Today's inquiry came to us from 'Ryley', who asked: "We had our water tested by a local company and they said we had really high levels of calcium hardness which we knew about and sulfates which we did not know about.  They said a softener would fix the hardness problem but didn't talk much about the really high sulfates.  Are sulfates in our water bad for us?"

The substance sulfate occurs naturally in the environment and does show up naturally in drinking water.  Health officials do have concern that drinking water that contains elevated sulfate levels may cause some people to suffer from diarrhea, as some evidence points in that direction, but as of yet (and to our knowledge), researchers have not established a clear link between sulfates and health problems for the general population.

Researchers have found, however, that some people may suffer from diarrhea if their water supply suddenly becomes spiked with elevated levels of sulfate.

What does the EPA say about sulfates?

At this time the Environmental Protection Agency includes sulfates in its list of Secondary Drinking Water Standards that deal with aesthetic water quality issues such as color, odor and taste.  Although the EPA set the MCL (maximum contaminant level) for sulfates in drinking water at 250ppm (mg/L), it does not actively enforce Secondary Drinking Water Standards.

What are the odds of me having high sulfates?

According to the EPA's web site, roughly 3% of public water systems in the United States may have sulfate levels at or above 250ppm (mg/L).  We have not, however, see any information about private water wells.

Other concerns regarding sulfates in water?

A while back we came across and posted information regarding sulfate testing and livestock.  Basically, some researchers believe a link exists between specific illnesses and conditions in cattle and them consuming water with massively elevated sulfate levels.

Testing for sulfates in drinking water?

We carry the WaterWorks Sulfate Test Strips product in the Water Test Kit Store.

In our humble(?) opinion, the most critical part of any survival or in-case-of-emergency kit takes no bullets, starts no fires, and cannot call for help.  Without WATER, all the guns, matches, lighters and communication gear becomes useless junk in a matter of days.

A quick glance at news coverage of any area struck by a natural or man-made disasters will quickly show you that when sh*t hits the fan, municipal water services become intermittent or non-existent.  Plus, even when tap water does still flow, can you trust it not to have seen contamination at some point in its journey through miles of pipes potentially corrupted by whatever natural (or man-made) disaster occurred?

Oh, and for those of you thinking, "I have a private water well so I'll be just fine," we suggest you think, again.  If flood waters have reached your well head, then contaminants quite likely have infiltrated your well.

Water, water everywhere... but not a box to drink?

First of all, whenever possible, keep a stockpile of potable (drinkable) water in the house -- enough to support all members of your household for at least three days.  When figuring out how much water you may need, remember that in addition to the water each person will need to drink each day, you will also require clean water for cooking, washing, and basic hygiene needs.

Store the water in clean containers in a place least likely to see flood waters or get impacted by bad weather.  We also suggest keeping a few clean metal pots and pans in a waterproof storage container with your emergency water supply so you have something to put the water in for cooking, cleaning, washing utensils/cups, etc.

Next, stay tuned to the radio.  Often times the Red Cross, fire departments, local government agencies, the National Guard, or other groups set up relief and water distribution stations in areas where disasters have cut off access to safe drinking water.

As a friendly reminder, please do NOT try to make it to a relief site during the height of a disaster or using impassable roadways.  Wait until the weather clears and conditions improve, if you can.  Emergency crews have the equipment needed to make it to you, eventually, so if travel seems too precarious, try to wait for help.

OK, so the water still flows from the tap or a private well...

Short of having sophisticated purification systems on-hand, boiling water serves as one of the best ways to kill harmful organisms (i.e. bacteria, parasites, microscopic critters, etc.). The water flowing from a tap/faucet or a well may contain any number of potentially hazardous contaminants in the event of an emergency and should, at the very least, get boiled for safety before consumed.

Granted boiling does make specific contaminant concentrations rise in water -- examples: dissolved metals like iron, copper, mercury, lead, arsenic etc. -- but not boiling the water pretty much invites immediate, life threatening conditions (like uncontrollable diarrhea, dysentery, etc.) to the party.

Field method #1 for 'purifying' water during an emergency (filtering & boiling)

Make certain you use clean containers for this.  Remember we said to keep a few of those in a waterproof storage box earlier?

1)  If working with potentially 'dirty' or cloudy water, use whatever means you can to strain the water so that as much dirt, dust, debris, sediment, and other visible gunk out of the water.  Clean cloths, coffee filters and improvised paper towel filters work well for this purpose.

2)  Boil the water vigorously for at least one minute after filtering.

3)  Let the water cool before use.

Note: Recently boiled water will become a breeding ground for bacteria if you let it sit too long before use, so use immediately and re-boil for use at a later time.

Field method #2 for 'purifying' water during an emergency (filtering & chlorination)

In some cases starting a fire or locating an alternate heat source simply will not happen.  In cases like that, follow step '1' from the above procedure and then disinfect the collected water using unscented liquid chlorine (bleach).

Important:  Read the label on the bleach bottle to determine the percentage of chlorine it contains.  Not all bleaches available in stores contain the same concentrations of chlorine!  Should the label have come off or otherwise become unreadable, you can always try what we call the "Add & Wait" method.

1)  Add a small amount of the unscented bleach to the collected water and shake or stir vigorously.  In this step you want a complete mixing of the water and bleach to occur.

2)  Allow the mixture to stand undisturbed for around 30 minutes.

3)  Once 30 minutes has passed, if the collected and bleached water gives off a slight chlorine smell, it should be safe to consume.  If, however, after 30 minutes no chlorine smell exists in the water, repeat the treatment process and check the water every 15 - 20 minutes for a slight chlorine scent.  Again, if after the waiting period you pick up a slight chlorine smell, the water should be safe to consume.

Good water test kits for survival kits?

Often overlooked as important survival tools, water test kits and water testing products do not get added to people's survival or emergency preparedness kits -- and that's a BIG mistake.

We suggest considering at LEAST the following water testing products for YOUR survival bag or kit:

• SenSafe Free Chlorine Water Check - Quickly and easily determine if water contains a safe amount of free chlorine residual.
• Heavy Metals Check - Quickly and easily determine if a water source contains high concentrations of dissolved metals.
• Coliform Bacteria Test - Easily test for the presence the suitability for use as drinking water of a water source.

Moral of the story?

In addition to the waterproof matches, non-perishable foods, thermal blankets, light sources, extra batteries, medical supplies, radios, and backup generators etc. ... please don't forget to include safe, clean drinking water and tools to help make water potable in your survival kits!

Would you like to win a free WaterSafe City Water Test Kit?  If so, then enter below!

Enter to Win a Free WaterSafe City Water Test Kit

Drawing to Take Place on Monday August 10th

Enter to Win a City Water Test Kit

The responsibility for ensuring the safety of drinking water coming from a private well falls squarely on the shoulders of the well owner.  No government agency will send reminders in the mail or randomly go out to a person's home to test the water for them.

Having said that, if testing of a private water well indicates the water has one or more problems, then the responsibility for fixing the problem(s) also falls squarely on the shoulders of the well owner.

When should I 'shock' my water well?

As a general rule, most water wells will rarely require shocking (the addition of chlorine 'shock' to the well) but if water testing indicates contamination of some kind, then experts suggest treating the well sooner rather than later.

Below we will list a few situations where shocking typically needs to happen:

• Water testing indicate the presence of bacteria such as E. Coli in the water
• After a new well gets installed or repair work on the pump has taken place
• Someone has has opened the well's distribution system for repairs or routine maintenance
• Once flood waters have receded from around the well head
• In the event that iron and/or sulfur bacteria have infiltrated the well

Other situations than those listed above may also serve as good reasons to shock one's well water.  The above situations are merely the most common reasons we're aware of.

What can I use to shock my well?

The simple answer: Chlorine.

A more precise answer: Non-scented chlorine bleach that contains no extra additives (this method requires manual mixing and dilution of the bleach) OR a pre-packaged product such as Well Safe Well Sanitizer (available on Amazon.Com).

Residents in the Clovis, New Mexico area will have an opportunity on July 24th and 25th to get their well water tested free of charge courtesy of the New Mexico Environment Department and Department of Health.

This zero cost event will allow residents to learn if their water contains unsafe levels of arsenic, fluoride, iron, sulfate, nitrate and manganese as well as if their water has a high or low pH.

According to the state agencies, this testing would normally have a cost in the range of around $150 or more.

For more information on this free water testing event, please contact the New Mexico Environment Department or the New Mexico Department of Health.

Why are they offering free water testing?

Giving away the sort of testing that these state agencies plan to do will cost a fair amount of money and gain them nothing, right?  Wrong.

Free water testing programs like this one make it possible for the agencies to get an idea of what contaminants currently show up in ground water in their area.  Without programs like this, and because owners of private water wells have no obligation to test their water, neither the residents nor the state agencies would know if the ground water posed any health risks to those who drink it.

Our readers see us telling people that well water testing for, at the very least, coliform bacteria should take place once a year and some have asked where that recommendation comes from.  The answer: CDC, Health Departments, Water Quality Organizations, etc.

Recently we found an article out of Wisconsin which said,

"EAU CLAIRE COUNTY, Wis. (WEAU) -- The DNR and area health departments are warning private well owners recent flash flooding could affect your water supply.

The DNR said St. Croix and Pierce Counties were hardest hit by recent flooding.

In general, private well owners are encouraged to test wells every year for bacteria."

The article also touched on a very important point involving well water quality and flooding.  If a well head gets covered by flood waters experts suggest that the well head get examined after the flood waters recede and that the water get tested for (again at the very least) coliform bacteria.

Oh, and one more thing: "The Eau Claire City-County Health Department said taste of the water doesn't play any role in determining if water has bacteria in it or not."

Residents of surrounding communities in Clovis/Curry County and Portales/Roosevelt County have an opportunity to take advantage of a free private well water testing offer if their residence does not also have a connection to a public water system.  The offer comes from the New Mexico Environment Department and New Mexico Department of Health, both of which partnered with Eastern Plains Council of Governments.

The free water testing clinic will take place Friday July 24, 2015 from 12:00 noon to 6:00 pm and on July 25th Saturday from 9:00 am to 12:00 noon.  Location: 418 Main St. Eastern Plains Council of Governments.

For those wishing to participate, please prepare your sample in the following manner:

• Collect the sample in a clean glass or plastic container that holds roughly one quart of liquid.  The container should not have residuals of cleaning products or other materials in it.
• Make sure to pull the sample from your well prior to any water softening or filtering systems and devices.
• Allow water to flow for a few minutes before collecting the sample and collect the sample right before taking it to  418 Main St. Eastern Plains Council of Governments for testing.
• Make sure you clearly write your name, address and phone number on the container.

If you have any questions regarding this free water testing event, you may call Eastern Plains Council of Governments at 575 762-7714.

What about people living elsewhere?

The above water testing program extends only to folks living in the areas mentioned BUT you can always contact your local health department or water department to see if they have plans to offer a similar free testing program or discounted water testing services.

Want to test your own water?

Our most popular water test kits for home well water testing include:

• SenSafe Water Quality Test Kit
  
• COMPLETE Water Quality Test Kit
  
• WaterSafe Well Water Test Kit
  
• WaterWorks Well Water Test Kit
  
• Coliform Bacteria Test

Today we received a question about reading the Coliform Bacteria Test Kit a bit later than usual: "Can the bacteria test be read accurately at 52 hours rather than 48 hours? I forgot about the test until later...go figure!"

As a general rule, we ALWAYS think it best to read water test results at the time specified by the test's instructions. Having said that, though, if the sample continued to read as 'negative' for coliform bacteria after the 48 hour time period passed, we would accept the results as accurate.

BUT, had the sample changed color (indicating the presence of coliform bacteria) at the 52 hour mark, we would suggest either retesting or having your water tested for coliform bacteria by a certified water testing laboratory.

Does the test kit quantify coliform bacteria?

We often get asked if the Coliform Bacteria Test Kit will identify how many coliform units a water sample contains.  Regrettably, the Coliform Bacteria Test Kit we carry does not quantify the bacteria count, but we do have feelers out currently for other tests that do give a count, or in some cases a pretty accurate range, of coliform bacteria present in a water sample.

Does the kit test specifically for E. Coli?

The test kit we carry at this time can alert users to the presence, specifically, of E. Coli.  After the incubation period ends and a test turns color indicating the presence of coliform bacteria, use of a UV lamp to illuminate the sample can show whether or not the E. Coli exists in the water sample.

We recently received an inquiry from 'Nazreen' who asked, "Industrial Test Systems WaterWorks 480023 Free Chlorine Test Strip, 5 Second Test Time, 0-25ppm Range (Pack of 50)."  OK, so the inquiry did not actually contain a question, but we think we know the submitter's intentions.

The 480023 product has a free chlorine detection range of 0ppm to 25ppm with the following color blocks on its color chart: 0, 0.25, 0.5, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 11, 15, 20, 25 ppm (mg/L)

Thank you for your inquiry, Nazreen, but at this time we do not carry the WaterWorks 480023 product from Industrial Test Systems.  We do carry several other free chlorine testing products from that company so depending upon the exact testing range you need to hit, perhaps one of these two free chlorine testing products may work for you?

• SenSafe Free Chlorine Water Check -- 0, 0.05, 0.1, 0.2, 0.4, 0.6, 0.8, 1.2, 1.5, 2, 2.6, 4, 6 ppm (mg/L)
• High Range Free Chlorine -- 1, 5, 10, 20, 40, 80, 120 ppm (mg/L)

We recently received a question from 'Tracy' regarding a case of Peroxide Check in our Ebay Water Test Kit Store: "What do you mean by semi quantitive??  Is it as simple as dipping the strip into the water to test or do you need something else to read the results?????"

Hello, Tracy, and thank you for your question. Where do you see the phrase 'semi-quantitative' in this item's description? We don't see it anywhere, but we DO know that it is in the description for the Heavy Metals Test Strip product. For that product the phrase 'semi-quantitative' means the product detects dissolved Cadmium, Cobalt, Cupric Copper, Ferrous Iron, Lead, Mercury, Nickel, Zinc and other metals with a +2 state valence shell... and gives you a total of all the metals it detects rather than telling you how much of each metal it detects.

Example: If the Heavy Metals Check product detects 25ppb Cupric Copper, 25ppb Cobalt, and 50ppb Nickel... the test trip will read 100ppb.

Heavy Metals Check will not give an indication of which metals or how many different metals a water sample contains... but if SenSafe™ Water Metals Check detects any metals at all you may want to consider getting your water tested by a qualified local water testing laboratory so you can find out what metals your water contains and in what amounts.

Regarding test procedures, both the Peroxide Check and Water Metals Check products use simple 'dip-n-read' procedures and neither require any additional materials, equipment, etc.