Pure Water Occasional, December 31, 2020
 
December Occasional
 
The Pure Water Occasional is produced by Pure Water Products and the Pure Water Gazette. Please visit our websites.
 
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For article archives and water news, please visit the Pure Water Gazette.
 
 
Water News in a Nutshell

 
December articles about water often involve the pros and cons of Christmas trees. This month we saw countless articles reminding you to water your Christmas tree, more articles telling you how to get rid of your Christmas tree when you get really tired of it, other thoughtful articles advocating an artificial rather than a "real" tree, plus even more articles arguing for a real tree rather than an artificial tree, and a few articles questioning why people want trees in their living room in the first place. The Gazette addressed both sides of the Christmas tree polemic several years ago. See "Real Christmas Trees Save Water" and Tiger Tom's "Do Real Fake Xmas Trees Really Save Water?"

An estimated 1.1 million people living in the U.S. report lacking some access to running water in their homes, with a surprising three-quarters of them living in cities and suburbs.  This is according to new research in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences based on Census Bureau survey data covering 2013 to 2017. Information in this comprehensive report will surprise you. Journalist's Resource.

Residents who live near the Tozier Dairy Farm near Fairfield, Maine are being supplied bottled water after 18 private wells were found to have levels of PFAS chemicals that exceed the EPA’s safe limit. The source of the contamination is believed to be wastewater bio-sludge spread as fertilizer—a common practice that has been going on for decades. News Center Maine.
 
The incoming Biden administration is expected to undo President Trump's regulatory rollbacks on a wide range of water rules including stream and wetland protections, drinking water contamination, and the permitting of controversial energy and flood projects. E & E News.
 
Residents of Mayville, NY are being provided bottled water for drinking because of PFAS contamination of the city water supply. Buffalo News.
 
After it was proved there were "widespread, persistent stormwater violations at the discharger’s construction project," a luxury resort developer was fined a record $6.4 million. Full story.
 
Water Used to Enforce Pandemic Regulations
 
Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti is authorizing the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power to shut off utility service to properties where large parties and gatherings are held in violation of public safety orders. In Germany and other areas in Europe, water cannons have been used to control crowds protesting pandemic-related restrictions.
 
Water districts throughout California are having to face the tough choice between acquiring extremely expensive treatment equipment to deal with growing PFAS contamination and seeking new sources of water. Capradio.org.
 
Are indoor pools safe places to exercise during the pandemic? Clearly, chlorine kills the virus, but there are other issues to consider. Hint: It's not about wearing a mask or washing your hands while swimming. Here's an article.


The Pacific blackdragon is the subject of one of Smithsonian magazine's Top Ten Ocean Stories of 2020. The fish's body can absorb 10 times as much light as black construction paper. You'll have to read the article to find out why that's a great advantage.

Behind the scenes at the EPA, there is a very important effort by career EPA scientists to prevent last-minute implementation by the outgoing administrator of a rule designed to obstruct the creation of air- and water-pollution controls far into the future. NY Times.

University of Manchester research reported in Water Online in an article entitled "Coronavirus Lockdown Caused Dramatic Changes In Water Consumption," studied the changes in water uses brought about by the Coronavirus. While the changes didn't seem all that "dramatic" to us, here's the article so you can decide for yourself. Water Online.  If you are expecting to hear that the lakes in England and Wales are being sucked dry by people feverishly scrubbing their hands, you won't find it. The dramatic changes are more along the lines of the revelation that when people stay home rather than go to the office more water is consumed at home than at the office.

 
This 85-year old water tank, built during the Great Depression, is being taken down. Old tanks, like old dams, reach a point where removal makes more sense than refurbishing. Also, as with dams, removal isn't easy or inexpensive.

This 100,000 gallon tank, in Hampstead, MD, had been repainted so many times that another coat couldn't be applied without a very expensive sand-blasting procedure. For more details and more pictures of the tank in various stages of dismantlement, see the Baltimore Sun.

President Trump's long-threatened plan to set aside EPA water saving standards for shower heads and laundry machines was finalized in the last days of his tenure. Read what this means and why it is a bigger deal than you might think in terms of water consumption.

Finally, learn why Timmy isn't getting the water cannon he asked Santa for by reading B. Sharper's Christmas Classic, "The Number of Nights Before Christmas That 'Twas: 1." (Sorry, but tradition demands at least one Christmas article.)
 
 

Water Treatment Product Index

The link above connects you with an incredible amount of water treatment information.  It indexes the main product areas on Pure Water Products' main website and provides categorized links to the 1,500 plus water treatment articles on the Pure Water Gazette site.
 
Within this listing are links to the alphabetized Water Treatment Issue index on the PWP website and the extensive water treatment article archive on the same site.  You will also find a back issue index to the scores of back issues of the Pure Water Occasional.

We invite you to browse. The good thing is that you will not be bombarded by pop-up ads or otherwise molested. Our aim is to provide a very considerable amount of useful information and to keep it simple and ad-free.

 
 

FAQ:  Reverse Osmosis Cartridge Change

 
This section always includes actual questions received since the previous Occasional and our actual answer.


Question:

First of all I wanted to say that I love my under-sink reverse osmosis unit. One of the best things I've purchased, I really love it.

I've had my unit for about a year now, and I was wondering if there are any parts that I need to replace? Things seem to be running as they always have, but wanted to get ahead of the curve with any maintenance.


Answer:  

Thanks for the kind words about the Black and White RO system. We're happy that the unit is performing well and appreciate your telling us so.

The main regular upkeep need with RO units is an annual cartridge change. This involves changing the two filter cartridges in the vertical cannisters (three in your case), testing the membrane performance with the TDS tester that came with the unit, and making sure the storage tank has enough air in it.

This is explained in the basic service instructions on our website at

We have a record of the details of the unit and will send a postcard as a cartridge-change reminder in January (roughly a year from the date of purchase and at one-year intervals each time cartridges are ordered). The card will tell you which cartridges you need. ​

We support regular maintenance and troubleshooting by phone and by email, so don't hesitate to get in touch if there's a question.

Not everyone services the storage tank or takes a TDS reading with every cartridge change, but that's a good habit to get into.
​
 
 

Tikal: The World's Oldest Water Filter?


“About 2000 years ago at the Maya city of Tikal in northern Guatemala the residents had a sophisticated water filter system. Special X-ray analysis and radiocarbon ages showed that drinking water in the Corriental reservoir — an important source of drinking water — was filtered through a mixture of zeolite and crystalline quartz. These minerals are used in modern water filtration.”  The Hindu

An article from Scientific Reports describes “researchers’ findings from Tikal, Guatemala, where zeolite was found in one of the largest storage facilities of Maya drinking water in use during the Late Preclassic to Late Classic cultural periods (~ 2200–1100 yr. B.P.). The apparent zeolite filtration system at Tikal’s Corriental reservoir is the oldest known example of water purification in the Western Hemisphere and the oldest known use of zeolite for decontaminating drinking water in the world.”

Scientific Reports describes the filtration system as composed of clinoptilolite (the zeolite species most p0pular in today’s filters), mordenite and sand-sized quartz crystals, held together as a filter by stone walls, woven reeds, or palm fibers. University of Cincinnati scientists who examined the filtration system say that it produced exceptionally clean water, reduced microbial contamination, and “would have protected the ancient Maya from harmful cyanobacteria and other toxins that might otherwise have made people who drank from the reservoir sick.”

Natural zeolite has become an indispensable tool in modern water treatment. For residential treatment, zeolite, especially the variety known as clinoptilolite,  has largely replaced the old residential “multi-media” sediment filters, which consisted of layered materials like sand, garnet, and anthracite. Zeolite (furnished under a variety of brand names) replaces multi-media with a single substance which is lighter, easier to maintain, easier to backwash, and in general more effective. It supports high service flow rates and needs less backwash water to maintain.  Natural zeolite can be adapted to a number of uses, including reduction of iron, hardness, and ammonia.
 

Fully automatic modern zeolite backwashing filter (made with natural clinoptilolite) filters down to 3 to 5 microns and supports high residential flow rates. 

Reference:  Scientific Reports.  See also Water Quality Products magazine.
 
 

A Few Things You Should Know about Benzene

by Pure Water Annie

Benzene is a known carcinogen. There is a lot of it around. You’d do best to take in as little as possible.

This piece appeared originally in the Pure Water Occasional for February 2012. Benzene has emerged more recently as a major water contaminant related to wildfires. See Benzene Pollution after California Fire.

 
Benzene is an organic chemical, one of the aromatic hydrocarbons. It is essentially colorless and has a slightly sweet odor. It is highly flammable. Benzene dissolves easily in water and evaporates quickly at room temperature. It boils at 176 degrees F.

Benzene has been much in the news recently because of its presence in the fracking fluids being injected into the ground by gas well producers, but it can contaminate water via many other sources.

Natural sources of benzene include volcanoes and forest fires. Benzene is also a natural part of crude oil, gasoline and cigarette smoke. Burning PVC also produces benzene. Some industries use benzene to make other chemicals that are used to make plastics, resins, nylon and synthetic fibers. Benzene is also used to make some types of lubricants and pesticides.

Benzene can cause cells not to work correctly, leading to conditions such as anemia. It can damage the immune system by changing blood levels of antibodies and causing the loss of white blood cells.

An ingredient of gasoline, benzene is found in groundwater contaminated by leaking underground fuel storage tanks, or in surface water subject to fuel spills. Gasoline contains a bit less than 1% benzene. Produced from coal or petroleum (usually the latter), benzene ranks among the top 20 chemicals in production volume. Benzene is used to make solvents, detergents, plastics, resins, paint and many other products.

Benzene is a carcinogen in humans. Also, long exposure to high levels in air causes leukemia. People who are exposed over long periods in their workplace are most at risk.

Drinking water or eating food containing high levels of benzene can cause vomiting, dizziness, or even death.

The EPA regulates benzene. The MCL for benzene in water is 0.005 mg/L (5 ppb).

If exposed to air, benzene evaporates to the environment. It can also be broken down by some soil microbes. It may also be degraded in some ground waters. If benzene is released to surface water, most of it should evaporate within a few hours. Though it does not degrade by reacting with water, it may be degraded by microbes. It is not likely to accumulate in aquatic organisms.

Benzene can be removed from water by adsorption with granular activated carbon. It can also be treated by ozonation. Because benzene evaporates easily, open tank aeration is also a valuable treatment method. If benzene is present, it should be treated as a “whole house” or point of entry issue because inhalation is a hazard. The most practical residential treatment is filtration with a good activated carbon filter.
 
Sources: US EPA, US Occupational Safety and Health Administration, US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Clean Water Partners. Water Technology Volume 32, Issue 4 – April 2009
 
 

A Common Sense Approach to Residential PFAS Treatment

by Emily McBroom and Gene Franks

 
Most of the information now available about how to remove PFAS from water focuses on the gigantic carbon filters made to treat the millions of gallons of water per day required by cities.  Also mentioned are the very small residential drinking water filters, mainly carbon filters, that have received NSF certification for PFAS removal from drinking water.There is a lot of confusion about the residential applications that fall between the gigantic and the tiny.

Here are some things to consider about residential applications for PFAS reduction.
  1. Consensus is that three treatment strategies work with PFAS: carbon filtration, reverse osmosis, and ion exchange. Of these, carbon (GAC) filtration seems most practical for municipalities. GAC and reverse osmosis both work well for residential users, with reverse osmosis an easy first choice for drinking water. One agency tested eleven separate undersink reverse osmosis units and found that they all removed PFAS well. Several pretty unassuming carbon filters have gained NSF certification for PFAS reduction.
  2. Those who recommend treatment equipment for residential applications almost always make an unfounded assumption that homes must use point of entry equipment, treating all the water going into the home. We find no convincing information to indicate that PFAS in water is anything other than an ingestion issue.  According to the CDC’s Agency for Toxic Substances Disease Registry:   “Studies have shown that only a small amount of PFAS can get into your body through your skin. Therefore, showering and bathing in water containing PFAS should not increase exposure. Washing dishes in water containing PFAS should not increase exposure.”
  3. For point of entry treatment, we found that almost all recommended treatments are simply scaled-down versions of the strategies developed for municipalities.  Usually there is no rationale stated that would justify the sizing recommendation. Recommended sizes range from extra large to even larger. We found EBCT (Empty Bed Contact Time) recommendations for PFAS ranging from 6 to 16.  Ten is a common recommendation. Using an EBCT of ten, to provide a modest service flow of five gallons per minute for a residential whole house filter for PFAS one would need almost 7 cubic feet of granular carbon.  That’s a 21″ X 72″ carbon tank, or three or four 12″ X 52″ tanks installed in series, or five 10″ X 54″ tanks installed in series.  One authority recommends “at least 200 pounds of GAC” for residential whole house treatment–a 7 cubic-foot filter array.  That’s a lot of equipment to assure PFAS-free water for flushing toilets. The most commonly suggested point of entry system is for two 12″ X 52″ GAC filters installed in series, without regard to family size. This would provide an EBCT of 6 at 5 gpm.
  4. No one offers information about PFAS performance for whole house sized carbon block filters, although carbon block units might offer the most practical PFAS whole house option.
The Obvious Conclusions

Our advice to consumers is get an undersink RO unit. If you don’t want reverse osmosis, get a high quality undersink or countertop carbon drinking water filter with an ample amount of carbon, and service it regularly. Ignore PFAS as a point of entry treatment issue, but don’t drink water from the bathtub. Treat your drinking water well, and add a whole house carbon filter if you want to, but  you don’t have to get a box-car sized filter that competes with the city water department because if your drinking water is taken care of, a little PFAS in the shower water won’t matter.
 
 
 

The UN Says that Water Pollution is Deadlier Than War

by B. Sharper

Gazette Numerical Wizard Bee Sharper Indexes the Numbers that Harpers Misses

 
Editor’s note: The facts reported here a few years old, but the concepts they teach us are as true today as they were when the UN report was issued.

 Tons of sewage and waste from industry and agriculture that are dumped into global waterways each year –2,000,000.

Children that are killed worldwide each year by the resulting contamination — 1,800,000.

Children under five that die each minute from water pollution–3.

Rank of water pollution among all means of violence, including war, as a killer of humans — #1.

Percentage of the world’s hospitals beds that are occupied by victims of water contamination worldwide — >50%.

Percentage of wastewater in underdeveloped countries that is dumped directly without treatment into lakes, rivers, and oceans — 90%.

Estimated area of marine ecosystems that are being turned to de-oxygenated “dead zones” in seas and oceans by dumping — 245,000 km2.

 Increase in nitrous oxide and methane emissions which affect our climate expected because of wastewater dumping between 1990 and 2020 — 25%.


Source of facts is a 2014 report of UNEP (United Nations Environment Programme).
 
 
 

Undersink Water Filters: Better than they used to be.

By Pure Water Annie

Gazette Technical Consultant Pure Water Annie explains how undersink water filters have improved in recent years.

 
An undersink water filter is a treatment device that is inststalled under the kitchen sink but dispenses its treated water on the sink top. This is a very practical and efficient arrangement because it leaves the countertop uncluttered but allows plenty of equipment space for excellent filtration.
Several improvements in recent years have made undersink filters extremely effective, practical, and easy to install and service. These include
  1. The replacement of copper and galvanized undersink piping with flexible connectors.
  2. The improvement in filter housing and cartridge designs that allows installation of more compact and easy-to-service filtration units.
  3. The improvement in filtration technology that allows targeted treatment of many more problem contaminants.
The use of flexible undersink pipes not only makes installation of standard undersink filters with their own dispensiing faucet much easier and safer, it also allows very easy installation of “simple” undersink filters, the type that dispense water through the existing cold water side of the sink faucet rather than an added ledge faucet. (For the difference between “simple” and standard undersink filters, see How Undersink Filters Work.)

Modern filter housings are now available that make cartridge changes as easy as changing a light bulb. Even traditional housings have been improved so that the best brands are easy to open and virtually leak-proof.

Carbon block filters have been steadily improved over the years so that now extra fine powdered carbon provides much more effective filtration and greatly increased cartridge life as compared with old granular carbon filters. In addition, cartridges can now be made to target specific contaminants like lead, arsenic, fluoride, iron, bacteria, nitrates, low pH, and cysts.

This last aspect, the use of “media cartridges” for special purposes, is especially effective with multi-filter undersink units that use two or more canisters with different cartridges.

 
The classy triple undersink filter shown above has exceptional chlorine/chloramine reduction capacity and can, depending on the cartridges chosen, remove such contaminants as bacteria, cysts, nitrates, colors, sediment, odors, lead, iron, arsenic, fluoride, and more. Go here for a listing of cartridges that will fit this filter.
 
 

The Viqua VH200 Series UV Units

The Perfect UV Unit for Most Residential Applications

 
 
The Viqua VH200 F10

The compact but powerful Viqua VH200 ultraviolet unit is ideal for most residential use, either for well water or city water.  Though it is rated for nine gallons per minute, the unit puts out double the dosage needed for bacteria like E. coli even at sixteen gallons per minute.  This makes it plenty powerful for all but very large homes.

The VH200 is an economical unit that uses only about half as much current as a 60-watt light bulb and consequently it generates far less unwanted heat than more powerful UV units.

The VH200 comes from the factory in two formats: as a single, independent UV chamber, or as a bracket-mounted 2-stage system that includes a 4″ X 10″ sediment filter. (See picture above.) In either format it can easily be coupled with standard filtration equipment to add carbon filtration as well.
 
Viqua VH200 UV Unit comes complete with mounting bracket. Easy to install, easy to maintain.

Here are some highlights:
  •  Versatile: Available with a sediment prefilter (Model VH200 F-10), and can be easily combined with other standard filtration equipment if desired.
  • Convenient: Mounted on a reversible, heavy duty, painted steel bracket for installation flexibility and convenience. This means you can install with the inlet water on the left or on the right. Combo inlet fits both 3/4″ and 1″ pipe.
  • Ease of Maintenance: Audible lamp replacement reminder and countdown timer with digital display. It reminds you when it’s time to change the lamp. Lamp life is a bit over a year. Controller will also go into alarm if the lamp fails.
  • Reliable: The constant current feature ensures stable UV lamp output, regardless of power fluctuations
  •  Powerful: High-performance UV lamp, rigorously tested to provide consistent output over the entire lamp life (9000 hours). See power ratings below.
  • Space Efficient: High UV output lamp technology allows for a smaller footprint, while maintaining the same UV dose as a longer chamber.

Features & Specs  VH200 F-1

Disinfection Flow Rates
16mJ/cm2 16 GPM (60 lpm) (3.6 m3/hr)
30mJ/cm2 9 GPM (34 lpm) (2.0 m3/hr)
40mJ/cm2 7 GPM (26 lpm) (1.6 m3/hr)
Specifications
Dimensions 17″ x 10 1/2″ x 18″ for VH200 F10.  VH200 is 17.75″ X 3.5″.
Shipping Weight lbs (kg) 26 lbs. for VH200 F10.   (VH200 is 12 lbs.)
Connection Size 1″MNPT INLET / 1″ x 3/4″ COMBO OUTLET.
Power Consumption 35W
Pure Water Products part numbers for these units are UV909 for VH200 single unit and UF918 for VH200 F-1 unit with sediment filter.

We also have upgrade kits that allow the VH200 to be combined with high flow carbon block systems.
 
Current Pure Water Products Pricing for the VH200 Units.  Prices include shipping.

UV909 Viqua VH200. UV Only.  Single unit without filters. — $446.

UV918 Viqua VH200-F10.  UV unit with  10″ X 4.5″ sediment filter. — $568.

UV909Plus. Pure Water Products Hybrid VH200 with sediment and carbon block filters.  Consists of 4.5″ X 10″ sediment filter, 4.5″ X 20″ carbon block filter, and VH200 UV unit. Made with Pentair “Big Blue” housings. Stainless connector and pipe nipples included. — $735.

940 382 3814

pwp@purewaterproducts.com
 
 
Places to visit for additional information:

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Thanks for reading and be sure to check out the next Occasional!
Pure Water Products, LLC, 523A N. Elm St., Denton, TX, www.purewaterproducts.com
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