Why should I worry about water quality? Water Infrastructure gets a D-

I found an interesting website today at www.infrastructurereportcard.org/

There are two reasons to worry about water quality. The first is municipal water. The second is well water.

On the municipal water side, I would like to point out something that is not really related to drinking water. It is called the Tapan Zee bridge over the Hudson River, and to me it is one of the most frightening structures in the United States. 136,000 cars cross this bridge every day, and it doesn't take a close inspection to know that it is way past its safe useful life (a 1999 engineering study states that the bridge needs replacement and it is still being used 10 years later). If the people in charge of infrastructure are not concerned that at least 136,000 people a day see how bad the Tappan Zee bridge looks, how concerned are they going to be about the water infrastructure which lies mostly underground? I am not criticizing the wonderful people who work in municipal water treatment who do the best job possible to provide us with safe water. I am criticizing the lack of improvement and replacement on all infrastructure in our country. A colleague who works for a municipal water system in southern Westchester County told me that many water distribution pipes are WOODEN pipes that were installed over a hundred years ago while many others are LEAD. Parts are failing constantly.

I will only drink municipal water if it has passed through a reverse osmosis drinking water system.

Things are also bad for those with private wells. At least in municipal systems there are enforceable standards and there are workers who continuously monitor the water quality at the treatment plant. In a private well, there are no ENFORCEABLE standards and unless you have an environmental engineering degree, you are most likely not monitoring your water quality on a daily basis. A well pump is installed and nobody checks the well for 20 years or so until the pump fails and needs to be replaced. The house is sold and a bacteria test is done to ensure no contamination of the water, and then nobody tests the water until the house is sold again. This doesn't take into account the fact that if the water is good today, something such as animal contamination, flooding, or septic cross contamination can happen tomorrow. And think of all the chemicals you and your neighbors are pouring on your lawn every year to kill weeds and insects and green up the grass.

I only drink well water if it has passed through a reverse osmosis drinking water system. An ultraviolet sanitizing system is also a good addition to any private point of entry filtering system.

One other point to consider is that bottled water either comes from a well or a municipal water supply and the EPA rules allow a small percentage of bottled water to have a "small" amount of bacteria in it.

Any questions or concerns about your water? email me at tedmullen@hotmail.com and see my website at http://www.cleanwaterman.webs.com/ and call me at 203-417-9601

FREE WATER TEST

If you are in Fairfield or Litchfield Counties in Connecticut or Westchester, Putnam, or Dutchess Counties in New York, please email me at tedmullen@hotmail.com for a free water test. I have over a decade of water treatment experience and would be happy to serve you.

Any Water Concerns? email me at tedmullen@hotmail.com or check out my website at www.cleanwaterman.webs.com

Remodeling Your Kitchen? Don't Forget This!

If you are remodeling your kitchen, don't forget to add a reverse osmosis drinking water system to your plans. Once you start using one of these, you won't know how you lived without it. It will save you the back breaking work of lugging cases of water home from the store or lifting 5 gallon containers onto a water cooler. Things to know:

1. Are you getting a fancy faucet? The manufacturer will most likely have a matching reverse osmosis rated dispenser that will be mounted next to the regular faucet. If you choose this route, the sink area will be more stylish when everything matches.


2. Don't forget to tell your counter top supplier that you will also need a hole for the extra reverse osmosis dispenser faucet (unless you are mounting fixtures on the sink, then you should inform your sink supplier).


3. A system with all the bells and whistles will cost a premium. A less expensive reverse osmosis is better than none at all, so shop around. Look for an NSF certified system to be sure of quality.


4. Many brand name systems use proprietary filters, which will force you to go to the dealer who sold you the system for replacement filters. Consider an industry standard system that uses filters you can shop around for.


5. Only get a drinking water system if you will use it, otherwise it is a waste of money and space. If you don't drink water, this is not a purchase for you.

If you have concerns about the quality of your water, contact me at tedmullen@hotmail.com . You may also contact me if you are in the greater Danbury, CT area and would like me to make a presentation about water issues for your group.