Though not an often discussed water quality parameter, conductivity plays a critical role in determining water’s ‘safety’ and today’s question came to us from ‘Geoffery T’ who asked,

This is my first time in this site,so I will give my feedback after.

In water testing for conductivity, the required measurement for potable water is what level, and the level of over 550 micro siemens is potable and any effect on the taste?

Thank you

We will begin by saying that scientists define conductivity in the following manner: A given quantity of water’s ability (or inability) to conduct electricity at a specific temperature. Dissolved solids in a water sample make it possible for the sample to conduct an electrical charge and therefore the greater the quantity of dissolved (usually inorganic) solids, the great the water’s conductivity value.

With that said, 100% pure water would contain no dissolved inorganic solids and therefore conduct no electricity.

Government & Regulatory Guidelines

To our knowledge the USEPA has not, yet, included conductivity in its Primary or Secondary Drinking Water Standards so we do wonder where Geoffrey got the value of 500 micro Siemens for a threshold for potable water.

We have seen situations, however, where regulatory bodies have placed upper limits on conductivity as a means of triggering more in-depth water quality evaluations. As an example, we have read that the EPA imposed a 300 to 500 micro Siemens threshold that would stop the issuing of coal mining permits in certain areas.

Conductivity and the taste of the water?

Quite frankly we believe the taste of the water would get determined not necessarily the the quantity of dissolved inorganic solids, but rather by the nature and character of the solids. In other words, dissolved salts would impart a salty taste while dissolved metals would more than likely impart a bitter, metallic taste to the water.

Do high conductivity readings always mean unnatural or man-made contamination of a water supply?

No, not at all. Higher than expected levels of conductivity may quite often result from virtually any activity that disturbs the area around a body of water. High winds during dry weather patterns can result in dust getting blown into water and pretty much any activity that ‘loosens’ or jars loose small pieces of solids could result in additional solids finding their way into a body of water.

Scientists have not, yet, found a clear and definitive link between elevated conductivity levels and the harmful contamination of water, though waters with definite contamination issues have, in many cases, also had elevated conductivity levels.

HM Digital QC-1 Quick Check Monitor
for TDS and Electrical Conductivity

Today we received an email from Midori of The Nature Conservancy, an organization dedicated to restoring areas of the world back to the way Nature created them, requesting that we post an article on this site promoting their ‘Give the Gift of Clean Water‘ promotion this Holiday Season.

At first we had our doubts about legitimacy of the request but after talking with a friend who did his undergraduate internship with the organization, we find ourselves compelled to at least mention their program to our readers.

“For the holidays this year we’re promoting the idea of giving gifts of nature and if you order Give the Gift of Clean Water from our Holiday Gift Guide, you’ll be helping to insure fresh drinking water in over 30 countries. In 500+ freshwater project sites, The Nature Conservancy is working to restore rivers that have been altered and clean up lakes and wetlands that have been fouled by toxic runoff.”

The Nature Conservancy has a number of other great, green gift ideas for folks to consider this year, too, including ways to adopt mountain ranges, save endangered reefs, provide care for threatened species like jaguars, provide safe habitats for rhinos and orangutans, support efforts to repopulate the rainforests, etc.

If you have considered donating to a charity this year, but have not, yet, decided on one, we highly suggest taking a look at all the worthwhile, Earth-friendly charitable causes The Nature Conservancy supports in its Holiday Gift Guide.

Want to learn more about The Nature Conservancy? Take a look at the The Nature Conservancy ‘About Us’ Page.

Looking for a way to stop using bottled water? Would you like to do so with style? If so, then you need the Slacker Water Bottle!

We should all take steps to reduce the amount of plastic we consume and eliminating bottled water from our daily lives would certainly help us achieve that objective.

Manufactured from 18/8 food grade stainless steel, this 1.0 liter reusable water bottle has no liner to worry about and comes with a durable, BPA-free and phalate-free screw top that seals tightly in the bottle’s mouth to keep your portable water supply secure.

Also check out the slim, sleek design of the bottle which allows it to fit into a wide range of traditional water bottle holders.

Saving the best for last?

Whether at school, at the gym, just walking around town, or maybe even simply hanging out with friends, the clear message that you believe the world has too many Slackers in it will get through to even the most inattentive dimwits around you.

So… who do we think belongs on the list of slackers? We’ll start with anyone who refuse to recycle their plastics, metals, etc. Their desire not to at least make an effort to help this planet last longer (i.e. survive mankind’s abuse) speaks volumes about that person’s true slacker nature.

If enough people get the message and stop acting like shiftless and otherwise useless slackers when it comes to cutting down on bottled water we believe the world will become a much better place.

More Slacker merchandise?

Yes, it exists. Everything from sweatshirts, mouse pads, clocks, t-shirts, pajamas, and messenger bags to… Christmas stockings? Find the perfect slacker item for your favorite Slacker right here

We knew that this question would come along sooner or later. ‘Lisa’ wrote in and asked, “can my daughter use the arsenic water testing kit on juice? can you recommend any ideas for a science fair project?”

While we have no evidence to support the notion that Arsenic Quick Test Kits will function properly with juice as the test specimen rather than water, we have used the kits extensively and know that the color of the juice ought not affect the results since the test pads react with ‘arsenic gas’ liberated from the sample inside the reaction vessel and not the actual water sample.

Note: We contacted the makers of Arsenic Quick Test Kits about the effectiveness of their Arsenic Quick Test Kits with juice as samples and will most certainly share any definitive information we learn.

Getting back to the topic of using Arsenic Quick Test Kits, at first the process may sound a bit complex — but trust us when we say it really does not take a rocket scientist to perform the testing. Hence the reason why a number of people, including folks at the USEPA and other high profile government (as well as non-profit) agencies, have recommended this kit as a viable and useful field testing option when faced with situations where a water source may contain inorganic arsenic as a contaminant.

At this point you may find yourself asking, “Wait, didn’t you say the test liberated arsenic gas?”

Yes, Arsenic Quick Test Kits do liberate small amounts of arsenic gas in the test vessel but the amounts generated should not pose a problem as long as the testing takes place in an area with proper ventilation. In other words, open a window, test in the garage w/ the door open or perform your testing outdoors.

Arsenic Quick Test Kits do not require typical controlled laboratory environments in order to yield quality results.

What about the science projects?

So glad you asked! Depending on where you live, Lisa, and how many bodies of water you have access to for sampling purposes, you could have quite a few really cool science projects for your daughter to work on.

A company called Water Safe manufactures a test kit called the Science Fair Project Test Kit which gives young (or old!) experimenters the ability to test up to 10 bodies of water for the following important drinking water parameters:

Do other options exist for more testing? Of course they do… but the WaterSafe Science Fair Project Test Kit offers a good sampling (8 parameters for 10 bodies of water) of tests for a reasonable cost — around $80. If that option does not suit your budget, WaterSafe also makes the same kit in a smaller size that tests up to 4 bodies of water for the same water quality parameters for around $40.

Got bigger testing plans?

If you believe you will want to perform long-term testing and will need 25 to 50 tests per water quality parameter, SenSafe manufactures a par of kits called the Well Driller Standard and Well Driller Master test kits which both come with plenty of testing supplies to keep testing projects of longer duration well-stocked.

Believe it or not, saving energy (i.e. reducing one’s electric bill!) also does something to reduce the amount of clean water consumed. Pretty much all power plants must use water in their everyday operations and they use more water when the demand for power increases.

What can you do to lower the demand for power? Quite honestly, doing something as simple as replacing the air filters in your home, office or apartment’s heating and cooling units on a regular basis will improve airflow through your home and lower your consumption rate because your HVAC units will have the ability to move warmed or cooled air through your dwelling more efficiently… and therefore not need to run as often or as long.

Where to buy replacement air filters?

As much of a fan of Lowe’s or Home Depot as many people – including pretty much every member of our staff that owns a home – have become, remembering to pick up a replacement filter for the HVAC unit while desperately rooting around a bin of plumbing parts because of a leaky faucet or constantly running toilet… probably does not happen.

Lucky for you (and us!) a number of companies now sell replacement air filters for homes online. Filters Fast (filtersfast.com) carries a good selection of replacement air filters ranging from your basic HVAC filter all the way up to air filters with advanced technology designed to specifically reduce unwanted air contaminants like pollen, mold, dust, etc.

Today’s question comes from ‘MarquisMark’ who asked,

“My girl and me just bought a new place but the water well it sucks. Got white buildup and other colors of stuff building up in the sinks and the water kit we bought, that sensafe one on your site, says we got all sorts of problems like metals too. A friend says we need a filter and a softener but I don’t know if they make a all-in-one type filter softener thing… but my girl says we gotta do something, so can you help?”

Thank you for your question Marquis and it sounds to us like you and your girlfriend have a real mess on your hands when it comes to the quality of your water.

Question: Well water or city water?

If well water, then we suggest looking in the phone book for a certified well contractor and having them come out to look at the condition of your well.

If city water we suggest contacting your local water department and requesting the latest copy of their Consumer Confidence Report, an annually published document that discusses how good (or bad) a job the department did at keeping its water quality readings in line with Federal Guidelines.

In either case, certainly get your water tested by a qualified water testing laboratory before investing – and yes, we said investing – in a water filtration and/or water conditioner for your home. Otherwise you may run the risk of purchasing the incorrect unit for your specific water remediation requirements.

In other words you may buy the wrong tool for the job… and that could mean a whole lot of wasted money and continued water quality troubles.

Cost of combination water filter & water softener

Definitely not cheap, but if you have drinking water in desperate need of improvement then investing in a whole house water filter & water softener system such as the Whole House Filter and Anti-Scale Conditioner Combo made by Crystal Quest may make sense.

With pricing for the Whole House Filter and Anti-Scale Conditioner Combo (CQE-WH-02136) starting at around $2,900 you really, really, really want to make certain you 1) Need a water filter; 2) Need a water softener; 3) Know for sure that the unit will correct the specific water quality issues that you have.

Moral of the story?

Not all water treatment options will work in every application so before you plop down your hard earned money, get your water tested by a qualified drinking water testing laboratory. If you cannot locate a local laboratory we suggest you consider using the testing services of an accredited mail-in water testing laboratory such as National Testing Labs.

One of the most interestingly named water filters out there, KX Matrikx, also has a reputation for excellence and we get a number of people asking where they can acquire KX Matrikx filters for their water purification systems.

Below you will find a listing KX Matrikx replacement filters carried by Filter Water, a leading online retailer of water filters, replacement water filters and water test kits.

KX Matrikx CTO Carbon Filter	KX Matrikx 10-2 Carbon Filter	KX Matrikx VOC Carbon Filter 02-250-125-975
KX Matrikx +1 Carbon Filter	KX Matrikx +Pb1 06-250-125-975	KX Matrikx CTO-2 Carbon 20
KX Matrikx +Pb1 Carbon Filter 06-250-125-20	KX Matrikx +Pb1 06-425-200-20 20 inch Filter	Culligan Compatible Carbon Block 32-175-050-100

One would THINK that water coolers absolutely and always contain safe, clean drinking water… but they may not depending upon the frequency of bottle changes and routine maintenance. Safe bet that if you look at the catch tray beneath the spigots (faucet-looking things) and see something fuzzy growing in it, no one has cleaned the insides of the water cooler recently, either.

Water in the replacement bottles (ought to) contain no disinfecting compounds such as chlorine to keep bacteria from multiplying so once the seal on the bottle gets broken, bacteria have a chance to enter the water supply, hang out, party like rock stars, and breed. Gross!

Ways to make water cooler water safer?

At this point we know of two ways to stop unwanted water cooler bacteria from ‘doing the nasty’ and getting away with it: UV Water Sterilizers and Ozone Generators.

UV Water Sterilizers more or less render bacteria unable to reproduce by exposing any bacteria passing through a water filter system to a specific wavelength of ultraviolet light. This method of water treatment normally leaves no chemical aftertaste or unpleasant odor — unless your water contained those things beforehand.

Ozone Generators generate ozone which effectively destroys organics on contact and leaves no unwanted chemical residue or bad tastes in the water. Again, water with bad odor or tastes previously will continue to have those problems.

Both of the above methods work best in systems that use other water treatment methods (i.e. reverse osmosis, carbon block filtration, ultrafiltration, etc.) to make drinking water safe for consumption. They provide a last line of defense again unwanted contaminants that could grow in holding tanks of water coolers or reverse osmosis units post-filtration since the filtering methods removed any anti-bacterial compounds and drinking water disinfectants.

If you have not heard this already, studies have found that popular brands of juice contain higher than expected levels of arsenic, a naturally occurring toxic element known to cause definite health problems with prolonged exposure.

What juice brands contained arsenic? Name brands you might recognize included Minute Maid, Mott’s, Gerber, Welch’s, and Great Value ( source )

Did other brands ring in as containing arsenic, as well? Yes, and the same study also explored the lead content in various juices — and discovered that an alarming number of juice brands contained unsettling amounts of lead.

Scary times, in our opinion, when juice manufacturers — or the manufacturers of ANY food or beverage product — do not take into consideration contaminant levels like lead or arsenic regardless of whether or not the levels violate Federal Law.

We believe that companies who produce products intended for use or consumption by children really ought to hold themselves to higher standards than Federal Laws mandate since laws dictating food & beverage products — and possibly every aspect of our lives — only go on the books AFTER something becomes a problem, people get sick, someone dies, etc.

Many of you may have seen episodes of murder mystery shows where the killer used arsenic to poison his/her victims… because it WORKS as a lethal poison in the right doses and also causes debilitating conditions with prolonged exposure at lower levels.

Find more information on arsenic and test kits for arsenic in places like water, soil and wood below:

• Basic Information About Arsenic
• Arsenic Test Kits (water, soil, wood)
• Arsenic Quick Test Kits
• Arsenic Category on Water Testing Blog

We mentioned lead in the title of this article… so we will now tell you that the same study mentioned above ALSO determined that popular brands of juice contained higher than expected levels of lead, too.

For those not knowledgeable about lead in water or the effects of lead on the human body — especially young children — it will suffice to say that it does bad, bad things and you do not want it in your food or water.

Over the years we have posted numerous articles about lead in water, testing for lead in water and various ways to remove lead from drinking water. Check out those lead in water postings in the Water Testing Blog ‘Lead’ Archives.