Pure Water Occasional, February, 2025
|
In this late winter Occasional you'll hear about oocycts, treating well water with aeration, how chlorine disinfects water, what chloramine is, war's terrible toll on water infrastructure, the water preferences of cut flowers, the rapid rise in US water bills, the politics of waste clean-up after the LA fires, UV quartz sleeve maintenance, hyponatremia, and, as always, there is much, much more.
Thank you for reading, and sincere thanks from Pure Water Products for your continuing support. |
Thanks for reading!
Please visit the Pure Water Gazette, where you will find hundreds of articles about water and water treatment, and the Pure Water Products main website, where there is much information about water treatment and specific information about the products we offer. On both of these information-rich sites, pop-up ads and other distractions are not allowed.
|
Drinking-Water Systems Still Haven’t Defeated This Nasty Parasite
Introductory Note: In 1993,
cryptosporidium caused America’s largest waterborne illness outbreak,
when more than 400K Milwaukee, Wisconsin, residents were infected. The
CDC estimates the parasite sickens 800K people every year. Fewer than 2%
of cases are ever reported.
By Lou Dzierzak edited by Sarah Lewin Frasier

The parasite Cryptosporidium was
responsible for the largest outbreak of waterborne disease in the U.S.,
and it still plagues some American drinking water systems today.
Epidemiology
Thirty years ago a tiny parasite in the water supply in Milwaukee,
Wis., touched off the largest waterborne disease outbreak in U.S.
history. Although that city’s water is now renowned for its high
quality, public health departments across the country are still battling
the same diarrhea-inducing organism. What makes it so tough? Reports of gastrointestinal illnesses throughout the Milwaukee area
began pouring into the city’s health department in April 1993. A local
infectious disease physician eventually identified a case of
cryptosporidiosis, an infection with the parasitic protist
Cryptosporidium. When health officials began testing stool samples for
this organism, they found many more cases. The parasite, they realized,
was lurking in the pipes: for the past two weeks the Milwaukee Water
Works had been receiving dozens of telephone complaints about local tap
water appearing cloudy.
At a hastily called late-night meeting on April 7 of that year,
Milwaukee’s mayor John Norquist asked the late Jeff B. Davis, an
epidemiologist at the Wisconsin Division of Public Health, “Would you
drink the water?” Davis’s answer, “No, I wouldn’t,” shocked the mayor.
Within an hour, Norquist arranged a press conference and declared
Milwaukee’s drinking water unsafe for consumption unless it was boiled.
Television news anchors scrambled to report the mayor’s “boil order” for
water, and newspaper editors reworked their front pages.
Over the next eight days Milwaukee cleaned and disinfected its water
treatment plants, state and federal officials declared the supply safe
for consumption, and the boil order was rescinded. But by that time more
than 400,000 local residents—approximately half of the 800,000 people
served by Milwaukee’s water-distribution system—had reported
cryptosporidiosis symptoms, including diarrhea, vomiting, fever, chills
and body aches. Pharmacy shelves ran out of over-the-counter
gastrointestinal medicines. More than 4,000 people were admitted to
local hospitals. By the time the crisis subsided, at least 100 people
had died from exposure to the parasite. Cryptosporidium remains a serious health problem today. The Centers for
Disease Control and Prevention reported 444 outbreaks of
cryptosporidiosis in the U.S. between 2009 and 2017, and the number has
increased by an average of 13 percent each year. A 2019 CDC report
estimates that 823,000 people get the illness each year and that fewer
than two percent of cases are reported to the CDC.
These outbreaks occur across the country and beyond. In late
September 2023 the Baltimore Department of Public Works announced that
Cryptosporidium had been detected in samples from a large drinking-water
reservoir. The city issued a boil-water order for people with health
conditions that could make them more vulnerable. Recent outbreaks have
also been reported in North Carolina and Oregon. The U.K. and New
Zealand have also battled severe outbreaks in the last few months.
What makes cryptosporidiosis such a nasty and stubborn health problem?
First reported in humans in 1976, this extremely contagious disease
spreads when people drink water contaminated with Cryptosporidium. In
the water supply the parasite remains in a life stage called an oocyst,
which is four to five micrometers in diameter and shielded by a
protective outer shell. This helps the organism resist pathogen-killing
processes traditionally used by water treatment facilities.
Once the oocysts are ingested, the shells crack—releasing
Cryptosporidium into the host’s intestines, where as few as 10 of the
parasites can cause an infection. These parasites reproduce at an
incredible speed: Just three to four days after infection, a person can
shed as many as one billion oocysts in diarrhea in a single day. And
this shedding continues for an average of 18 days. “Cryptosporidium has a long incubation period,” says CDC epidemiologist
Michele Hlavsa. “From the point when you’re exposed to the pathogen to
the point where you develop symptoms, the time frame could be a week or
more. Then these people have to be sick enough to see a doctor and get
tested.”
Cryptosporidiosis can cause one to two weeks of nausea, stomach
cramps, vomiting, dehydration and fever, but the most commonly reported
symptom is watery diarrhea. Although such claims might sound hyperbolic,
Hlavsa says infected people have reported up to 40 episodes of watery
stools per day.
But diarrhea is a symptom of many illnesses, and most laboratories do
not routinely test stool samples for Cryptosporidium. Because
Cryptosporidium is hard to detect and infected people can be contagious
for several weeks, epidemiologists assume that many cases may be
unreported and that outbreaks may be more widespread than they appear to
be. Some experts estimate that only one percent of confirmed
Cryptosporidium infections are officially documented. Scientists do know how to prevent Cryptosporidium outbreaks: kill or
filter out the parasites in public drinking water before it gets to the
tap. The Environmental Protection Agency’s Interim Enhanced Surface
Water Treatment Rule (IESWTR) requires large water systems to remove 99
percent of Cryptosporidium from drinking water. In 1998 the EPA
estimated that implementing this rule would “reduce the likelihood of
the occurrence of outbreaks of cryptosporidiosis.”
Yet removing these parasites from public drinking water is an
extremely challenging process. The hard-shelled oocytes are resistant to
the chlorine disinfectants used by many municipal water treatment
plants.
Fortunately, there are other options.
Advanced technologies such as ozonation have proved effective in
removing oocysts. In this process a device called an ozone generator
runs a stream of oxygen through a high-voltage electric field, which
breaks down some of the oxygen molecules, whose atoms combine with other
oxygen molecules to produce ozone. The resulting oxygen-ozone mixture
is pumped into holding tanks, where the highly corrosive ozone destroys
the cell walls of any microorganisms in the water—rendering parasites
such as Cryptosporidium inert—before breaking down naturally. The water
then moves through several more filtration and treatment processes
before reaching household taps. Another option is exposing water to ultraviolet (UV) light, which
inactivates Cryptosporidium oocysts and renders the parasite
noninfectious. “UV is an interesting concept—basically irradiating the
water as it passes through a UV reactor—but the process doesn’t
necessarily destroy the organism. The process just renders it so that
the parasite can’t reproduce,” says Dan Welk, water plants manager at
the Milwaukee Water Works.
After Milwaukee’s Cryptosporidium outbreak, the city invested more
than $500 million in upgrading its water treatment plant facilities; it
has since garnered industry awards for the quality of its drinking
water. Milwaukee’s treatment process starts with ozonation and moves
through a series of steps designed to remove Cryptosporidium. And the
city is open to doing more. “We’re always looking to see if there are
other treatment techniques that we could potentially add to the plant to
address an emerging concern,” Welk says.
Not every U.S. city tests its drinking water for Cryptosporidium,
however, and it continues to strike every year. According to the EPA’s
Drinking Water Infrastructure Needs Survey and Assessment (DWINSA)
released in September 2023, the U.S. needs to invest $625 billion over
the next 20 years to upgrade its drinking-water infrastructure.
In the meantime public health experts are working to improve
diagnostic testing and reporting tools, which help them track outbreaks.
But the CDC says accurate Cryptosporidium reporting is still several
years away—meaning there is still the threat of another widespread
outbreak such as the one that occurred in Milwaukee. “Cryptosporidium
isn’t just spreading locally. It’s spreading over multiple
jurisdictions—and we might not be picking up these outbreaks,” Hlavsa
says. “An infection could start in one spot and move quickly to five
different states.”
Pure Water Gazette Note:
Residential Protections Against Cryptosporidium in Water
Unfortunately, Crypto cysts are
hard-shelled creatures and regular tap water chlorination is not
effective against them. Fortunately, though, they are giants in the
micro world so they’re pretty easy to strain out with a filter.
Conventional wisdom says use a one-micron absolute filter or tighter,
although looser filters have been shown to work well. For example, the MatriKX PB1 carbon block,
a half-micron filter that is a standard cartridge for our undersink
filters and Model 77 countertop units, is recommended for crypto
removal. For drinking water, any reverse osmosis unit can be depended upon to eliminate cryptosporidium. For whole house
treatment, very tight filters work, and ultraviolet is a 99.99% sure
thing against crypto.
Other treatments to consider are steam distillers, ceramic filters,
and ozone generators, though tight filters, reverse osmosis, and UV are
the most practical in most cases.
|
Aeration Overview
Aeration is an effective chemical-free method of preparing water
containing iron and hydrogen sulfide for filtration. Exposure to air
“oxidizes” the contaminant to a filterable form (ferric iron or
elemental sulfur), then an appropriate filter removes the contaminant
from the water.
Closed tank aeration for residential treatment is available in
several formats. The least expensive, though not necessarily the
simplest, uses a small venturi that is installed in the water line
itself in front of the well’s pressure tank. As water fills the tank,
air is literally sucked into the water stream via the venturi. A small
treatment tank where “oxidation” occurs follows the pressure tank. The
water then goes to a free-standing filter for final filtration.
A much more aggressive treatment uses a small air compressor, or “air
pump,” that injects air into a treatment tank. When water enters the
tank it falls through a pocket of compressed air where rapid oxidation
occurs. The water then passes on to a filter tank for final removal of
the contaminant.

A Small Compressor Powers the “AerMax” System
Single tank units are the simplest form of aeration treatment. Single
tank systems perform the aeration and filtration in a single tank.
Water enters the tank, falls through a pocket of compressed air, then is
filtered by the media contained in the lower 2/3 of the tank. Single
tank units need no pump; they bring in air during the nightly
regeneration performed automatically by the control unit.
More Information
|
Water News for February 2025

Water News. February 2025
As Usual, War Is Catastrophic to Water Infrastructure
Oxfam’s initial assessment of the damage to infrastructure after the ceasefire in Gaza came into effect in late January found:
More than 80% of water and sanitation infrastructure across the Gaza
Strip has been partially or entirely destroyed by Israeli attacks,
including all six major wastewater treatment plants.
85% of the sewage pumping stations (73 out of 84) and networks have
been destroyed. Some have been repaired but urgently require fuel to
operate.
85% of small desalination plants (85 out of 103) have been partially damaged or completely destroyed.
67% of the 368 municipal wells have been destroyed. Most of the
private small wells cannot function due to lack of fuel or generators. The Guardian
Zips Car Wash Chain Goes Under
Huge national car wash chain Zips Car Wash LLC and nine affiliates
filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy. Zips cited increased competition as one
of its main problems.
We at Pure Water Products sincerely hope that it wasn’t our garden
hose filter with softening cartridge that brought Zips down because we
always advise that the most environmentally friendly place to wash your
car is not in your driveway but in a professional car wash
establishment. Your neighborhood professional car wash business uses
less water and disposes of chemicals much better than home car wash
setups. See The Environmental Consequences of Having a Clean Car.
Water Preferences of Cut Flowers
Research indicates that most cut flowers prefer warm water over cold
water and that water depth in the vase should be about half the length
of the flowers’ stems.
Political Stunt Wastes Billions of Gallons of Water
Under orders from President Trump, billions of gallons of irrigation
water were laid to waste in California’s thirsty agricultural hub this
month, a move that left water experts shocked and local officials
scrambling.
The water, stored in two reservoirs operated by the army corps of
engineers, is a vital source for many farms and ranches in the state’s
sprawling and productive San Joaquin Valley during the driest times of
the year. It will be especially important in the coming months as the
region braces for another brutally hot summer with sparse supplies.
The California reservoirs in question are also among the few the US president can control directly.
Staged to give weight to Trump’s widely debunked claims that flows
could have helped Los Angeles during last month’s devastating firestorm
and to show that he holds some power over California’s water, he ordered
the army corps to flood the channels. Less than an hour of notice was given to water authorities down-river who rushed to prepare
for the unexpected release, which threatened to inundate nearby
communities. Read the full report in The Guardian.
U.S. Water and Sewer Bill Has Increased 24% In Five Years
The costs of upgrading and maintaining infrastructure of water and
sewer systems in the US are on the rise. Over the past five years,
sewer costs have consistently accounted for the largest portion of
household utility bills, representing approximately 59% of households’
monthly utility bills. Since 2019, sewer expenses have exceeded the
costs of water provision by an average of US$19.33 per month. Water Online.
Cleanup of LA Fire Debris Is Controversial
The Palisades and Eaton fires generated a staggering amount of
debris, estimated to be 4.5 million tons. In comparison, the
devastating Maui fires of 2023 generated about 400,000 tons, according
to the US Army Corps of Engineers.
Those fires took three months of clean-up by the EPA, which is in
charge of removing hazardous waste. But now the agency is hoping to
finish their job in LA in just a month – by 25 February – after
President Donald Trump signed an executive order demanding the EPA
“expedite the bulk removal of contaminated and general debris."
The decision to sort through the hazardous waste along the coast has
prompted protests and as the clean-up of fire debris moves at
unprecedented speeds, many are asking if and when the ocean water will
be safe for swimming and surfing.
Troubled waters: New U.S. policies put Canada’s water security at risk
Canadian officials are voicing concerns about water quality of the
Great Lakes and other shared water resources because of lowered US water
quality standards under the new administration in Washington.
According to Gail Krantzberg, professor emeritus in McMaster’s W
Booth School of Engineering Practice and Technology, who has studied the
remediation and protection of the Great Lakes for years:
“Donald Trump’s approach to regulation poses a serious threat to our
waters. He believes less regulation is better. He believes in reducing
regulations on industries like mining, oil exploration, and
manufacturing, which often leads to higher discharge of pollutants being
released into the environment. In our case, this could directly affect
the Great Lakes and other water bodies in Canada. Under the Biden
administration, there was a move to ban a class of substances known as
PFAS. These are long-lasting synthetic chemicals that build up in our
bodies and in aquatic life, leading to serious health issues like
cancer, kidney and liver damage and reproductive impairment. Trump is
rolling that back, allowing PFAS to remain in products, and therefore in
our waters.” Brighter World.
Several States, Led by California, Are Moving to Lock In Federal PFAS Rules
Concerns are growing about the fate of a Biden-era rule to limit
toxic PFAS chemicals in drinking water, with some states moving to
introduce laws that would lock in place PFAS protections that could
survive any potential rollback by the Trump Administration. Full story
from New Lede.
|
Hyponatremia, or Water Intoxication
Drinking too much water left a woman with a urinary tract infection seriously ill, and doctors said water intoxication can kill you. The case in point is a 59-year-old London woman who, in an attempt to “flush out her system,” drank water so copiously that she developed hyponatremia, also called water intoxication.
According to the Mayo Clinic:
Hyponatremia is a condition that occurs when the level of sodium in your blood is abnormally low. Sodium is an electrolyte, and it helps regulate the amount of water that’s in and around your cells.
In hyponatremia, one or more factors — ranging from an underlying medical condition to drinking too much water during endurance sports — causes the sodium in your body to become diluted. When this happens, your body’s water levels rise, and your cells begin to swell. This swelling can cause many health problems, from mild to life-threatening.
Hyponatremia is marked by an abnormally low level of sodium in the blood. Sodium helps regulate the quantity of water in and around cells.
There is a death rate of nearly 30 percent for patients whose sodium level drops drastically below normal. The condition can involve vomiting and significant speech difficulties.
The treatment may require medication, but usually it can be corrected simply by restricting water intake. Recovery may take a week or longer.
“The old adage to ‘drink plenty of water’ should be approached with caution if you are not vomiting, or experiencing diarrhea, or excessive sweating,” advised one doctor. “Your thirst is often the best guide to gauge when you think you need to drink more water if you have no history of kidney disease.”
Other signs of water intoxication include headaches, nausea and vomiting, confusion, loss of energy and fatigue. The illness can cause the brain to swell, coma, seizures and death.
People with normal kidney function who sometimes develop water intoxication are endurance athletes who drink more water while exercising than their kidneys can excrete.
Although doctors commonly advise patients with many ailments to “drink plenty of fluids,” little evidence supports the recommendation. There are definitely both risks and benefits to increased fluid intake.
Reference: Tucson News was the original source, but the article itself is no longer available.
|
The Quartz Sleeve Is Essential to UV Performance
Maintaining the Quartz Sleeve
Certified Viqua Installer Mike aims a disapproving eye at a customer’s quartz sleeve during a service call in Flower Mound, TX
An essential part of any ultraviolet water
purification system is a clear tube that looks like glass but is really
made of quartz. It forms a barrier between the UV lamp and the water
being treated. The tube is called a quartz sleeve. The UV lamp is housed
inside the sleeve and the water is on the outside, so the lamp’s UV
dosage that actually gets to the water depends on how clean and clear
the quartz sleeve is.
Ultraviolet units are normally preceded by a
five micron sediment filter to assure that the water being treated does
not contain particles large enough to provide shade that would protect
microbes from the germicidal lamp. The filter, however, does not remove
minerals in the water that can form scale on the outside of the very hot
quartz sleeve. The most common scaling agents are hardness (calcium and
magnesium) and iron.
Regular maintenance of a UV system includes
examining, cleaning, and, if necessary, replacing the quartz sleeve to
assure maximum UV transmittance. Recommended cleaning is with a clean,
lint-free cloth soaked in vinegar or another mild acid. It is also
highly recommended that you handle with care, don’t leave finger prints,
and don’t break the sleeve. Especially don’t break it.
The sleeve cleaned up nicely with white vinegar and some scrubbing. Mike is happy.
Manufacturers’ quartz sleeve
recommendations vary, some recommending sleeve change with every second
lamp change even if the sleeve appears clear to the eye. This is because
UV light can degrade the quartz and block efficient UV transmittance
even if the sleeve appears to be crystal clear.
|
Places to visit for additional information:
|
|
Pure Water Products, LLC, 523A N. Elm St., Denton, TX, 76201. www.purewaterproducts.com. Call us at 888 382 3814, or email pwp@purewaterproducts.com. |
|
|  | |