• According to recent studies, on a daily basis U.S. residents use more water to flush toilets than they use to take showers
  
• The largest (residential) use for water has nothing to do with cooking or even drinking.  We use more water to wash our cars, water the lawn, water our plants, and wash our pets!
• When shaving with a razor, the average person uses roughly 2 gallons of water during the process.
• When a leaky faucet has a d rip rate of roughly one drip per second, in a year that faucet leaks a total of about 3,000 gallons.
• On average, the normal citizen uses about 100 gallons of water in everyday life.

(  source )

No matter how we look at it, water will one day become one of the most widely sought after substances on the planet so we all need to take positive steps toward conserving the safe, clean water we have left and developing new technologies that will help us clean up 'gray' water and improve efforts to conserve water in all aspects of our lives.

Lead in Water Test

Water Metals Test Strips

Total Iron Visual Test Kit

We talk about older infrastructure (i.e. water service lines) a lot on this site because many of the water service lines running from the water treatment plant out to individual homes contain copper and lead elements that over time tend to dissolve into the water passing through them.

While the presence of dissolved copper in the water supply generally poses no health risks in the quantities normally seen in the public water supply, it can result result in unwanted and VERY difficult to remove staining on fixtures in the home. Additionally, owners of swimming pools and hot tubs get warned constantly of the dangers of not neutralizing or removing dissolved metals (like copper) prior to adding chemicals after filling up their pool or tub… else risk some serious stain problems that will cost a lot of money and elbow grease to remove!

The presence of lead in water, however, does pose a serious health risk according to pretty much every water quality expert and health agency. The USEPA requires public water systems to take action to immediately reduce levels of dissolved lead when they reach or exceed 15ppb (parts per billion).

OK, so why add phosphates to the water supply?

By maintaining a certain level of phosphates in the water supply, public water systems reduce the amount of copper and lead that can leech into the water. In layman’s terms, the phosphates ‘coat’ the metal surfaces and thus limit its exposure to the water passing through the lines.

I have well water, so I’m safe, right?

Actually, you may have larger concerns than just exposure to copper and lead. Public water supplies get monitored for a large assortment of various chemicals, compounds and water quality parameters on an ongoing basis whereas no one monitors the quality of the water coming from your well.

Getting back to the matter of copper and lead in well water, though, both metals occur naturally in the environment and may show up in well water without warning. Additionally, older homes may still contain copper plumbing that has lead laden solder holding its joints and unions together.

“A recently completed study by the U.S. Department of Environmental Protection found the testing methods it requires water utilities to use nationwide systematically misses high lead levels. That can pose health hazards for everyone living in older homes, most of all for children.” ( source )

So… How did the older methodology of testing for dissolved lead in city water (all over the US and not just in Chicago!) fail? Quite simply, the old testing method focused primarily on the plumbing leading from the water connection at the water main out to the faucet… and disregarded the possibility that older service lines contained in an area’s infrastructure may contain lead components.

Potential sources of lead in drinking water:

• Residences constructed before 1986 more than likely have lead service lines between the building and the water main.
   
• Some homes may have copper piping joined together using solder that contains lead.
   
• Some brass faucets may contain trace amounts of lead that could leach into the water over time.
   
• Work done to repair damaged, older water mains will sometimes result in higher than normal amounts of lead finding its way into drinking water.

As a general rule health officials and water quality professionals all agree that lead in drinking water causes health problems — especially in the young and the very old.

Can the average person test for lead? Of course! WaterSafe manufactures an easy-to-use lead in water test kit that lets a person know if their water sample contains 15ppb or more dissolved lead.

Why 15ppb dissolved lead? The USEPA set the MCL (maximum contaminant level) for lead in its Primary Drinking Water Standards at 15ppb, meaning if a public water supply contains 15ppb (or more) of dissolved lead, the water treatment facility must take immediate action to correct the situation.

For additional information on lead in water, we suggest taking a look at the lead in drinking water information page on the USEPA web site.

What was the problem?

With only around 3,000 residents in its tax base, Timmonsville simply could not seem to keep in line with EPA mandated regulations concerning water quality and functionality of its sewer lines.

As examples, the federal government recently sued Timmonsville for failing to adequately chlorinate its public water supply and for the collapsing of a sewer line that resulted in raw sewage backing up into buildings in the downtown area.

Obviously both raw sewage and improperly treated drinking water can make a person ill — but, again, with such a small tax base, the town simply could not afford to make things right.

Trouble paying for needed repairs not a new phenomenon

Just a few short years ago the EPA reduced the allowable dissolved arsenic concentration in drinking water to 10ppb and many smaller communities that had issues with arsenic in their water supply clamored that they could not currently — or in the foreseeable future — afford to install the equipment needed to bring their arsenic levels down under 10ppb.

Naturally the government set up special programs (i.e. arranged for funding & gave extensions for compliance) for communities facing non-compliance with the new arsenic in drinking water regulations but sometimes we wonder just how many small towns (like Timmonsville, SC) still have not managed to get their water quality issues under control.

Larger cities have water & sewer troubles, too

Just so that no one accuses us of saying only small communities have troubles keeping their water and sewer lines in order, the same article also mentioned how Columbia, SC, a MUCH larger city than Timmonsville, SC, recently reached an agreement with the federal government that will require Columbia to make an estimated $750M dollars in repairs to its sewer lines in the near future.

Moral of the story?

Whether you live in a small town on the backside a grassy hill surrounded by lush fields of wild grass or you reside in the heart of thriving metropolitan area with scarcely a tree in sight, water problems can pop up without warning and most certainly without mercy.

Let’s face it: City and town governments have artfully avoided dealing with ailing sewer and water lines for many years (aka: elected officials shy away from important issues that would hint at a possible [probable!] tax hike… so they can get re-elected) and now many regions all across the United States find themselves teetering on the brink of infrastructure collapse.

Bonus round: Throw in a bit of ‘sequestration’ (just to spice things up) and now even LESS money exists in city/town budgets and coffers to make necessary sewer and water line improvements.

And in conclusion…

At the beginning, middle, and end of the day responsibility for the quality of the water we use in our home rests in our hands… so we will continue testing our drinking water periodically and using appropriate water filters to handle any ‘problems’ we detect.

It’s our water, our health, and ultimately… our LIFE!

State law required officials to notify customers in the affected area even though they believed no real threat existed to the water supply or its users.

Until the word goes out that the boil water advisory has ended, officials suggest boiling all tap water that will get used for drinking, cooking, washing of food or utensils, making ice, brushing teeth, or used to wash wounds in the event that someone requires first aid. The water should come to a rolling boil for at least 1 full minute.

If boiling water not possibility, residents should use bottled water in place of tap water.

What happens now?

Workers from Sarasota County will collect samples from various points in the water system to check for contamination and once all samples come back with a clean bill of health the ‘all clear’ notice will go out to all customers affected by the water main break.

Most customers will receive a phone call from an automated service one the boil water advisory gets canceled. If anyone has questions about the advisory, or fears they may not have received the call, all interested parties may contact Sarasota County using the following phone number: 941-861-5000.

When water pressure in a water system drops, a possibility exists that unwanted contaminants could enter the water supply which may not, at that exact time, have sufficient chlorine residual available to wipe out any invading bacteria.

Boil water advisory specifics…

Officials suggest that affected water system customers boil water one minute before drinking or using to prepare food. Dispose of ice cubes recently made with tap water and/or that have come in contact with cubes made with tap water recently. Also, turn off and do not use ice cubes coming from automatic ice makers until the ‘all clear’ message gets announced and all lines have been flushed with water cleared as OK to use.

Additionally, one should have the ability to bathe in the water during this advisory, but make sure to avoid accidentally drinking any of the water. Special care should get taken to maonitor children during showers and bathing to make certain they, too, do not drink the water until the advisory ends.

What if water appears cloudy or dirty?

Do not use the water until lines run clear.

Local media outlets will announce the end of the boil water advisory and for additional information, concerned parties may contact the Lyon County Rural Water District #4 Offices at 620-342-6775.

To the untrained eye each ‘glowing’ report tells a wonderful water quality success story and most of the reports use pristine pictures of crisp, clean water flowing beautifully from a sparkling faucet to paint a picture of water quality perfection.

We congratulate every water department that passed Federal muster and thank them for doing a fine job.

We scold every water department that failed Federal muster. Please get your acts together and do a better job this year!

The problem with annual water quality reports

In a good number of the reports we have looked through we found a rather ugly truth buried in the tables, charts, and pretty pictures: Yes, the water tested below Federal Guidelines for potentially hazardous metals like lead, chromium, etc. and disinfection byproducts (DBP’s), but detectable levels of those drinking water contaminants existed in the water.

Health officials have stated for a long time that ANY amounts of toxic metals like lead in drinking water or chromium may cause serious health problems — especially in young children. Exposure to metals like lead may lead to lower IQ’s, developmental problems, behavioral issues, and impaired learning abilities.

Oh, and one more thing: When last we checked, the medical community agrees that any concentration of lead in drinking water constitutes an unsafe concentration of lead in drinking water.

Why are Federal Guideline concentrations higher than medically ‘safe’ concentrations?

The United States Environmental Protection Agency set the maximum allowable contaminant concentration levels for most unwanted drinking water contaminants… a long time ago. In some cases the levels for some contaminants may have hit the books more than 50 years ago!

One must also remember that regardless of the toxicity of a drinking water contaminant, the number of potential drinking water contaminants that the USEPA has to keep tabs on grows by leaps and bounds each year. We imagine that a case load of that magnitude would result in a standard operation procedure based on the following principle: Squeaky Wheel Gets the Oil.

Contaminants making the news and/or waves in the health community probably get the bulk of attention, laboratory time, and financial resources while research and legislation on other, less newsworthy (but no less dangerous!) drinking water contaminants get put on the back burner.

Moral of the story?

As with anything in life, you should take your local water department’s Annual Water Quality Report with a grain of salt. Read through the data and verify for yourself that when your water leaves the treatment facility it contains NONE of the drinking water contaminants that you hear about on the news or that you find in the EPA’s Primary Drinking Water Standards List — especially if you have small children in the house.

When setting MCL’s (maximum contaminant levels) for drinking water contaminants, the weight of a person gets factored into the equation and health officials typically set MCL’s using the weight of an average sized adult, not a child.

So, the next time you hear of a (current) boil water advisory or health department offering local residents free or discounted water testing services, please send us the details via our Contact Us Form and we will gladly add them to this site.

Boil water advisories

• Town of Oak Bluffs (Martha’s Vineyard area)
• City of Paris, KY
• Parts of Bossier Parish (Loisiana)
• Fairmont, WV
• Clark County, Indiana
• Mossyrock, WA

Free water testing

• Taos County, New Mexico. July 2 from 11 a.m.-5:30 p.m. at Coronado Hall at the Taos Convention Center

If you know of other boil water advisories or free/discounted water testing offers, please remember to send us the details via our Contact Us Form so we can add them to this site.

Usually when you hear about a boil water advisory it applies to a few hundred or at most thousand unlucky individuals… but THIS advisory affected as many as 1,300,000 people! That had to set SOME sort of World’s Record, right?

Before learning of the boil water advisory some residents called in to complain about discolored water coming out of their faucets.

While the water did look unpalatable, officials at the water treatment facility stated that they preferred to err on the side caution and issue the boil water advisory even though they had very little reason to suspect any sort of contamination by bacteria in the water supply.

What does a boil water advisory mean?

Once issued, a a boil water advisory means affected residents should put water on the stove and bring it to a rolling boil for no less than 60 seconds before drinking or using it to cook, prepare food, wash cooking surfaces, brush teeth, or any activity where the water could wind up in contact with the human mouth.

Experts claim that non-boiled water could get used for washing clothes and for bathing, but while bathing keep you mouth SHUT. Meaning… no singing in the tub, OK?

Moral of the story?

Living in a large, modern city does not guarantee you safe, clean drinking water. Accidents and incidents (i.e. construction workers striking a water main, water treatment facility accidentally over-chlorinates the water supply, a line somewhere between the water treatment plant and your faucet develops a leak, a filtering screen at the water treatment plant, etc.) can happen in any size town, village, city, or thriving metropolitan mecca.

Testing of city water supplies

In Montreal inspectors performing routine water tests noticed something went wrong and quickly responded by issuing a boil water advisory… but what about problems that may develop between the plant and your house?

Quite honestly, the responsibility for noticing any water quality issues at that point belongs to the homeowner and some very sinister water quality issues cannot get noticed with the naked eye. Unwanted water contaminants like bacteria and dissolved metals have no associated taste, color, or odor and can only get detected through water testing.

Can the average person test for things like coliform bacteria and dissolved metals? As a matter of fact they can! Test kits like the WaterSafe Lead Water Test Kit, SenSafe Water Metals Check, and EZ-Cult Coliform (Mug) Test makes testing water at home for lead, other metals, and coliform bacteria a quick, easy and relatively inexpensive process.

As I get older I get more concerned with environmental and or products for consumers that could be misleading information and not true. Sad enough but you almost have to confirm your own facts to be clear these days. As we would hope that we could work in the interests of each other for a healthier and safer environment, I find that’s not true always true so I have come to the conclusion just be SMART. My story ~ I know that throughout the years in my small town there has been a lot of fuss and the city water system has changed hands from the now county that runs through entirely different hands just within the last few years. My water (City)coming through is red mud color for a short period of time through our faucets. It seems they do send a flyer out to citizens right before this actually takes place. When I’ve called to report this they say they are flushing the systems and not to drink water for a few days. Do I need to worry? I’m sure they are doing their job but should I be alarmed? I just would like to check my own water levels for any contaminants and make sure before I use the water filter pitcher or water filtering system on my kitchen faucet to make sure if I need to use one. How can I check my own water Or purchase a kit for my own peace of mind? Thanks, Cathy H.

Thank you, Cathy, for contacting us and we feel quite certain that many other folks find themselves in similar situations and would like answers to questions like you mentioned.

Flushing of the Lines

Most areas we have encountered perform flushing of the lines — a necessary ritual usually performed to keep deposits of sediment, etc. from building up in slow-moving water lines — once or twice a year and yes, most municipalities do advise residents not to drink the water during the event(s).

We have not, however, heard of a water district telling residents to not use their water for a period of several days. Usually we have seen water departments and water companies specify a window of several hours when they will flush lines and advise residents to run water after the flushing gets completed until it turns clear… and then for a little while longer after that.

We suppose that the age of the water system and how long it takes to purge itself of the unwanted (red mud in your case) sediment would affect the amount of time residents would want to avoid using the water, but you would need to discuss specifics like that with your municipal water company.

What IS That Red Stuff Anyway?

Without actual water test results in hand we would guess that you see dissolved and non-dissolved iron sediment coming out of your faucets since the flushing of water lines does tend to stir that stuff up and push it out.

For that reason we believe you may want to test for iron (total iron) once the water returns to its normal clear color and we have found that the WaterWorks Total Iron Test Kit works quite well for that purpose.

The fact that you no longer see color in the water does not necessarily mean the water no longer contains metallic or other contaminants.

Determining the Need for a Water Filter?

Tricky business, but no impossible. We suggest using third party, independent laboratories like National Testing Laboratories that have no interest in selling you a water filter after handing over the test results.

Local water testing labs often have an edge, though, since their staff have tested water in a particular region many times and can draw off that experience to perhaps shed a little local light on the reasons for and causes of water quality issues. A quick check of the phone book should turn up a few good choices for local labs but we suggest contacting the local health department and asking them for a list of accredited water testing labs in an area.

Drinking Water Test Kits for Home Use?

We offer a good number of drinking water test kits for home use in the Water Test Kit Store on this site and from what you described it sounds like you may want to consider using a general test for metals on a semi-regular basis that will detect drinking water contaminants such as iron, copper, lead, manganese, cobalt, etc.

Other kits such as the COMPLETE and Water Quality Test Kit may also come in handy… but no matter which kit you select, none will ever take the place of having a fresh set of analytical, independent eyes from an accredited water testing laboratory examine the quality of your water.