Rowan County, N.C.: Commissioners Set to Approve Well Water Tests

Salisbury_NC_ParkThis North Carolina county Health Department has discovered vanadium and hexavalent chromium present in well water near a coal ash pond.

As a result, the director of the Department is asking for approval to spend up to $150 per test kit to test for these contaminants. That might be a fair price, given that the county needs to pay for employees, travel and postage.

But, there are alternatives. For instance, Drinking Water Specialists offers a comprehensive water test that not only includes testing for these contaminants but another 168 targeted parameters.

We believe well owners need to act as their own “water department”. That’s because they are responsible for maintaining the potable quality of their drinking water. In this case, the county is doing a great job of being proactive about helping well owners in the area surrounding the runoff from the coal ash pond. But, there are a lot more contaminants that well owners need to be testing for.

Our water test is an easy way for the well owner to get their water tested. They can order the test kit online. Once we get the order, we ship the kit out. It contains water vials and easy-to-follow instructions. The well owner just fills the vials with water, puts them back into the original box and ships it back to our lab. In about 6 business days, we email the test report back to the well owner along with information on how to treat their water should they have a problem. We pay for postage both ways.

There is one thing we ask the well owner to test themselves—testing for the presence or absence of pathogenic bacteria. This is a very simple, yet very accurate test, to do. We do this because we have found over the years that there isn’t a good way to ship the water samples back to our lab and maintain the proper and consistent temperature while in transit that’s required for the most accurate bacteria test. Also, bacteria testing is best performed within 24 hours of putting the water sample into the vial.

We only charge $129 for this extensive test. That’s because we test for the same set of parameters for all of these water tests. That saves us setup time and the time to prepare the reports—standardization makes our testing more like an assembly line process as opposed to the process that nearly all other labs use. We pass these savings onto our customers.

Follow this link to see the list of 170 targeted parameters we test for: “Bang-for-the-Buck Essential Indicators Water Test”

If you want to learn more about this test go to this page

Here’s the link to the original article from the Salisbury Post: “Commissioners set to approve well water tests for Rowan residents”

We really believe all well owners need to follow our tagline: “Take control, manage the quality of your drinking water.”

South Carolina Well Water Testing Following Devastating Floods

south-carolina-floods

Following the devastating floods in South Carolina this past week, the South Carolina Department of Health & Environmental Control is providing water testing for private well owners.

The S.C. DHEC will test the well water for fecal coliform bacteria to make sure the water is safe to drink.

This is really important and every well owner, no matter where they live in the country, needs to have this test performed if their property and the surrounding area has been flooded.

As the S.C. DHEC says…

IF YOUR WELL WAS FLOODED, YOU CAN ASSUME IT’S CONTAMINATED

In addition to having their well water tested for fecal coliform bacteria, well owners are also being advised to disinfect their wells. And, following the disinfection, they are advised to test their water before using it if it does not taste, smell or look like it did before the flooding began.

After reading this news, we decided to try to help the affected well owners in South Carolina.

We offer a kit that contains everything a well owner needs to disinfect their well. This includes the shock treatment, chlorine test strips, self-test kits for bacteria, ph test strips, written instructions and access to an on-line video that walks the well owner through the steps. There is enough shock treatment, test strips and self-bacteria test kits for a repeat disinfection should the first treatment not completely solve the problem.

This well disinfection kit, called the Well Water Wellness Kit, sells today for $79 including shipping within the U.S. But, if you are a well owner in South Carolina, we want to help you even more because of the extent of the problem. We are offering you a discount code that brings the price down to $69. We will keep this offer open through the month of November, 2015.

To take advantage of this special offer, go to drinkingwaterspecialists.com/well-maintenance. When you click through to the order page, there is a place for you to put in a coupon code. The coupon code to put in is ‘SCFLOODS’ (without the quote marks).

If you have any questions, please post them here in the comments section, or call us 805.39.WATER (805.399.2837)

You can read the article here.

And The Best Room Temperature For Sleeping Is…

home-temps

 

This post has absolutely nothing to do with drinking water…

…but, I think we can all relate to the contents of an article that came my way from Rodale’s OrganicLife. It’s about what temperature to set your thermostat at in the Summer and the the Winter that is comfortable for you and for your spouse and is the most economical.

You can read the article here: And The Best Room Temperature For Sleeping Is…

 

The eight-glass myth: We don’t really need to be drinking all that water


We’ve heard the mantra since we were kids—”Drink 8 glasses of water a day”. 

But, maybe that’s not true based on actual science according to a column in the New York Times written by Aaron Carroll, a professor of pediatrics at Indiana University School of Medicine.

According to Mr. Carroll, “Many people believe that the source of this myth was a 1945 Food and Nutrition Board recommendation that said people need about 2.5 liters of water a day. But they ignored the sentence that followed closely behind. It read, ‘Most of this quantity is contained in prepared foods.’ “

The amount of water an individual needs is related to what they eat (since many foods such as fruits and vegetables contain water), where they live, their size, and what they are doing. In fact, drinking too much water can lead to serious health issues. 

Of course drinking water is healthier than drinking sugar-based drinks such a soda and fruit juice and less of a problem on your system for many than drinking milk. But, in a related article by Rebecca Tucker in the National Post, a Canadian online newspaper, she says, “there is actually no scientific evidence supporting the notion that increased water intake leads to greater overall health in any regard. Water is just another thing we need, like adequate rest and sufficient calories. Everything in moderation, as it were.”

To read the original article by Aaron Carroll, click here.

To read the article by Rebecca Tucker, click here.

Well water concerns officials

Bacteria CellsThe are many areas in the midwest part of the U.S. that have a heavy concentration of farms and mines. In these areas, health officials are saying that groundwater is likely to be compromised.

They are finding lead and cadmium in areas where they find mine tailing waste. In other areas they are finding solvents used in aeronautics maintenance.

Farming areas where spraying for insects and weeds is common can also have an adverse effect on private wells.

These health officials strongly recommend having well water tested for e coli and coliform once a year. They also recommend testing for metal contamination in well water on an annual basis.

You can read the original article here: http://goo.gl/IuoU57

We designed a water test primarily for well owners at price that encourages well owner to have their water tested annually as recommended by health officials. You can learn more at DrinkingWaterSpecialists.com/bfb

Pipeline Construction: What it Means for Water Supply

gas pipeline affects well water

CREDIT REDIT HARALD HOYER / CREATIVE COMMONS

Virginia’s state department of health gets it…

They’re telling well owners that the natural gas pipelines coming through their area may affect the health and quality of their water. That’s because of the blasting being done to lay the pipeline. The shock waves from the blasting could disrupt the ground which, in turn, could affect their well water.

They are urging these well owners to have their water tested to establish a baseline on its quality and safety.

That way, if and when the pipeline company does start blasting, the well owners can periodically have their water tested to see if conditions have changed.

You can read the story posted in wvtf.org web site here: Pipeline Construction: What it Means for Water Supply

To learn more, click on this link:  Well Water Testing.

Do You Drink Tap Water ?

Courtesy of Loop21

LOOP21

I don’t see this very often—an article that says it’s OK to drink tap water.

We’ve been saying this forever. After all, the water is tested and treated every day for the bad bacteria. Plus, it contains naturally occurring minerals that are good for you.

You don’t really want to drink water that’s been scrubbed so that there are no minerals left even if the manufacturer adds some of them back in—they’re not naturally in the water. It’s kind of like taking vitamin pills instead of eating foods that naturally contain those same vitamins—it’s much better if you eat the food version than if you take pills.

If you don’t want to drink tap water because it contains chlorine and fluoride (even though most dentists are strongly in favor of this additive for the sake of your kid’s teeth), you can do something about that. You can install an under-counter filter that removes these additives while keeping the healthy things in your drinking water.

I’ve been using an filter like this for years because I want my coffee to free of the ‘flavor’ of chlorine. The same goes for the water I use to make my doughs for pizza, breads, and bagels.

Here’s a great filter that doesn’t require you to install an separate faucet on your counter top. Instead, it connects directly into your cold-water line and comes out of your existing faucet. Plus, it’s designed to not restrict water flow. So you have the best of both worlds.

To learn more about the water filter, click here.

Here’s the link to the original article in Loop21: http://goo.gl/doQVbj

Nitrate warning

While this article in the Columbus Dispatch is about high nitrate levels found in a municipal water plant in Columbus, OH, well owners should take note.

As the article states, “Nitrates can interfere with how an infant’s body delivers oxygen because infants’ stomachs and livers are not fully developed…Nitrates can also interfere with how oxygen is circulated in pregnant women. And people who take medications that react poorly with nitrates could see their blood pressure drop.”

The article also says that, “People who take medicine that does not interact well with nitrates, including Viagra, also should avoid the water, health officials say.”

Nitrate is one of the primary contaminants that the EPA says well owners should test for, ideally on an annual basis. It’s part of the preventative maintenance we encourage well owners to do that includes an essential indicators water test and well water sanitizing.

You can read the original article at The Columbus Dispatch

To learn more about well water testing and well water sanitizing, visit our web site at www.dwspros.com

Goldsboro Residents Told Not To Drink Contaminated Well Water

Credit NCDENR

Coal ash in the Dan River
Credit NCDENR

The well water situation in Goldsboro, North Carolina keeps on getting lots of press. That’s probably because a lot of well owners are potentially affected by contaminants coming from a stormwater pipe that ruptured over a year ago at a retired Duke Energy plant.

Following water testing done by a professional lab, the well owners in this area are being told to NOT drink their well water. At the same time Duke Energy is saying any elevated levels of contaminants aren’t coming from them since the ones that would come from coal or coal ash aren’t in that group.

I’m sure the well owners affected aren’t very happy after hearing all of this. It will take years of cleaning up, capping and/or disposing of,  the coal and coal ash ponds in the affected plants.

We sure hope the people who live in and around these areas come out of this ‘clean’ healthwise.

I picked this article out to make a point:

Well Owners Need to “Take Control and Manage the Quality of Their Well Water” !

Most well owners will not have have anyone else making sure their well water is safe unless there is a known breach like the one in Goldsboro. Contaminants could be seeping into their well and they wouldn’t know it.

The great majority of well owners think their water is safe because it looks clear, doesn’t smell, and tastes just fine. The problem with this is that the things that could literally be killing them are not visible, do not smell and have no taste. Some of these contaminants, like pathogenic bacteria, can be harmful in the short term. Others, like some heavy metals and volatile organic compounds, will start to affect the body several years out.

Well owners cannot  stick their head in the sand because everything seems just fine. They need to think like a scientist or water testing lab director—”let’s test, so we really know if we have a problem or not.”

Just think…

…we are strongly encouraged to get an annual physical, right? The doctor not only examines us for the things they can see, but they also have our blood tested for the things they cannot see.  If the blood test shows something is not quite right, they can either prescribe a treatment and/or monitor its level from physical to physical.

This is the same principle we advocate for well owners. Become your own water doctor and perform an annual water ‘physical’—start now with your first one!

You can read the full article about the well water problems in Goldsboro, NC here: Goldsboro NC Well Water Contamination.

Learn more about well water testing at our site, Drinking Water Specialists.

Scientists Discover Fracking Chemicals In Pennsylvania Drinking Water

CREDIT: AP PHOTO/MATT ROURKE

Fracking opponents protest before the Tom Corbett inauguration to become the 46th governor of Pennsylvania at the state capitol in Harrisburg, Pa., Tuesday, Jan. 18, 2011. CREDIT: AP PHOTO/MATT ROURKE

I just read an article on website called ClimateProgress that talks about a research study published on May 4, 2015 in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. The study showed that well water at three homes in Bradford County, PA contained multiple compounds similar to the mix used by drilling companies.

The study does say that the levels of these compounds were not at unsafe levels. But, the authors of the study are bringing this up to show that despite industry denials, these commonly used fracking compounds are starting to show up in private wells. While the scientists who performed the study admit they cannot, with certainty, say that there is direct connection between the compounds discovered in the well and the nearby fracking wells, they say the types of compounds found in these wells are used in other fracking operations.

This study brings up something we have been saying—check that: “preaching” is a more accurate term—ever since the concerns from well owners surfaced about fracking operations in their area…

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“Well owners living in areas where fracking operations are going to take place, or where they are already taking place, need to have their well water tested for a wide range of parameters. These parameters should include metals, heavy metals, inorganic compounds and volatile organic compounds (VOCs).”

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In one of the wells tested in this study, a VOC called 2-Butoxyethanol (2BE) was found. It’s a commonly used drilling chemical that is known to cause adrenal tumors in animals (it’s unknown if it causes cancer in humans).

“Baseline Testing”

The first test you have done is called the “Baseline Test”. This tells the well owner how their safe their well water is today. Then, on at least an annual basis, the well owner has their water tested again. Each subsequent test report is compared to the baseline and the last test to see if any parameters are starting to either show up or are getting higher readings.

So what does the well owner do if they see there may be a problem?

  1. With this information, the well owner can approach the local authorities if some parameters are starting to raise yellow or red flags. The local authorities, in turn, should begin testing for these specific parameters.
  2. Find and install a treatment system that targets the removal of the identified contaminants.

Well owners in fracking areas should not solely depend on their local authorities to monitor the fracking operations. Normally, they do not test homeowner wells in the area near these operations. They need to take control of managing the safety and quality of their well water.

You can read the entire article by going to this web site:  http://goo.gl/6fCbF8

You can learn more about “Baseline Testing” at dwspros.com/fracking-well-water-test