OK, so we stumbled across this article and felt obligated to least mention its existence. We really don’t know WHY someone wrote a ‘news article’ about a municipal water testing lab, but since they did, we will post a few of the things they mentioned…

Ever wonder what is in the water coming out of your tap or out of that sprinkler at the golf course? The chemists at the Mulberry Treatment Plant Laboratory have those answers.

Beakers, test tubes and microscopes are part of the tools three chemists use at the lab at 340 Mulberry Ave., every single day. The tests help ensure that the quality of water from the city’s water and wastewater treatment plants are meeting environmental and safety specifications. But what started as a side project to save a few dollars on testing has become a revenue generator for the city in the last several years as more than a dozen agencies across Arizona, including Kingman, Yucca, Havasu Heights and Parker, use the lab for testing. For the fiscal year 2009-2010, lab contracts generated $33,272 for the city, according to the city wastewater division.

“The work that the chemists at our laboratory do is really high quality and has become well respected throughout the state,” said Lake Havasu City Wastewater Manager Doug Thomas. “That quality is evidenced by the number of agencies that we provide services.”

Senior chemist Thilak Fernando and lab technicians George Waggoner and Sophia Quinones perform more than 18 certified tests on the city’s effluent (or treated wastewater) and drinking water. The tests, which are certified through the Arizona Department of Health Services, monitor nitrates, ammonia, coliform bacteria and other potentially dangerous substances on a daily basis. ( source )

After reading the full article several times we still find ourselves wondering WHY a local newspaper would write an article about the municipal water testing lab. At first we suspect ‘human interest story’, but then the article steered clear of actually talking about the staff so we quickly realized the error of our thinking.

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Naturally our NEXT suspicion dealt with politics. Not sure who has entered the race for office in that town this year, but we suspect that supporters of the incumbent politicians in Lake Havasu had something to do with the writing of this glowing review of the municipal water system’s performance AND its ability to earn a few extra bucks for the city.

We only point out the possible political motivation for this article because it may illustrate a sometimes forgotten reality: Water Quality Issues Often Get Diluted by Politics!

Protect yourselves against evil, self-serving political maniacs!

Wow. We impressed ourselves with how ‘radical’ and ‘revolutionary’ that sub-heading sounded. If left to our own devices we may someday start a revolution!

Not.

We wrote those words to get your attention… and call your attention to the fact that you, like everyone else — ourselves included — have sole responsibility for keeping an eye on the quality of the water around you. No government official will swoop down out of the sky like a water testing super hero and test your drinking water for you!

So, as usual, we suggest periodic testing of your water to make sure no unexpected contaminants have accidentally found their way into your water supply. Oh, and if you already suspect a problem with your water, please defer to the expertise of a qualified water testing lab such as National Testing Laboratories.

It’s your water, your health… and ultimately your life!

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