Not a fan of chloramines in your drinking water? You now have a means of removing those pesky chloramines!

Chloramines? What are chloramines? Take a look at this earlier Water Testing Blog entry on Free Chlorine, Combined Chlorine and Total Chlorine and get a quick education on the topic!

Whether created as a byproduct of disinfection via free chlorine or the intended disinfectant in a water system, most people do NOT like the taste and odor of chloramines in their water.

Thankfully Pentek has come out with a product called the Pentek ChlorPlus 10 Chloramine Removal Water Filter Cartridge that fits in standard 10″ (x 2.5″) filter housings used in filter sytems produced by companies such as Pentek (obviously!), US Filter (recently acquired by Pentek!), Cuno, Filterite, Keystone, US Water, Water Resurces, Harmsco, and many other popular brands of water filtration systems. If your system uses a standard 10″ x 2.5″ housing, the Pentek ChlorPlus 10 ought to fit just fine!

Having said that last bit, please check the dimensions of your current filter and/or housing before ordering this product!

Looking for a 10″ replacement filter with NSF Certification? The Pentek ChlorPlus 10 uses a component tested certified to NSF Standard 42.

What does the Pentek ChlorPlus 10 remove/reduce? Using 1 micron carbon block technology this product (255416-43) should seriously reduce chloramine concentrations in drinking water and in doing so remove the (offensive) taste and odor associated with chlorine while also helping to pull out unwanted sediment, if present.

A safe rule to follow: Consider any area that came in contact with flood water unsafe until thoroughly dried, cleaned and disinfected properly. Water passing over submerged areas will pick up an unimaginable number of contaminants including, but not limited to, dangerous strains of bacteria and fecal matter from animals.

Sorry this posting has no length, but the point remains: Submerged wells SHOULD get tested before returning to service. Otherwise the risk of contamination by flood water WILL present itself.

Even if you think the cap on your well could withstand the force of 100 hurricanes, don’t ever forget that your neighbor’s well cap may not have received inspection in a number of years and… flood water creeping in through their faulty well cap will eventually reach the aquifer — from which your well draws its water.

Once flood waters go down, owners of private water wells should pump out their wells, allow them to refill/recharge naturally, and disinfect them before using any water they produce for drinking, cooking and in some cases even bathing.

Oh, and of COURSE we suggest getting the well water tested for, at the very LEAST, coliform bacteria before returning it to service.

Contact your local health department to see if they have discounted or free well water testing options available. Many localities will make such options available to residents after flood waters have ravaged an area.

Do-It-Yourself Test Kits for Bacteria

While we STRONGLY suggest testing for bacteria on a regular basis using at-home drinking water test kits such as the EPA Compliant WaterWorks EZ Coliform Cult Bacteria Test Kit which follows the APHA, Standard Methods, 20th Edition, 9221 D, screen test for total coliform in potable water, after a flood situation we ALWAYS suggest having a certified water testing lab analyze the water for bacteria.

Warmer weather in most of the Northern Hemisphere means a lot more water will start to flow from one place to another… and as it does it could pick up all sorts of unpleasant, and potentially harmful, drinking water contaminants.

As an example, the rise and fall of aquifer levels in certain parts of the United States can have a pronounced effect on dissolved arsenic levels in the water contained in those aquifers.

As a second example, water from melting snows or from Spring showers traveling across the land in agricultural regions has a tendency to pick up potentially harmful bacteria and nitrates/nitrites that could work their way into poorly capped wells.

Other unwanted drinking water contaminants such as atrazine and simazine also get picked up runoff water making its way through the countryside. As you may recall, farmers in the United States used both of those compounds, especially atrazine, as an herbicide/pesticide for many years — and therefore it ought not surprise you that pockets of washed away atrazine lurk in many unsuspecting parts of the country.

News outlets LOVE to blast the airwaves with news of E. Coli in water supplies and some make the mistake of positively linking the presence of E. Coli to fecal contamination.

While more often than not the presence of E. Coli in a water supply does mean human or animal waste has somehow made its way into the sample, it does not guarantee that has happened.

It does, however, still mean a qualified water testing lab such as National Testing Labs should take a look at the quality of the water to determine its potability.

February 24, 2011 – GRAFTON, Mass. – E.coli bacteria has been detected in an untreated water sample collected recently from the Worcester Street well, the Grafton Water District is reporting.

Grafton Water District Manager Matt Pearson stressed that the sample was taken from the well prior to treatment and the well was immediately taken offline. Boiling of water will not be required for Grafton residents.

The wells are routinely monitored for drinking water contaminants to ensure the safety of the water supply. On Feb. 24, the district was notified that a fecal indicator, E.coli bacteria, was detected in one untreated water sample collected on Feb. 22 from the Worcester Street well.

Samples collected on the same date from Grafton’s drinking water — samples taken after the routine treatment with chlorine disinfectant — did not detect any fecal contaminants.

Fecal indicators are microbes whose presence indicates that the water may be contaminated with human or animal wastes. Microbes in these wastes can cause diarrhea, cramps, nausea, headaches, or other symptoms. They may pose a special health risk for infants, young children, some of the elderly, and people with severely compromised immune systems. ( source )

While definitely something to keep an eye on, other things besides coliform bacteria in drinking water also serve as indicators that drinking water contamination may have occurred.

Simple tests for changes in pH, alkalinity and heavy metals — for literally pennies per test in some cases — can alert consumers to potentially dangerous changes in the quality of their water.

With testing supplies as inexpensive as they have become, it makes little to no sense for people not to take an interest in the quality of the water they drink.

In the past we talked about the benefits and advantages of using Doulton Ceramic Water Filters as a portable, chemical-free means of treating source water that may contain unwanted bacteria. Today we would like to draw your attention to an undersink ceramic filter system manufactured by Crystal Quest.

Ceramic filters and well water?

What makes a ceramic filtration system good for well water applications? Quite simply, the fine level of filtration offered by ceramic filters does an excellent job of filtering out unwanted (and potentially harmful) harmful bacteria such as E.Coli, fecal coliform, Salmonella and Streptococcus. They also do a great job of filtering out cysts such as cryptosporidium and giardia.

Many well owners do not use a disinfection system on their well water and the Crystal Quest Undersink Ceramic Water Filter System has the ability to protect users of well water from unexpected bacterial contamination.

Additionally, and not necessarily a major selling point for most people, ceramic filter systems such as the Crystal Quest Undersink Ceramic Water Filter System also filters sediment down to the 0.5 micron size.

Testing for bacteria in well water?

For rapid on-site bacteria in well water testing we suggest taking a look at a Presence/Absence Test Kit for Coliform Bacteria. User can get positive/negative test results in as few as 24 hours and have the option of confirming whether or not the sample contains E.Coli specifically.

Fears triggered by sporadic news stories about bacterial contamination of public water supplies and horror stories about well water troubles have resulted in many people taking a serious look at investing in a UV Water Treatment System for their home and/or place of business.

The question for most people becomes, “What qualities do I look for in a UV Water Treatment System?”

No simple answer exists for that question, but one thing we definitely suggest people look for… a UV water treatment system that bears the NSF Mark. Specifically, we suggest checking to see that any unit under consideration has certified to NSF Standard 55.

Water treatment systems certifying to NSF Standard 55 have passed rigorous testing conducted by a reputable, independent laboratory that proves the devices give off the correct frequency and amount of UV illumination required to effectively kill and/or sterilize bacteria present in a water supply.

A lot of people fear coliform bacteria… because so many water treatment companies have blurred the terms ‘coliform bacteria’ and E. Coli. While true that E. Coli does exist as a part of the coliform bacteria family, one should NOT assume that both terms mean the same thing.

According to the EPA web site, “Coliforms are naturally present in the environment; as well as feces; fecal coliforms and E. coli only come from human and animal fecal waste.”

That means coliforms will occur in the absence of fecal matter, or fecal matter contamination, but they may not necessarily indicate that a water supply will make a person sick. The presence of coliforms in a water supply do, however, give good reason for a person to have their water tested by a certified water testing lab — to check for the presence of E. Coli.

Testing for Coliform Bacteria

First and foremost we want to stress that you should trust the results of no test other than an analysis performed by a certified water testing laboratory to tell you that your water supply definitely contains no harmful E. Coli bacteria.

At-home drinking water test kits containing a product such as the EZ Coliform Bacteria Test still serve a purpose, though, since they allow well owners and concerned municipal water customers to perform on-the-spot field tests for coliforms without having to come out of pocket for expensive lab test each time they would like to check on the quality of their water.

Basically speaking, if an inexpensive test kit like the EZ Coliform Bacteria Test Kit yields positive results, concerned parties should then seek the assistance of a certified water testing lab.

Can at-home test kits detect E. Coli, too?

As a matter of fact, the EZ Coliform Bacteria Test Kit can positively identify E. Coli in a water supply when used in conjunction with a UV light source such as the Sensafe NVF-4 Handheld UV Light.

If after the 24 to 48 hour waiting period the sample gives off an iridescence when exposed to ultraviolet light, it contains E. Coli.

One could also use something called a Kovacs Reagent with the to EZ Coliform Bacteria Test Kit confirm the presence of E. Coli in a water sample.

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…

“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.

1. Water main breaks: Unexpected ruptures in the previously sealed system may allow unwanted bacteria and other contaminants to enter the water supply.

2. 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.

3. 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

4. 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.

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.

We have written about boil water orders all over the country since starting this site several years ago… and just to prove a point, check out these recent stories about communities instructed boil their water because of water main breaks, equipment failures, etc.