“COLUMBIA, SC (WIS) – The Department of Health and Environmental Control is monitoring the cleanup of a Richland County creek after a sewer overflow sent thousands of gallons of raw sewage into a nearby creek.

DHEC spokesman Adam Myrick said the spill happened around 1:00pm on Alconbury Court, near Broad River Road. Myrick said about 2,000 gallons of sewage entered Stoops Creek before Alpine Utilities was able to fix the overflow.” ( source )

So… What does that mean for residents in the area? In the grand scheme of things, not a whole lot since the leak contained household grade sewage which quickly dissipates into the environment in most cases. In the immediate area of the spill, however, the organization responsible for the leak will, by law, need to take the necessary precautions to make sure all hazardous material gets neutralized and/or removed.

The danger of accidental spills?

We believe the true danger of accidental waste water and sewage spills lies in how long it takes for someone to realize a problem exists. If a water treatment or storage facility does not have proper monitoring devices in place to keep an eye on things, tragic incidents where large amounts of unfiltered, unsafe water enters the environment can occur before anyone has a clue that a problem even exists.

Thankfully 99.999% (estimating, of course!) of all water treatment facilities — public and private — have up-to-date, current and fully functional equipment that never fails. Right?

So… What can the average person do?

Environmental watchdogs perform routine water testing in areas where they suspect potential violations. They cannot, however, test every body of water or water source so therefore, we encourage average citizens to keep tabs on water quality in their immediate surroundings.

While the common homeowner probably won’t want to invest in the equipment used by some of the watchdog organizations because of cost, simple test kits such as the Well Driller Master Test Kit make repeated testing of water sources for a series of water quality parameters a breeze.

Don’t let the name ‘well driller test kit’ fool you. The water parameters tested by that kit could very easily pertain to pretty much any water from any source… and not just water coming from wells.

Looking for something even simpler, yet still quite useful? Take a look at the Eco-Check Test Strips made by SenSafe / WaterWorks which allow users to monitor five key indicators of environmental water quality at the same time: nitrate, nitrite, hardness, alkalinity, and pH.

Radical shifts in any or all of those five parameters could mean more serious contamination issues exist in a water supply.

It all comes down to this: A little bit of testing could warn of a potentially big problem.

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

Looking to by a TDS monitor for personal use.

We have a lot of gas drilling starting where I live, I’m having my well and water checked by a professional well service. But there are a few of us that would like to have a tds monitor for after the fact to keep a check on our water instead of constantly having to pay a professional to find out if there has been any change. I would like to know if you have a tds monitor that would pick up pH, barium, chloride, and methane. iron manganese, hardness (calcium and magnesium), sodium, total organic carbon, strontium, oil&grease, detergents, lead, arsenic, alkalinity, coliform bacteria, sulfate and nitrate. Volatile organic compounds (VOC’s) or a subgroup of VOC’s called BTEX (benzene etc.) along with radionuclides like gross alpha, radium and radon.

The first thing we need to point out: TDS Meters cannot detect all of those things. This does not mean, however, that they do not have their use in monitoring water quality in regions where gas drilling, or other industrial activities, take place.

Wikipedia describes TDS in the following manner: “Primary sources for TDS in receiving waters are agricultural and residential runoff, leaching of soil contamination and point source water pollution discharge from industrial or sewage treatment plants. The most common chemical constituents are calcium, phosphates, nitrates, sodium, potassium and chloride, which are found in nutrient runoff, general stormwater runoff and runoff from snowy climates where road de-icing salts are applied. The chemicals may be cations, anions, molecules or agglomerations on the order of one thousand or fewer molecules, so long as a soluble micro-granule is formed. More exotic and harmful elements of TDS are pesticides arising from surface runoff.” ( source )

Given the possibilities of what TDS meters COULD possibly detect, one could safely say that regardless of whether or not a person lives near gas drilling or not, a sudden change in TDS readings might warrant further investigation.

Sudden and/or drastic changes in the pH levels of source water may also serve as good reason to perform additional testing so having a pH meter handy may also prove beneficial.

At-Home Testing vs. Laboratory Testing

In a situation like Sylvia’s where a myriad of both simple and complex drinking water contaminants could show up at any time, we feel confident saying that no at-home test kit will protect her and her neighbors fully and we hope that local health officials will step up to the challenge of keeping tabs on local water quality by implementing a full regimen of independent testing… instead of blindly trusting the results handed down from private industry.

Without knowing how much your local lab charges for a ‘full battery’ of testing, Sylvia, we will suggest contacting companies like National Testing Labs to see what they have to offer.

Inexpensive Spot Checking Options

As we previously stated, occasionally testing the TDS and pH levels of source water may provide clues as to whether or not it contains contaminants. You may also want to test for the following:

• Chlorides
• Nitrates/Nitrites
• Heavy Metals (Collectively)
• Heavy Metals (Independently — Lead, Copper, Arsenic, Iron, Chromium, etc.)

A company by the name of Industrial Test Systems, Inc. manufactures an excellent test kit known as the Well Driller Master Test Kit which offers a number of useful tests designed for use on well water at a reasonable price — usually around $200 — and the kits come with multiple tests for each parameter.

Water Quality Test Kit for 15 Parameters
Regularly $40, Now Just $32.00

Everyone loves a bargain, right? Well if you have waited to purchase a test kit for drinking water because you could never find one on sale, well, you no longer have a reason to wait.

FilterWater.Com recently dropped the price of Sensafe’s most popular test kit for drinking water quality, an easy-to-use test kit that tests for 15 critical water quality contaminants and does not require users to mix powders, crush tablets, or have a degree in chemistry to figure out the directions.

Considered by some the most complete do-it-yourself Water Quality Test Kit on the market, this water test kit tests up to 2 water sources for 15 critical water quality parameters and allows you to quickly and easily test your drinking water and/or check to see if your water filter does a good job.

In this particular drinking water test kit you will find the only available USEPA Approved Free Chlorine Test Strip as well as color-coded, visual, on the spot tests for 13 other parameters. The bacteria test kit, however, requires 48 hours, just as it does in kits manufactured by all other companies.

In total, the Water Quality Test Kit contains the following:

• Free Chlorine – 2 tests
• Total Chlorine – 2 tests
• Chloride – 2 tests
• pH – 2 tests
• Total Alkalinity – 2 tests
• Total Hardness – 2 tests
• Nitrate – 2 tests
• Nitrite – 2 tests
• Iron – 2 tests
• Sulfate – 2 tests
• Hydrogen Sulfide – 2 tests
• Copper – 2 tests
• Lead – 1 test
• Pesticide – 1 test
• Bacteria – 1 test

Included with the kit you will receive a chart so that you can compare your results to USEPA recommended levels is included.

And remember…

Despite the great price on this home drinking water test kit, no at-home testing can ever take the place of having a certified water testing laboratory such as National Testing Labs analyze your drinking water if you have serious reason to suspect contamination.