the importance of understanding how this most basic compound can result in excessive, yet avoidable, expenditures when it is overlooked, as it often is.

The OCS industry confronts this challenge alongside many other industries, from pharmaceutical companies to breweries. The beer many of us enjoy (in moderation, of course) is 97% water, so breweries find themselves spending millions on water purification. For the same reason, innumerable retail coffee locations throughout the world will spend $25,000 or more per store to purify the incoming water supply.

Spending $25K on water treatment would be excessive for our purposes, but not understanding the water conditions in the areas in which we work, and the financial consequences of failing to correct those conditions, will not only lessen the quality of your product, but will undoubtedly result in avoidable expenses that none of us need.

Even though it’s the most abundant compound on the planet, water is fairly complex. Do you remember learning about the periodic table of elements in 9th grade? Here is where you will find the recipe: two parts H (hydrogen) + one part O (oxygen) = H2O, commonly known as water.

When John Guest introduced quick-connect fittings, even our most mechanically challenged colleagues were able to consider themselves plumbers almost overnight. Thankfully, the water treatment industry has done something similar for us; it has developed simple, inexpensive water-testing devices that allow us to quickly determine exactly which water treatment technology is most applicable to each installation.

Pure H2O is not the villain that municipal or even spring water is to our equipment and beverages. If those 1/4″ and 3/8″ copper and poly lines were delivering H2O in its purest form, this issue wouldn’t be as critical as it is. But, alas, pure water is rarely available. We are all challenged by particles, dissolved minerals and chemicals, most of which are your equipment’s and your beverages’ biggest enemies. Even more troubling, those undesirable components are not the same all over the country; therefore, water needs to be addressed specifically for each region.

Municipal water treatment facilities treat the water in many different ways, including the addition of chemical disinfectants, coagulants to precipitate solids, and so on and on. In addition to these additives, water also contains minerals introduced by rocks, among other natural sources, as well as leaching from the water supply. Minerals accumulate throughout the pipeline, even in the piping found in buildings; and that piping variously contains copper, zinc, lead and other metals.

When minerals dissolve, water becomes “hard.” While hard water is safe to drink, it will cripple plumbing systems, coffee brewers, espresso machines and practically anything metal it touches by depositing successive layers of “scale” that obstruct flow and impair heat transfer. To protect equipment, hard water needs to be softened in one way or another.

Though water filtration manufacturers have come a long way over the years in developing filters that assist in softening the water, it is important to remember that water filtration and water softening are not the same. One removes particles and chemicals; the other neutralizes dissolved minerals.

Water filtration restricts the flow of solid particles, generally by capturing them in some sort of membrane that will eventually clog, requiring replacement and cleaning. Particles found in water are most often measured in microns. It is said that the human eye cannot see any item smaller than 50 microns, while the standard OCS water filter will remove anything down to a size of 0.5 micron.

Most of the water filtration cartridges used in the OCS and vending sectors will contain some sort of activated carbon block that is used to help in removing the thousands of different chemicals that can be found in a municipal water supply. The most common of these is chlorine, added to water to destroy bacteria and other patho­gens. It imparts a distinctive smell and flavor to water treated with it, which is why filter cartridges marketed to our industry often times read “Taste and Odor.”

Water softening refers to the neutralization or removal of the minerals and other, dissolved solids that may accumulate during the water transfer process. This is more important in some areas than in others, but it is desirable nearly everywhere.

The most economical and efficient way to measure the Total Dissolved Solids in a location’s water supply is to purchase an inexpensive TDS meter, or something as simple as water test strips. Both methods require a quick sampling of the water to produce a reading of the TDS, usually in parts per million

(PPM).

There are several ways to deal with the minerals (chiefly calcium) dissolved in water that make it hard. The earliest and most widely used is “calgon,” which describes any of several materials that have a detergent effect, retarding the ability of the calcium to come out of solution and plate itself on the inside of the hot-water tank. This is widely used to protect espresso equipment, but it has been strongly discouraged for use in vending machines and conventional gravity brewers, since the calgon also impairs extraction of soluble solids from ground coffee. For that reason, Everpure devised a polyphosphate sequestration method, half a century ago, that keeps the calcium ions in solution without giving the water that soapy, softened feel, and does not degrade coffee flavor development. Other sequestration methods seem to be in use now, but they all do the same thing.

A reverse-osmosis water treatment system will remove all the minerals and leave them on one side of its semipermeable membrane, while pure water on the other side can be used in hot-water equipment without anything coming out of solution (because there is nothing in the solution). Water treated with reverse osmosis is, basically, distilled water, and so is not very interesting to drink. Some people like distilled water for brewing coffee; others think that some mineral content enhances the flavor — but not calcium.

Operators often need to reach out to a local supplier of water treatment products. These agents can give you a lesson on the water supply in the area, help you understand what challenges you confront and recommend ways to resolve issues.

 

Treat your water well, and your equipment — and your customers — will return the favor.

MATT GREENWALD is the director of vending and OCS at Betson Enterprises (Carlstadt, NJ). Greenwald is a 20-year veteran of the commercial coffee equipment industry, where he’s worked for roasters, distributors and manufacturers. Prior to joining Betson, he was vice-president of a national organization that provides installation, repair and maintenance services to some of the world’s largest retailers, equipment manufacturers and coffee companies.

 

Source: Vending Times.

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Gazette’s Summary:   Boron is not the sexiest of water contaminants, but a lot of it exists in our environment and a lot of it gets into water.   Without boron, Ronald Reagan would probably never have been president.

Source: Pure Water Products.

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