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Swimming Pool Opening? We Can Help!

Let us help you with your total coliform and E.coli testing needs. We also do the county-required Heterotrophic Plate Count. This is a tried and true test for monitoring cleanliness of a water system. Heterotrophic bacteria live in water and many of them can be counted after a 48 hour incubation on agar. Pools in our county have to have a count below 200 colony forming units per ml of water. The total coliform and E. coli test indicate the presence or absence of just one viable bacteria in that group per 100 ml sample.

Some mortgage companies are requiring bacteria, nitrate/nitrite, and/or lead testing of well systems. We can help you get all three of these tests for $100. Do it early in your mortgage process so you have the results ready for closing. We will also let you know the action levels that the EPA has set so you can treat for any problems that you might find by comparing your data to the Maximum Contaminant Levels.

Flooding can cause the introduction of bacteria into your well if the wellhead is invaded. If this happens please let us test your water for potential indicator bacteria. These indicator bacteria (total coliforms) are often found with water-borne pathogens. You will want to call a good well-driller and well-service provider like Mr. Ortman if these bacteria are detected. Wells can be chlorinated but you need someone to calculate the volume of your well and use the proper amount of chemical treatment.

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Water Conditioning

Here it is now almost March. I am writing this on Saturday, February 26th. Life is going by fast!! We hope you are ready for eternity. Please let us know if you have any questions about getting ready. Yes, it is important to be ready for happenings here but one day we will be done and it will be time to meet our Maker.

Water quality can be affected by everything it touches – including the air! Your well is affected by what is happening to the ground water tables and to whatever is poured on the ground. Your home point of use water can be affected by the materials the faucet is made out of and of how long the lines are between the well and delivery. Little tiny biofilms can develop nearly anywhere along the way. Colonies can grow on membranes and filters. AWWWWWWWWW!!! You say, too much information. Information overload!!!!! Well it can be or it can be information that is very useful and needed to help you provide high quality water to your family.

One test we can do that seems to be useful for water conditioner owners is test your conductivity if you have an RO system. For $3 we can tell you what the conductivity is which corresponds to the amount of total dissolved solids. This number can be useful as you monitor the replacement needs of your membranes.

The quality of the salt you use in your softener can be important. Some salts contain “impurities” that are insoluble. You want a great liquid brine in your softener. The better the brine the better the regeneration of the resin beads in your softener. We can do a hardness check on your water and help you figure out how much salt you should be using. Cost for this service varies depending on your needs but is usually less than $30.00.

Let us know how we can help you here in this world or for preparation for what comes after this life!

Well water is a HUGE blessing. We get to put a house pretty much where ever we want it and have one of our great area well drillers connect the home to a great water supply.

You are responsible for the upkeep of that well. It is good to understand the water supply you have the best that you can so that you can condition it if need be for drinking and/or washing needs.

As we learn more we will be summarizing information here about the health of the aquifer system we are all tapping into. It is a fascinating study. We invite anyone to tell us stories here about your well and things you have learned.

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Water Pipe Directory

The American Water Works Association supports the creation of a federal infrastructure bank with information about the nations water pipe network. This will include more than 1 million miles of water mains in America!

(Thursday, September 09, 2010) DENVER — The American Water Works Association (AWWA) issued a statement yesterday commending President Obama for calling for the creation of a federal infrastructure bank in his Labor Day address, according to a press release.

AWWA has promoted the concept of a water infrastructure bank for nearly two years and urged the president and U.S. Congress to include water projects in his plan.

“There are more than one million miles of water mains buried beneath our roads, stretching 20 times the length of our interstate highways,” said AWWA Executive Director David LaFrance. “Much of our water infrastructure was constructed between 80 and 100 years ago and is nearing the end of its functional lifespan. While transportation funding is important, our water systems, although out of sight, cannot be overlooked. These systems are critical for the public health protection, fire protection, economic prosperity and our overall quality of life.”

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Web Forum on Drinking Water

EPA Launches Web Forum on Drinking Water Quality Issues

(Wednesday, August 18, 2010) WASHINGTON — The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has launched a web-based discussion forum to gather public input on how the agency can improve protection of drinking water, according to a press release.

EPA seeks input from water professionals, advocates and anyone interested in drinking water quality issues about best solutions for issues facing the nation’s drinking water.

The discussion forum will feature a series of topics based on the four segments of EPA’s drinking water strategy: Addressing contaminants as groups rather than one at a time; fostering development of new technologies; using the existing authority of several statutes to protect drinking water; and partnering with states to share more complete data.

The forum will be open for discussion for about a month, with each topic area being discussed separately, the release stated.

“We look forward to reviewing the ideas and feedback from the public,” said Peter S. Silva, assistant administrator for EPA’s Office of Water. “This online discussion is for anyone who wants to share their input on protecting drinking water and improving public health.”

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Water Disinfection

Some interesting news items about water disinfection here in Indiana:

Chloramines versus Chlorine

June 13, 2011 – “Chloramines produce fewer disinfection by-products (DBPs) than chlorine in water disinfection. Chloramines’ advantages include little or no creation of trihalomethanes, simplicity of use, formation of a long-lasting measurable residual, and a proven history of success. This video educates drinking water professionals about the use of chloramines as a secondary disinfectant following primary disinfection. It explains the basic issues of disinfection by-product formation, DBP regulations, the advantages and drawbacks of chloramines to reduce DBP formation, and central issues to consider in planning and implementing a chloramination system in your treatment train.” Indiana American Water just announced this week that they are making the switch. American Water Works Association has a short video clip at: http://apps.awwa.org/EbusMain/Default.aspx?TabID=55&ProductId=7117 (unfortunately the full clip costs $300) We can get videos like this if enough people would be interested in viewing this kind of material. Please let us know what would be a good time of the week for us to offer something like this.

Our concern with the chloroamine technology, however, is that the byproducts have not been fully investigated. Also, there is a known problem of “nitrification.”
Bree A. Carrico, Francis A. DiGiano, Nancy G. Love, Peter Vikesland, Kartik Chandran, Matt Fiss, and Anna Zaklikowski

Effectiveness of Switching Disinfectants for Nitrification Control

One third of respondents in a survey of U.S. water utilities reported using or planning to use chloramines for secondary disinfection, primarily to maintain a disinfectant residual and minimize formation of disinfection by-products (DBPs). However, nitrification is a problem in chloraminated systems. Nitrification has been controlled via breakpoint chlorination—periodic switching from chloramines to free chlorine—but the consequences of this strategy are not well understood. The authors evaluated the effects of a one-month switch from chloramines to free chlorine. They concluded that disinfectant switching alone will terminate nitrification but is unlikely to provide long-term nitrification control. Systems that have used chloramines for a long time are more likely to have nitrification problems. Cast-iron pipe also might increase nitrification potential. Potential negative effects of disinfectant switching include increased DBP concentrations and periods of low disinfectant residual. These results can help utilities decide whether or how to use disinfectant switching as a nitrification control strategy. For more information, see the American Water Works Association.

There is more than one way to disinfect water!

Calgon Carbon Awarded Two Contracts for Sentinel Systems

Two Indiana cities will install systems at drinking water treatment plants

Calgon Carbon Corp. (June 14, 2011) — Calgon Carbon Corp. announced yesterday that it has been selected by the cities of Indianapolis and Fort Wayne, Ind., to supply Sentinel Ultraviolet (UV) Disinfection Systems at drinking water production plants serving those communities. Indianapolis will install 12 Sentinel 12-in. Systems at its Fall Creek plant to increase protection against Cryptosporidium, Giardia and other surface water pathogens. When installed in winter 2011, the Sentinel Systems will treat up to 44 million gal of drinking water per day. Fort Wayne will install three Chevron 48-in. UV reactors at its Three Rivers water filtration plant as part of a retrofitting project. The new UV reactors, capable of treating up to 72 million gal of water per day, were selected because of their low capital and operating costs. Installation is scheduled for June 2012. Both Sentinel Systems have undergone third-party validation in accordance with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s UV Disinfection Guidance Manual. Both systems feature UV intensity sensors to ensure accurate delivery of UV dose, automatic quartz sleeve cleaning systems and fully automated control systems.

“We are pleased to have been selected to supply our Sentinel disinfection systems to the cities of Indianpolis and Fort Wayne,” said Calgon Carbon Vice President James A. Sullivan. “These awards are indicative of Calgon Carbon’s growing leadership position in the UV disinfection market.

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