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July 30, 2005
Blogsite information some of you can use.
It has become apparent to me that some readers of my blog here do not understand that leaving a comment for me, does not tell me how to contact anyone with reply. All it does is to allow me to post a reply on the blog.
If you want me to respond to you directly, you must use the "contact us" section of our website http://orderwaterfilters.com Sorry for having to post this, but I am just trying to help.
Posted by Stephen Betheil at 04:38 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
July 29, 2005
Perchlorate contamination found in drinking wells
Percolate, an ingredient in rocket fuel has found its way, in small quantities, into wells in Simi Valley, CA.
The Southern California Water Co. initially discovered perchlorate in the two wells last August, but just released the information this Wednesday.
Quarterly tests have turned up perchlorate levels in the wells of 1 to 3.3 parts per billion - below the state's allowed limit of 6 parts per billion. The findings furthered speculation that the fuel spread from the nearby Santa Susana Rocketdyne Field Lab.
The Boeing Co., which owns the Rocketdyne field lab, of course has disputed such contentions
Officials from the Los Angeles Regional Water Quality Control Board said they'll monitor water well test results but, because of the low levels of contamination, won't try to determine the pollution source.
The Southern California Water Co. blends imported water into Simi Valley's groundwater to ensure that it's safe to drink, as reported by the Associated Press, and published in The Mercury News.
Posted by Stephen Betheil at 03:15 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
July 27, 2005
And the survey says: drinking water
In China, potable drinking water tops the list of environmental concerns according to a survey released yesterday.
The survey was carried out by the All-China Environmental Federation (ACEF) and supervised by the State Environmental Protection Administration (SEPA), in April and May.
More than 4 million people from 31 provinces, autonomous regions, municipalities or special administrative regions took part in the survey, airing their opinions on China's environmental issues through the Internet, mobile phones and mailed-in questionnaires.
More than 96 per cent of the people surveyed said China is challenged by a water shortage crisis and that building a water-saving society is the most effective way to solve the problem. The public also called for the Yellow River to be the focus of water pollution prevention efforts, as reported in China Daily.
Posted by Stephen Betheil at 06:44 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
July 26, 2005
Water Filter Company Fined in New Zealand for Fraud
Could this happen in the U.S.? You never know!
The Hamilton District Court yesterday, fined Ecoworld NZ for misleading people about the benefits of water treatment units, which contained no mechanism or filter to treat water.
Ecoworld sold the Grander Living Water units for between $1500 and $12,000 each and claimed they contained "living water" in a sealed section, which came from glacial melts in Austria's Tyrolean Mountains.
Ecoworld claimed any water brought into contact or proximity with the "living water" would gain special properties, ranging from an improved pH level to becoming hostile to pathogens. Tests showed, however, that there were no measurable differences between water that had passed through the system and untreated water.
The court ordered compensation of $68,000 to be paid to consumers who bought the product during the period under investigation (March 2000 to March 2003), and more than $8000 in costs to be paid to the Commerce Commission.
Judge Merelina Burnett said that promotional material for the units "contained inconsistencies, quackery and pseudo-science", as reported in the New Zealand Herald.
Posted by Stephen Betheil at 06:22 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack
July 25, 2005
Dallas-Ft.Worth water proposals face fierce opposition
Back in the 60's the faucets could run wide open according to the North Texas Municipal Water District.
Today, however, with rapid population growth, a new state-mandated water planning process is had to be envolked.
The rivers of East Texas are being considered as a major source of future water. Metroplex water planners want to study the feasibility of building four new reservoirs there, thus flooding tens of thousands of acres of land. The lakes are needed, planners say, so that Dallas-Ft.Worth can continue to grow and prosper.
The opposition to the plan is fierce. "When you get the Farm Bureau, the timber industry, state representatives and the Sierra Club all on one side, that's sort of the definition of controversial," said Beth Johnson, a paid, Dallas-based consultant who speaks for widespread opposition to new reservoirs, as reported in the Dallas Business Journal.
Conflicts like these, she concludes, will mean the federal government ultimately will get involved in water issues. "Eventually, they'll have to do that everywhere," she said. "As the population continues to grow and the needs grow -- it'll happen."
Posted by Stephen Betheil at 10:58 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
July 22, 2005
Beware of too good a deal on a home
I am originally from New Jersey where those with well water must have their water tested before completing a sale of their property.
Teresa Dowden and her husband, of Chester County, SC, bought their house in 1999. They say they suspected there might have been a problem that the real estate agent didn't explain enough.
They got the house for a price that seemed a little too reasonable, and the agent who sold the house told them to dump Clorox bleach into the well.
It seems that an underground tank from an old gas station abandoned in the '70s leaked some kind of petroleum product into the groundwater in the area.
The state Department of Health and Environmental Control has arranged, temporarily, for one house to hook into the well of the house next door.
A water emergency has been declared for the area, and steps are being made to bring municipal water lines from the Chester Metropolitan District out the mile and a half from the Chester County Industrial Park area to serve the residents, as reported in the Chester News & Reporter.
Posted by Stephen Betheil at 11:59 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
July 20, 2005
A Case of the Cure needing a Fix
Seattle,WA Public Schools had a water quality problem. To eliminate the contaminants in the drinking water, the School District installed brand new drinking fountains in all the schools.
All was well, until they tested the water at the fountains, when it was discovered that the lead content of the water was five times the EPA standard.
Like many schools around the country, Seattle too, has some older schools. The pipes in these schools need replacing, an expensive proposition.
The immediate fix is the installation of filters on the fountains to reduce the lead content.
Richard Maas, co-director of the Environmental Quality Institute at the University of North Carolina-Asheville and a national water expert, said "it's not surprising that the new fountains would still show elevated lead levels, since the contamination is more likely coming from lead solder and leaded brass in the main pipes."
Maas also said filters are usually effective in screening out contaminants, as reported by the Seattle Post-Intelligencer.
Posted by Stephen Betheil at 06:03 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
July 19, 2005
Sometimes I Want to Toot My Own Horn
At Water Filters R Us,Inc. we publish this blog, and do business at http://orderwaterfilters.com. In both endevours we make an effort to share with the public our years of experience in the water filtration business, and the knowlege of that industry that we had gained.
Sometimes, we actually get some recognition for doing that, and today that happened and I felt like sharing that with everyone.
It seems we got an inquiry from an individual concering his water quality as he lived in the Phoenix, AZ area, which I have written about on here before.
I managed to impart a fair amount of information to this customer, and for my efforts got something more meanful to me than an order for a water filter.
The customer wrote the following: "Thank you for your detailed help and excellent products. I appreciate good service like this and it is another plus for your company."
Well, all I can say is we certainly appreciate comments like that.
Posted by Stephen Betheil at 09:12 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
July 15, 2005
Cavendish, VT reports high iron and manganese levels in drinking water
Parents of Cavendish,VT school children have expressed concerns about the drinking water in the local elementary school, after reports that elevated levels of manganese could have health implications.
While bottled water was found to be too expensive, School Board Chairman Mike Cerevole said Town Manager Richard Svec, who is also the public health officer for Cavendish, provided the board with an update on filtration studies.
Cavendish is one of many towns in Vermont dealing with high iron and manganese levels in drinking and wash water.
Filtration has proved successful in many of these Vermont towns.
Manganese was placed on EPA's contaminant candidate list in 2000. EPA scientists studied the health risks of high concentrations of manganese in drinking water for three years, as reported in the Rutland Herald.
Posted by Stephen Betheil at 05:47 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
July 13, 2005
San Diego Water Plans to Build Desalination Plants
The Los Angeles-based Metropolitan Water District has shown great forward thinking in planning to build facitilies to desalinate water from the Pacific Ocean.
The District approved a subsidy yesterday that would bring down the cost of turning ocean water into drinking water at a proposed Carlsbad desalination plant.
The board approved a $250-per-acre-foot subsidy for the San Diego County Water Authority and four other agencies that are considering desalination plants for future water supplies.
The $270 million Carlsbad plant, proposed by the privately held Poseidon Resources Corp. on the grounds of the Encina Power Station, is the largest under consideration. It would produce 50 million gallons a day.
The Los Angeles-based Metropolitan Water District approved the subsidy for the five proposed plants because it believes desalinated seawater can help quench Southern California's growing thirst.
The Pacific Ocean has long been considered a potential reservoir for the region, but desalination has proved expensive. Recent advances in technology have made demineralizing seawater more economical, however, as reported in the San Diego Union-Tribune.
Posted by Stephen Betheil at 07:28 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
July 12, 2005
Summer in Toronto and Water Conservation is Urged
While the City of Toronto, with its four water filtration plants getting their supply from Lake Ontario, is in better shape for drinking water this Summer it would seem than most, the call has still gone out for conservation due to the extreme heat wave.
During extreme hot and dry weather, it could become difficult to keep water supply levels at capacity.
Reducing non-essential water usage will help ensure pumping stations and water reservoirs meet current demands
The City of Toronto is requesting City departments, agencies, boards and commissions to suspend all non-essential outdoor water use, as reported in the National Post.
Posted by Stephen Betheil at 07:03 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
July 11, 2005
Water is Water Except for the Taste
There is a reason to filter your municipal water. Consumer Confidence Reports, which have been mailed out the last few weeks, all say the same thing: the vast majority of Illinois' public water supplies, including those in Central Illinois, are safe for drinking straight out of the tap.
Where water comes from and how it is treated contribute directly to the different characteristics in smell, taste and appearance that vary from community to community.
"We ensure the public water supplies are safe," said David McMillan, a section manager in the public water supply division for the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency. "What we don't have is the jurisdiction to make people put out pleasant-tasting water.
Each source has its advantages and disadvantages, said Steve Gerdes, Normal's water director, as reported in The Pentagraph.
An inexpensive KDF based water filter will make all municipal water taste better than bottled water, and be safer too.
Posted by Stephen Betheil at 05:57 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack
July 06, 2005
Bottled Water in Pakistan Proves Worse Than Tap
Is has been found that much of the bottled water sold to unsuspecting consumers in Pakistan is of dangerous purity, taking advantage of a need for potable water.
The Pakistan Council of Research in Water Resources (PCRWR) has pointed out that more than 50 per cent of the bottled water brands sold in Pakistan are unsafe for human consumption due to poor chemical or microbiological quality.
UNESCO says "Bottled waters should not be considered a sustainable alternative to tap water. Clean water is a basic right. Protecting our rivers, streams and wetlands will help ensure that tap water remains a public service which delivers good quality drinking water for everyone at a fair price," as reported in the Daily Times.
Posted by Stephen Betheil at 06:45 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack