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

Safe Water for Napal

WCIV-TV | ABC News 4 – Charleston News, Sports, Weather

My Rotary club in Westford MA is working with this group, Water Missions International (WMI), to build a water treatment system in a village in Honduras that will provide clean, safe drinking water to 1200 people. We chose to work with WMI for a couple of reasons: 1) the organization was founded by two Rotarians so they understand the and follow the key principle of “Service Above Self”, and 2) they have managed and worked on many, many projects around the world so they know how to manage a project and they understand how to manage complex logistics.

Right now they are jumping in to directly provide clean, safe drinking water to those in need in Nepal. We urge you to donate to support their efforts. Here’s the link to do that:

http://www.watermissions.org/nepal

“Water Missions International is currently responding to meet the urgent need for safe water in Nepal as a result of the massive earthquake and aftershocks impacting the region. More than 10,000 people have been injured and the death toll has risen above 5,000 as rescue teams are reaching isolated communities outside of the capital of Kathmandu. Over 1.4 million people suffer from inadequate food and water supplies, and the threat of cholera grows each day as a result of unsanitary living conditions.”

Even Your Pets Need Safe Drinking Water

Most of us really never think about the water we give to our dogs and cats. But, what you may not know is that your pets may be even more sensitive to the quality of their drinking water than you are. healthy water for dogs and cats

Our lab director and I were talking about this recently and it was an eye opener for me. He said that he’s had customers come to him over the years because their vets cannot pinpoint why their pet is not feeling well. As a near last resort, they ask the owners to have their drinking water get a comprehensive test. It’s amazing how often there is some parameter that is at a higher level than normal. Once the appropriate treatment is put into place, usually a water filter, their pet no longer has a problem.

I went searching for an article that talks about this important topic. I found on that focuses on why cats need the ‘right’ drinking water. If you have a pet, I encourage you to read this brief article. I think it will prompt you to have your drinking water tested for your pet’s sake–it may even be good for you.

Water Water Everywhere, but What’s a Cat to Drink?

Our Bang-for-the-Buck Essential Indicators Water Test is perfect for finding out just how safe your drinking water is for you and for you pet(s). You can learn more about it here.

Informational Clinic and Private Well Water Testing Offered in Smyth County, VA

Virginia Household Water Quality Program

I saw this article in SWVA.com today. Any well owner in the Smyth County should attend the free clinic being offered. We find that most well owners do not really understand how to properly maintain their wells, especially when it comes to the health and safety of the water that their family drinks and uses.

As part of these clinics, the county is offering water testing for 14 parameters at a cost of $60. We think that’s a pretty good deal.

But, if you want to have your well water tested for over 100 parameters, you may want to consider a test we offer that is targeted especially at well owners called the ‘Bang-for-the-Buck’ Essential Indicators Water Test. We test for 23 toxic metals, heavy metals & inorganic chemicals, 89 Volatile Organic Compounds. We include a self-test for the presence/absence of 8 pathogenic bacteria. This test is normally $149 but we are offering now for $129 (see below for a time-sensitive special discount coupon).

We want well owners to take control and manage the quality of their drinking water. We think testing your well water is the best first step. Once you get the results, you will then know if you need to take steps to correct any problems. For instance, if you see that you have an elevated level of pathogenic bacteria, you need to sanitize your well immediately. We have a product to help you there called the Well Water Wellness Kit. It contains everything you need to chlorinate your well including a link to a video that shows you step-by-step how to chlorinate your well the ‘right’ way.

We urge well owners in Smyth County to take advantage of the free clinic—this is important stuff. And have your well water tested either by the Virginia Tech lab or by a professional lab like ours. This is a ‘must’!

You can read more about our water test by going to this web site: www.dwspros.com/bfb  If you use this coupon code, smythspeical, you will save an additional 15% off the already special price. This discount is only available until May 31, 2015.

Read the original article from SWVA.com using this link: http://goo.gl/T1wLGV