Water Quality: Testing, Filters for, and Purification of Drinking, Ground and Pool Water » City Water Test

Multistage Water Filter Plus Softener… Do They Make One?

Water Testing Blog — Thu, 08 Dec 2011 02:24:24 +0000

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.

Multistage Water Filter & Water Softener
Crystal Quest CQE-WH-02136

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.

Test for Hard Water

Test for Metals

Test for Arsenic

Chromium Found in Chicago Water

Water Testing Blog — Tue, 09 Aug 2011 15:11:12 +0000

We had a feeling that chromium would pop back up in the news again… and this time residents in the Chicago area had the (dis)pleasure of finding out that recent test result showed the presence of an unhealthy level of a heavy metal (chromium) in their water supply.

Chicago’s first round of testing for a toxic metal called hexavalent chromium found that levels in local drinking water are more than 11 times higher than a health standard California adopted last month.

But it could take years before anything is done about chromium contamination in Chicago and scores of other cities, in part because industrial polluters and municipal water utilities are lobbying to block or delay the Obama administration’s move toward national regulations. ( source )

As some of you may recall, we wrote about chromium showing up in drinking water in the past and from the sounds of things we will very likely find ourselves writing about it many more times.

The discovery of hexavalent chromium in drinking water is renewing a debate about dozens of unregulated substances that are showing up in water supplies nationwide. Potential health threats from many of the industrial chemicals, pharmaceutical drugs and herbicides still are being studied, but researchers say there is strong evidence that years of exposure to chromium-contaminated water can cause stomach cancer.

Test results obtained by the Tribune show that treated Lake Michigan water pumped to 7 million people in Chicago and its suburbs contains up to 0.23 parts per billion of the toxic metal, well above an amount that researchers say could increase the long-term risk of cancer. ( source )

For those of you not familiar with the articles previously written about chromium in drinking water on this site, the following links will really come in handy:

We have written more, but the ones above ought to give you a pretty good understanding of the chromium in drinking water situation facing many areas of the United States. Water supplies previously deemed ‘safe’, and we include both municipal and private water supplies in this statement, have come under new scrutiny and many do not measure up to the current quality standards.

Speaking of tests, can the average person test for chromium in drinking water? Of course they can — but as always the best testing solution comes in the form of analysis by a certified water testing laboratory.

If, however, you would like a fast and easy method to test for the presence of chromium in water, you will definitely want to take a look at the chromium test strips produced by SenSafe/WaterWorks. They make field testing for hexavalent chromium in water a simple and inexpensive process.

Monkey Business at the Wastewater Treatment Plant?

Water Testing Blog — Sat, 16 Jul 2011 13:03:26 +0000

While we do like to hear that the legal system has taken an interest in prosecuting those who threaten the safety and potability of water supplies, public or private, through acts of negligence or on purpose, it still bothers us that people would actually do things on purpose that could put the water supply of others at risk.

Single Dip Method Free & Total Chlorine
Test Strips w/ 0 to 5ppm Detection Range

Today we stumbled across an article from a Chicago area paper talking about how a Federal Judge must decide whether or not a water company and also two of its employees should face charges for allegedly raising free chlorine levels intentionally right before taking readings and then allowing them to drop to potentially unsafe levels at other times throughout the day.

In the spirit of allowing both sides to present their case, we will post the entire article… which left us with more than one nagging question.

A federal judge has delayed ruling on whether to dismiss criminal charges claiming United Water Services tampered with water testing at the Gary Sanitary District.

Attorneys for United Water argued during a hearing Tuesday morning at the U.S. District Court in Hammond that the government’s indictment doesn’t actually cite any illegal activity.

The company, as well as two of its former employees, Gregory Ciaccio and Dwain Bowie, are charged with raising chlorine levels just before daily samples were taken for tests then lowering it again after the samples were taken to amounts not strong enough to properly kill off E. coli bacteria.

United Water operated the GSD from 1998 until last year.

However, Steven Solow, attorney for United Water, argued during the hearing on a motion to dismiss that the GSD’s wastewater permit allowed for the company to raise and lower chlorine levels. “Those are not improper things to do,” Solow argued.

He added that United Water would increase the chlorine levels in the morning, which is when the samples were taken, because people use more water in the morning and that every waste water treatment plant in the world changes its chlorine levels throughout the day.

However, David Mucha, an attorney with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, argued that United Water’s actions did violate its permit. The daily samples are supposed to represent what the water is like at the plant during that day, not just at that instant in time, Mucha said.

“This case is very simple,” Mucha said. “They altered normal operations at the time of sampling.”

If the sample doesn’t represent all the water at the plant on the day of the sample, then it’s useless, he said.

He also dismissed Solow’s argument that raising and lowering the chlorine levels weren’t illegal. Mucha said that done on their own, each was fine but that they became illegal when coupled with being done right before and after tests were taken. He likened it to how people can legally drink and can legally drive but can’t legally drive drunk.

Further, Mucha said, the government has to prove only that a person knowingly tampered with water samples for a conviction. U.S. law does not require any other provision.

U.S. District Judge Rudy Lozano recessed the hearing to look at the permit and filings. Mary Hatton, spokeswoman for the U.S. Attorneys office, said that a ruling likely wouldn’t come until after Aug. 1 because of deadlines for a filing by the defense. ( source )

Our first question…

… deals with the frequency of testing: “Why did the plant only need to test in the mornings?”

Our second questions deals with the real results of the raising chlorine levels (supposedly) to pass inspection and then lowering them to potentially unsafe levels: “Did anyone get sick or suffer any form of harm as a result of these actions?”

Don’t get us wrong based upon that second question. We just want to know more about how these folks got caught. If someone got sick as a result of what the water company did, then this case would have ended in a guilty verdict without the need for the judge to deliberate longer… right?

Bitter truth about public water systems?

While few people would argue that the United States of America, when examined as a whole, has one of the most technologically advanced network of public water distribution systems in the world. This does not, however, mean that all of the systems do all of the testing they should at all the right times.

The article above, as well as articles we’ve read over the years about public officials and private firms fabricating water test results in an effort to save money, makes us leery of our great system… yet grateful as heck that for the most part our greatest fears about our public water supply deal mostly with ‘minor’ breaches in protocol rather than instances of blatant disregard for the maintaining of sanitary practices in our water treatment facilities.

Testing for chlorine in drinking water at home?

Do average people have the ability to keep tabs on the amount of chlorine in their drinking water? Absolutely! Companies like WaterSafe and SenSafe make reliable, accurate and completely affordable test kits for detecting levels of both free and total chlorine in tap/drinking water.

All in One Water Test Kit

Chlorine and Hardness Test Kit

Well Water Test Kit

Municipal Water Testing Prompts Company to Install Additional Filtration Unit

Water Testing Blog — Tue, 05 Apr 2011 01:50:37 +0000

Residents in a community on Long Island (NY) have something to celebrate these days… tap water with a heck of a lot less iron and a much clearer color.

It seems that after years of complaining and the outcry for action seen on one man’s Facebook page, local authorities in Malverne finally found a way to force Long Island American Water Company’s hand — by having samples of water pulled from random homes in the area and tested by an outside, independent water testing laboratory.

We will let the article tell you the rest…

The results are in!

In response to the overwhelming amount of complaints from residents about the brown water coming from their tap, the Malverne Civic Association (ar)ranged for a handful of homes to go under the microscope.

Water samples were taken from five houses located on Oak Street, Scarcliffe Drive, Walker Street, Rider Avenue, and Nassau Boulevard in Malverne and sent to an H2M, an independent lab in Melville for testing.

Earlier this month Bill Varley, president of Long Island American Water, the utility that provides water to homes in Malverne and surrounding areas, announced that the results were in. (Days later, the company also finally put its $7.5 million iron treatment facility in Malverne into service.)

As promised, Varley shared the results with the Civic, including Tom Grech, the Malverne man who was instrumental in rallying residents to speak out about the issue using a Facebook page he created called “I Love Malverne…but hate the brown water (From LI Water).”

Residents were mostly concerned with the levels of naturally-occurring iron in their tap water. While the Nassau Count Department of Health does not recognize iron has a health hazard it does set standards for aesthetic reasons, since the iron can turn the water brown and even stain laundry.

The Maximum Contaminant Level (MCL) for total iron in cold water states that it should be less than 1.50 mg/L. None of the samples taken from homes in the village came close to hitting this limit. The highest level, 1.15 mg/L, was taken from a kitchen faucet in a home on Walker Street.

The samples also fell within the acceptable water color standards. None of them met the criteria for being considered “discolored” or odorous, and were within the pH range of 7.5 to 8.5 units that the health department recommends.

As for oxidized iron levels, there were a couple of samples that came back higher than the standards, but these are guidelines set forth by Long Island American Water itself and not any health agency.

…

While some residents reported having “very brown water” two days after the plant when into service, Varley said that homeowners could see the water look worse before it gets better. This is the result of reverse air flow that got into the system when they put the plant on line and is only temporarily. The company has been flushing hydrants around the neighborhood to counteract this.

It appears that some residents are now starting to see the benefits of the plant, reporting noticeable improvements in the color of their water.

One resident, commenting on the Facebook page, wrote, “I have run several baths for my kids over the last few days and the water has been the clearest I have ever seen it.”

Another added, “Mine too – not totally clear, but much clearer than I have seen in years!” ( source )

There you have it. Concerned citizens just like you decided they wanted change and through their diligent efforts they got it. When it comes to the safety of your drinking water, you, too have a say and your opinion DOES matter — but only if you speak up and don’t take ‘no’ for an answer.

Testing for iron in drinking water

First of all, not every iron in drinking water test kit does the same job. Some only test for ‘free dissolved iron‘ while others test for ‘total iron‘. Clearly we suggest testing for total iron, but in some instances testing for only dissolved iron does actually make sense.

Test for Free Dissolved Iron

Test for Total Iron

Meter for Testing Total Iron

Former Water Taste Test Competition Silver Medalist Drops Out Because of Bacteria in Their Well Water

Water Testing Blog — Thu, 24 Feb 2011 17:53:15 +0000

Think it can’t happen to you? Think your well water, the very same well water that your father’s mother’s great-great grandpappy used to use for his award winning moonshine can’t become contaminated with bacteria?

So did the folks in Montrose, British Columbia, a region whose tap water had previously won four silver medals in the Berkley Springs International Water Tasting competition, until recent test results showed their untreated municipal water had as much as 6 ppm coliform bacteria per 100 milliliters of water.

As you will soon read, the amount does not merit widespread panic, but it does give cause for consideration of installing a disinfecting system.

Montrose pulled its bid for gold in a water tasting competition, after two months of testing revealed village water to be contaminated.

On Monday, council officially rescinded a motion to participate in the Berkley Springs International Water Tasting competition, a contest that has in past awarded the village four silver medals for its drinking water.

But two weeks ago, Interior Health released test results that found coliform bacteria in the water supply, prompting council to reconsider its entry in the 2011 competition.

“We’re planning now to disinfect our wells and disinfect the distribution system and the reservoir storage,” said administrator Kevin Chartres.

At its highest, the tests found six parts coliform bacteria per 100-millilitre water sample, not a grievous amount but enough to issue a boil-water advisory. ( source )

So… if an award-winning water supply can fall victim to incidental contamination by bacteria, what makes you so certain your water cannot suffer the same fate?

From our perspective, we applaud Montrose Health Officials for doing their due diligence and performing routine testing on their water supply in spite of the awards it has won.

If more people took an active interest in testing the quality of their water we believe companies and organizations responsible for polluting fresh water drinking water supplies would come under a lot more fire from government agencies and either stop their illegal activities or find new, safer ways to dispose of and/or store their chemical byproducts.

Just our two cents, ya’ know?

EPA Considering Removing ‘Safe Level’ Amounts for Pesticide Containing Fluoride

Water Testing Blog — Mon, 17 Jan 2011 20:21:38 +0000

For those keeping tabs on the whole ‘fluoride overexposure’ issue, and especially those concerned about it, the following article ought to please you immensely.

In a recent announcement, the United States Environmental Protection Agency stated that it had taken another look at the topic of fluoride exposure and determined that with all the other sources of fluoride in our surroundings, allowing traces of fluoride in the form of a commonly used pesticide (sulfuryl fluoride) no longer makes sense.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has re-evaluated the current science on fluoride and is taking steps to begin a phased-down withdrawal of the pesticide sulfuryl fluoride, a pesticide that breaks down into fluoride and is commonly used in food storage and processing facilities. Sulfuryl fluoride is currently registered for the control of insect pests in stored grains, dried fruits, tree nuts, coffee and cocoa beans, and for use in food handling and processing facilities. Although sulfuryl fluoride residues in food contribute only a very small portion of total exposure to fluoride, when combined with other fluoride exposure pathways, including drinking water and toothpaste, EPA has concluded that the tolerance (legal residue limits on food) no longer meets the safety standard under the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (FFDCA) and the tolerances for sulfuryl fluoride should be withdrawn. ( source )

So… if the EPA has admitted that it needs to reconsider its position on fluoride in drinking water, then perhaps we, as Americans, ought to wonder exactly how much fluoride our water contains, right? We think so. Ask your local water treatment facility for a copy of its annual Water Quality Report or for the web address where you can download a copy.

Visit the EPA SafeWater Program Web Site for information on water quality in your area.

eXact Micro 7+ Water Testing Meter
( Required Fluoride ReagentStrips )

Testing for fluoride

Unfortunately the SPADNS chemistry required to perform fluoride testing in water does not lend itself to the development of a simple test strip or visual method… but that does not mean the average person cannot test for fluoride in their drinking water.

Over the past few months we have discussed the fact that a relatively inexpensive multiparameter water testing meter known as the eXact Micro 7+ has the ability to test for fluoride. Fluoride Test Strips for eXact Micro 7+ Photometer required and sold separately (under $15 for 25 tests) on the FiltersFast.Com web site.

As of January 17, 2011, the National Safety Products web site ( FilterWater.Com ) has the eXact Micro 7+ Meter on sale for about $240 for the basic kit.

Why Do Cities Issue Boil Water Advisories?

Water Testing Blog — Wed, 29 Dec 2010 19:03:10 +0000

The other day we received an email from ‘SandraDiDeeYo’ who asked a question we could not believe no one had asked us in the past…

Complete Water Quality Test Kit
Tests for 13 Different Parameters

“The news is full of boil water advisories in my state recently. Maybe I never paid attention before and they were always in the news but since now I am paying attention I want to know why do cities advertise boil water advisories?”

A very good question, indeed, and not one that has a definite set of answers… though we will attempt to give a few reasons anyways explaining why cities might issue boil water advisories.

Water main breaks: Unexpected ruptures in the previously sealed system may allow unwanted bacteria and other contaminants to enter the water supply.
Scheduled water line maintenance: Opening the previously sealed water line for any reason, even for scheduled maintenance, can allow unwanted contaminants access to the water supply.
Pump failures: If a pump or related component fails water pressure in the lines drops. When that happens, back pressure in the water lines could possibly ‘suck’ unwanted contaminants into water supply via small cracks or fissures ordinarily not considered a problem because normal operating pressure expels water out through those openings in the form of small leaks.

WaterSafe All-in-One Test Kit Tests for
Bacteria, Lead, Pesticides, Nitrates, Nitrites, Chlorine, pH, and Hardness
Water quality testing reveals contamination: Seemingly an obvious reason, but we mention it to remind everyone that municipal and private water treatment facilities must, by law, perform a set number of tests on the water they distribute each and every day, hour, week and month.

If a predetermined number of tests come back positive for bacteria the facility must, by law, notify local authorities who will issue a boil water alert until the situation gets remedied.

Having said what we just said, we’d now like to take a moment to thank the dedicated men and women who spend their days monitoring the quality of the drinking water too many people take for granted.

Interested in learning more about the quality of the tap water in YOUR area? Contact you local water treatment facility or health department and ask for the most recent Water Quality Report. By law they have to provide you with a hard copy or the link to where they have the information posted online.

What does boiling the water do?

Quite simply, it kills off any potentially harmful that may have slipped into the water supply on its way to your home or office. Do make sure you bring the water to a full rolling boil before use and make sure you do not leave the water sitting around too long out in the open (unsealed) because boiling will have also removed any disinfectants normally found in your water that provide a buffer against incidental bacteria floating around in the air.

One danger associated with boiling water, aside from the risk of getting scalded or badly burned by hot water, has to do with metals in drinking water. Boiling water concentrates the metals — if present in the source water — so if your water normally contains dissolved metals you may want to consider switching to bottled water instead of boiling your water until the boil water advisory gets lifted.

Interested in removing metals from your drinking water? You may want to consider a reverse osmosis water filtration system.

Water Boil Advisory: Richland County in South Carolina

Water Testing Blog — Wed, 29 Dec 2010 04:03:54 +0000

EZ Coliform Cult Bacteria Test Kit

Local officials in an area near the city of Columbia, SC announced recently that residents living in and around the Allbene Park area should boil their water before use…

… and by use they mean for drinking, cooking, as ice, or as a wash solution for food or anything that will come in contact with food.

The reason for the alert: a water main broke and when that happens unwanted bacteria could possibly find their way into the water supply.

Residents of the Allbene Park subdivision in the Hopkins area of Richland County were advised Tuesday to boil their water before drinking or cooking with it.

A break in a water line caused a loss of pressure to Allbene Park residents, the Richland County Utilities Department said Tuesday afternoon. That prompted the advisory, which the department described as a precautionary measure that will remain in effect until further notice.

Residents are instructed to boil water for at least one minute, the department said. In addition, any ice made from water that has not been boiled should be discarded.

Questions may be directed to the department at (803) 401-0050.

Vicinity of Allbene Park. ( source )

Not in the Allbene Park area and want to test your water supply for bacteria anyways? Take a look at the WaterWorks EZ Coliform Test Kit. It allows users to obtain positive/negative test results for bacterial contamination down to the EPA limit of 1 coliform unit per 100 mL of sample.

Need to confirm the presence of coliform bacteria?

Simply shine a UV light source at, or add a Kovacs reagent to, the sample tested using a WaterWorks EZ Coliform Test Kit and that can happen.

NVF-4 Handheld UV Light

The NVF-4 Handheld UV Light on the left acts as a bright and powerful UV light source, excellent for use with either the WaterWorks EZ Coliform Test Kit or the SenSafe Complete Water Test Kit which includes an EZ Coliform Test Kit.

If the sample gives off fluorescence when exposed to UV light it contains E. Coli.

Water Departments Not Performing Required Testing

Water Testing Blog — Mon, 13 Dec 2010 21:29:50 +0000

TDS Meter
0 – 9,990 ppm

First of all, we want to say that the total number of offending water departments found to have a chronic history of failing to conduct required water testing numbered… 34 out of around 2,800. For those interested in statistics, that amounts to roughly 1.2 percent of the water departments in the State of Missouri.

“Oh… Well that’s in Missouri. That sort of thing doesn’t happen where I live.”

With recent budget cuts all across the board in pretty much every department of every city government in the country… we find it hard to believe that anyone could not think that some people, somewhere, would attempt to save money by cutting corners.

Jefferson City, Mo. — The Missouri Department of Natural Resources today released a list of 34 drinking water systems in the state that have chronically failed to complete drinking water testing required by state law.

The systems listed have at least three major monitoring violations in a 12-month period. While failing to monitor does not necessarily mean the water is unsafe, routine testing by a facility is a crucial part of maintaining a safe water supply.

The department requires all public water systems to test for bacteria at least once a month to verify these systems are providing safe drinking water to the public. The vast majority of community and non-community public water systems in Missouri comply with all monitoring requirements and meet all drinking water standards. This current list of 34 chronic violators represents only 1.2 percent of the approximately 2,800 public drinking water systems in Missouri.

…

To view more details on the violators listed, visit the department’s Website at dnr.mo.gov/env/wpp/chronic/index.html.

These systems’ owners have been sent multiple violation notices in addition to certified letters informing them that chronic failure to monitor is unacceptable. ( source )

Do we think people need to immediately stop drinking water from the tap because a few water department here and there decided to cut corners when it came to testing? Absolutely not!

The United States has one of the best, if not THE best, infrastructures for the purification and distribution of safe, clean drinking water in the world. That does NOT mean, however, that problems don’t manifest themselves from time-to-time — as demonstrated by the excerpts above from an article about water testing deficiencies in Missouri over the past 12 months.

Do we think more people need to step up to the plate and take responsibility for making sure the water they drink contains no harmful bacteria? Of course we do! With so many inexpensive and easy-to-use test kits available we see no reason why people — especially private well owners — should not perform periodic testing for basic water quality parameters.

Lead in Water
Test Kit

Pesticides in Water
Test Kit

Free and Total Chlorine
in Water Test Kit

Free Lead in Water Testing in New York City

Water Testing Blog — Tue, 30 Nov 2010 21:00:59 +0000

Earlier today we posted an article about free lead in water testing in NYC and since then our comment form has blown up with questions about the program. Below you will find information about the program, its goals, etc. If you want the full story, though, as in the official version as written by officials in New York City, go here now

Lead in Drinking Water from Household Plumbing

Water brought into the City from its reservoir system located upstate has virtually zero lead in it when it reaches the City. The water, however, has the ability to absorb lead from (older lead-containing) solder, certain types of metal fixtures and plumbing found in older buildings.

Copper in your drinking water?

Therefore, if you live in an older building and/or just want to know more about the possibility that your water may contain dangerous, or at the very least no-so-safe levels of lead, then the following links on New York City’s own web site may prove quite useful:

While we certainly DO applaud NYC’s efforts to inform the general public about the potential dangers posed by lead in its drinking water, and also for proving free lead in water testing to NYC residents who request it, we think the idea of advising millions of people to ‘run the faucet for 30 seconds’ will waste a whole lot of water.

On the other hand, the only other option, forcing building owners to convert over their old, lead-laden plumbing over to newer, safer plumbing components, would cost millions upon millions of dollars. Oh, and good luck trying to enforce THAT mandate in a city that size!

Iron in your drinking water?

Hmmm… Quite a dilemma: Wasting millions (billions?) of gallons of perfectly good water (before it got to the City) which we will run out of one day to avoid spending 10′s of millions (billions?) of dollars to replace lead-containing components of an aging infrastructure… or biting the bullet and spending the money.

We dare not comment on that last one any more than we already have! We do not have the answers, but that does not mean we don’t think people need to ponder such dilemmas — as we often do.

So where does the leave New Yorkers?

For right now it leaves them with the heads-up that they need to monitor the quality of their tap water AND, at least for now, a free lead in water testing service they can use to assess the amount of lead in their drinking water.

It ALSO puts them in the same category as the rest of us: Responsible for the Quality of the Water We Use.

For a long time many people believed that only private well owners had sole responsibility for monitoring the quality of the water entering their homes… but obviously we can all now see that the miles of piping that may or may not contain lead — or leaks where unwanted contaminants could get in — presents itself as a noteworthy risk to folks with city/municipal water.

Therefore, we feel that everyone ought to consider testing their tap water from time to time. Unexpected leaks can occur at any time and may go undetected for years as they allow innumerable contaminants to enter the water supply, deplete disinfectant levels, and possibly find a nice place to hang out, grow and create new little contaminants of their own in the water supply.

Wow. The imagery from that last statement made us shudder. We hope it had the same effect on all of you.