watermatters

Water Treatment Guide

• White Rock Water Woes

  Friday, June 3rd, 2016

  watermatters™ has received many calls from residents of White Rock seeking a solution to their home water quality concerns. White Rock’s tap water situation is quite different from that of Metro Vancouver.

  White Rock is facing multiple challenges regarding the quality of its tap water and the governance of its water supply. The community’s tap water will become chlorinated (city-wide) this month, for the first time ever. Elevated levels of manganese and arsenic that occur in White Rock’s water supply are cause for unease. Concerns about these water quality issues and how they might be resolved have been compounded by the impact of the recent, very unfortunate fire in White Rock and ensuing boil water advisory.

  It remains to be seen how/when the City of White Rock remediates these manganese and arsenic issues. Meanwhile there is the possibility (not favoured by the mayor of White Rock) to switch the community water source from the Sunnyside Uplands aquifer (the origin of the manganese and arsenic) to water supplied by Metro Vancouver from the North Shore mountains.

  watermatters™ believes that recommendations should account for the immediate situation regarding elevated levels of manganese and arsenic as well as taking into consideration the fact that system-wide treatment upgrades may be implemented for arsenic and/or manganese remediation within the next few years. That White Rock might switch to Metro Vancouver for its water supply also remains open as a possibility. Any of these eventualities would remediate some water quality issues at the City level, thus affecting water treatment requirements for your home in the future.

  watermatters™ objective is to provide immediate, effective and affordable home water treatment solutions specifically to meet the needs of concerned White Rock residents. We are striving to take these municipal level uncertainties into consideration so that, down the road, residents are not stuck with an inappropriate, and unnecessarily expensive, home water treatment system.

  Posted in The Future of Water, Water Treatment Guide

• Get the LEAD OUT of your DRINKING WATER

  Thursday, June 2nd, 2016

  Lead is a neurotoxin, a carcinogen and a heavy metal that bio-accumulates in the body. It is dangerous to everyone and particularly to children. Once ingested, it may be stored in the bones and soft tissues for decades. Even extremely low levels of exposure are toxic and very difficult to eliminate. Lead gets into water from the corrosion of plumbing parts (such as the solder used to join copper pipes) and from brass fittings and faucets.

  Most Vulnerable: young children and pregnant mothers

  Lead has a toxic effect on the brain, especially the developing brains of young children. Exposure can lead to lowered IQ, emotional reactivity, aggression, and diminished social functioning.
  There is no safe level for lead. Its presence is complicated by the fact that it cannot be detected in water by sight, smell or taste. Testing is the only way to detect lead in water.
  Adverse consequences are most significant for young children and pregnant women. Potential effects to lead exposure during pregnancy include premature births, smaller babies, decreased mental ability in the infant, learning difficulties, and reduced growth in young children.
  Lead free water is particularly important for infants whose formula is prepared by adding water to liquid concentrate or powder.

  Lead in Drinking Water – the problem is at home

  Unlike most other drinking water contaminants, lead is usually not in water before it reaches your home or workplace. It comes from contact with lead service lines (water pipes that link a house to the main water supply), lead solder used to join pipes, or form brass plumbing fixtures such as faucets.

  Lead Levels in Drinking Water: 4 significant factors

  1. Greater risk of lead in older homes

  1. Older homes built prior to the mid-1950’s are more likely to have lead pipes and service lines, especially in provinces east of British Columbia

  “The City of Vancouver conducted a lead service replacement program in the ‘80s to remove lead water services to the property line. According to staff who were involved in the replacement program, they do not recall seeing any lead service on private property. Galvanized pipes was the common material on private property (in Vancouver) as it was much less expensive…For residents who have particular concerns about metals from aged household plumbing, there are a number of CAEAL accredited private laboratories who offer testing services.” – Jennifer Bailey, Water Quality Department, City of Vancouver, Jan 2007

  In Vancouver BC, homes built between the mid 1950’s and 1989 are not likely to have lead pipes or service lines but may have lead in some fixtures or lead solder used to join pipes.
  Homes built after 1989 are unlikely to have any lead in pipes, service lines, solder or pipe connections.
  In other parts of Canada, plumbing containing lead, including service lines, are more likely to still be in place especially in older buildings.

  2. pH influences lead content in water

  1. Lead-based pipes and other plumbing materials corrode if water has a low pH (is very acidic) or if its alkalinity (the ability of the water to stabilize the pH) is too low.
  1. The optimal pH of water for controlling lead corrosion is between 7.5 and 9.5.
  Water supplied to Metro Vancouver is naturally acidic (low pH). Metro Vancouver adjusts the pH of tap to offset this corrosive effect.

  3. Lead leaches into stagnant water

  1. Lead levels increase significantly in ‘standing’ water (that is water that sits unused in pipes overnight or for extended periods of time). For this reason municipalities advise people who live in older homes to run their tap water first thing in the morning (and after returning home from work) until water runs cold to flush any standing water. Periodically, remove and clean all faucet aerators.
  Ontario’s Ministry of the Environment advises that people in homes with lead service lines should flush standing water for at least 5 minutes.

  4. Warm water increases lead levels

  Never use hot water for drinking, cooking, or especially for making baby formula. Heat increases the leaching of lead into water.

  Identifying Lead Pipes in Your Home

  

  lead pipe

  

  copper pipe

  Your water service line is the pipe that enters your home through the wall or floor in your basement and is connected to your water meter. Service lines are typically made of lead or copper. Lead service lines are silver/grey in colour. Lead is soft and non-magnetic. It can be easily engraved with a sharp stick or metal nail. Copper pipe, on the other hand, is the same colour as a penny.
  If your house is connected by a lead service line and/or you have concerns about the quality of your water, please contact your municipality.

  Some other sources of lead exposure may be:

  • children’s toys and jewelry
  • lead in paint on toys and furnishings
  • lipstick
  • candlewicks
  • lead crystal glassware
  • fishing weights

  For more information about lead see Environmental Defence.

  Health Canada Guidelines for lead in drinking water
  Health Canada’s Guidelines for Canadian Drinking Water Quality currently set the maximum acceptable concentration of lead content in drinking water at 0.010 mg/L.

  0.010 mg/L is the same as 10 µg/dL or 10 parts per billion (ppb).
  1 ppb is comparable to 1 second in 32 years, or 1¢ in $10,000,000.

  It is controversial that, in Canada, this standard is measured using a free flowing water sample (after the water has run for some time). In the U.S water is tested for lead at first draw.

  Canada’s Proposed New Guideline for Lead is for Half the Existing Acceptable Concentration
  This existing Health Canada guideline for lead, last updated in 1992, is under review. The proposed new maximum acceptable concentration (MAC) for total lead in drinking water is 0.005 mg/L (5 µg/L).

  How to Protect Yourself from Lead in Drinking Water

  Use a point-of-use filtration system certified to NSF/ANSI Standard 53 for the removal of lead.
  Be sure to replace filter cartridges at regular, recommended intervals to ensure sustained protection.
  Boiling water will NOT remove lead.
  All pipes, pipe fittings, plumbing fittings and fixtures that come in contact with drinking water should meet the low-lead rule.

  References
  

  Lead in Drinking Water:
  https://www.canada.ca/en/health-canada/programs/consultation-lead-drinking-water/document.html
  Health Canada: Reducing Exposure to Lead in Drinking Water
  http://www.hc-sc.gc.ca/ewh-semt/pubs/water-eau/lead-plomb-eng.php
  http://www.hc-sc.gc.ca/ewh-semt/pubs/contaminants/fs-fi/lead-plomb_e.html

  Disclaimer
  The information and recommendations provided on this website have not been evaluated by Health Canada and are for educational purposes only. The products and information offered on this site are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease. You should always ask your doctor before using any products.

  Posted in News & Initiatives, Vancouver Water, Water and Health, Water Treatment Guide

• Clearbrook BC Wins Gold for World’s Best Tap Water

  Monday, March 7th, 2016

  Clearbrook (a neighbourhood of Abbotsford, BC) won the 2016 gold medal for best municipal water in the world on February 27, 2016. Municipalities from around the world compete annually for this award at the Berkeley Springs Water Tasting Competition which takes place in West Virginia. The event is also known as the Academy Awards of Water.

  Over the past decade Clearbrook’s water has repeatedly earned the gold medal for ‘best municipal water’ at Berkeley Springs, the largest annual water tasting competition in the world. Clearbrook won the gold medal in 2008, 2009, 2014 and 2016. It took home the bronze medal in 2015.

  Clearbrook gets its water from the Abbotsford-Sumas aquifer. No chlorine, no fluoride, no chemicals added!

  Although tap water in surrounding Abottsford is chemically treated and sourced mostly from Norrish Creek, the small neighbourhood of Clearbrook has proudly maintained control over its own water supply since 1953. The Clearbrook Waterworks District conducts frequent water quality tests and diligently maintains its water distribution system.

  2016 Berkeley Springs International Water Competition

  This was the 26th annual international water competition at Berkeley Springs, West Virginia. The water of Berkeley Springs has been known for hundreds of years for its healing properties.

  The competition consists of 5 different categories of waters.

  Winning waters are judged for being clear, odourless, ‘clean’ tasting, ‘light’ feeling, and with an aftertaste that ‘leaves you thirsting for more’.

  2016 Water Competition Winners

  Best Municipal Water 2016

  Best in world: Clearbrook, BC, Canada
  Best in US: Eldorado Springs, Colorado
  2nd Marysville, Victoria, Australia
  3rd Independence, Montana
  4th Santa Ana, California
  5th Mission Springs Water District, Desert Hot Springs, California

  Best Bottled Water 2016
  1^st Theoni Natural Mineral Water, Karditsa, Greece
  2^nd Prairie Crystal Pure Spring Water, Marchand, Manitoba
  3^rd Eau De Source 83 ppm, Village Blanchard, New Brunswick
  4^th Davia Organic Maple Sap Water, Saint-Quentin, New Brunswick
  5^th Antipodes, Whakatane, New Zealand

  Best Sparkling 2016
  1^st Tesanjski Kiseljak, Tesanj, Bosnia
  2^nd Touch Sparkling Mineral Water, Marchand, Manitoba
  3^rd Celvick Dobri Kiseljak, Tesanj, Bosnia
  3-way tie for 4^th
  Oro Luxury Water, Vizianius, Macedonia
  Nakd Luxury Sparkling Water, Putaruru, New Zealand
  Deluge Sparkling Natural Spring Water, Oro-Medonte, Ontario

  Best Purified Drinking Water 2016
  1^st Bar H2O, Richmond, Missouri
  2^nd Divinia, Idaho Falls, Idaho
  3^rd Hamilton, On Tap, Hamilton, Ohio
  4^th Mountain Drop, Linthicum, Maryland bottling Berkeley Springs water
  5^th Berkeley Springs Purified Water, Berkeley Springs, West Virginia

  Best Packaging 2016
  1^st Nakd Luxury Artesian Water, Bay of Plenty, New Zealand
  2^nd Antipodes, Whakatane, New Zealand
  3^rd Jackson Springs Natural Premium Spring Water, Middlebro, Manitoba

  Posted in News & Initiatives, The Future of Water, Water Treatment Guide

• FAQs About Drinking Hydrogen-Rich Water

  Monday, January 4th, 2016

  What is hydrogen-rich water (also called hydrogen water)?

  Just as carbonated water and carbonated beverages contain dissolved carbon dioxide gas (CO2), hydrogen water is infused with dissolved hydrogen gas (H2, also known as molecular hydrogen).

  Don’t we get H2 when we drink H2O?

  Everything contains hydrogen. It is the most abundant element in the universe. However hydrogen is usually bound to other atoms and molecules and therefore not available purely as H2.

  Just as we don’t get oxygen from H2O, we don’t get H2 from water. This is because H2 and O2 in H20 are not available because they are chemically bound to the water molecule.

  When used therapeutically hydrogen is dissolved into water in its molecular form, H2.

  What about the explosive nature of hydrogen gas?

  H2 (hydrogen gas) is highly explosive and O2 (oxygen gas) enables fire. However when they are bound together as H2O they create that which extinguishes fire: water.

  Hydrogen gas is extremely explosive in air when its concentration exceeds 4.6% by volume. It is not explosive when dissolved in water to form hydrogen-rich water.

  Doesn’t hydrogen make water more acidic?

  H2 is a neutral gas formed by the joining of two H atoms. It is a different form of hydrogen than the positively charged hydrogen ion (H+) which determines pH. (See Forms of Hydrogen article).

  Doesn’t H20 plus H2 make hydrogen peroxide (H2O2)?

  Molecular hydrogen (H2) is a neutral gas which can be dissolved into water. However when H2 is added to water it cannot bind or react with H2O to create a new form of molecule. ‘Hydrogen-rich’ water does not form hydrogen peroxide.

  Since hydrogen gas is so volatile, how can it stay dissolved in water long enough to offer any benefit?

  Just as carbonated drinks start to gas off as soon as the lid is removed, H2 will start to escape immediately. Similarly, it takes time for all of the dissolved H2 to escape from water. Hydrogen-rich water is best contained in a bottle with a narrow mouth, a narrow diameter (small water-to-air-exposure surface area), filled to the brim, agitated as little as possible and consumed as soon as possible.

  What is the solubility of hydrogen in water?

  The solubility of molecular hydrogen in water maxes out at 1.6 mg/L.* Hydrogen is not very soluble because it is a neutral molecule. However H2 is the smallest, lightest known molecule in the universe therefore the number of molecules in 1mg of H2 exceeds the same amount of any other substance. The antioxidant power of H2 exceeds the equivalent amount (by volume or weight) of any other antioxidant substance.

  How much hydrogen-rich water should one drink to get benefits?

  Studies showing the beneficial effects of molecular hydrogen on humans are generally based on concentrations of 1-3 mg/L* of dissolved H2. Higher or lower concentrations may apply for different conditions and individuals. Effective concentrations may vary with conditions and individuals. These quantities are still being investigated by scientists and researchers. It appears that one cannot get too much H2. Any excess is simply exhaled and does not over-accumulate in the body.

  If water contains 1mg/L* of dissolved molecular hydrogen, drinking two litres of that water gives 2 mg of H2.

  How long has molecular hydrogen been used for therapeutic benefits?

  H2 is natural to our bodies. Large amounts of it are produced by gut bacteria after eating fruits, vegetables and fibre-rich foods.

  There are records of hydrogen gas being used for medical benefit (anti-inflammatory) that date back as far as 1798. The history of its use indicates that hydrogen gas can be very safe at concentrations hundreds of times higher than therapeutic doses typically applied today.

  Hydrogen was used without toxic effects to locate gunshot wounds in the intestines in the late 1800’s.

  Since 1943, high concentrations of hydrogen gas have been used to prevent decompression sickness in deep sea divers.

  The therapeutic use of H2 did not emerge on the modern scientific horizon until 2007 when an article about the benefits of hydrogen was published in the prestigious journal of Nature Medicine by Dr. Ohta’s group.

  . . .

  *1mg/L is equivalent to 1ppm (parts per million)

  Acknowledgement: Many thanks to Tyler LeBaron and the Molecular Hydrogen Foundation for his valuable work and information regarding the studies, properties and use of molecular hydrogen gas.

  New Hydrogen products coming soon!

  Disclaimer: The information and recommendations provided on this website have not been evaluated by Health Canada and are for educational purposes only. The products and information offered on this site are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease. You should always ask your doctor before using any products.

  Posted in Energizing Water, Water and Health, Water Treatment Guide

• Preparing for the BIG ONE: water you waiting for?

  Wednesday, December 30th, 2015

  

  British Columbia’s current earthquakes are wake-up calls. The Cascadia Subduction Zone is clearly adjusting itself.

  These seismic events may be precursors to Vancouver’s long expected ‘Big One’.
  Are you prepared?

  If you haven’t got an emergency kit prepared yet, this is the time to get it together.

  Store emergency water
  A major earthquake could damage municipal water supply lines, making tap water unavailable and/or vulnerable to contamination through ruptured pipes.

  The April 2015 earthquake in Nepal has reminded us how devastating a ‘natural’ disaster can be. Don’t take adequate water supplies for granted.

  If you store ample water in advance you’ve already greatly increased your family’s ability to respond to an earthquake.

  How much water to store
  At very least, you should store one gallon per person per day for three days. Extra if you have pets. A three-week supply is preferable.

  Water storage containers for an emergency
  Look for sturdy, re-usable one- to five-gallon plastic containers made of number 2, 4 or 5 plastic. Yes, plastic for portability. Glass is too heavy for emergency use. Best not to rely on one or two gallon containers typically found in grocery store as they aren’t designed for long-term storage.

  Home owners may be well advised to also store water in large food-grade plastic drums.

  Sanitation and six month replacement schedule
  Make sure the containers are sanitized before filling them with chlorinated tap water. Yes, chlorinated.   Hopefully you will never have to use this water but if you do, better that it be sterile than bacteria-ridden. Make yourself a reminder to replace the water in these containers every six months.

  Alternate emergency water sources
  Water from the following sources should be disinfected if needed for drinking in emergency conditions. Berkey® water purifiers will disinfect water from these last-resort sources as well as making it taste better.

  • Hot water tank
    Turn off the power that heats it, and let the tank cool. Then place a container underneath and open the drain valve at the bottom of the tank. Don’t turn the tank on again until water services are restored.
  • Toilet tank
    The water in the tank (not the bowl) can be used to drink in an emergency unless chemical treatments have been added.
  • Water pipes
    Release air pressure into the plumbing system by turning on the highest faucet in the house. Then drain the water from the lowest faucet.
  • Outside the home
    Rain water, spring water, and water from streams, river, lakes, and coiled garden hoses can be used after it is disinfected.

  Emergency water purification methods
  Here are four methods to disinfect questionable water in emergency situations:

  • Berkey® water purifier – gravity filter requires no electricity.
  • LifeStraw – portable water filter.
  • Aquatabs – add prescribed number of pre-packaged water purification tablets to water. Wait 30 minutes.
  • Liquid chlorine bleach (unscented) – add eight drops per gallon of water. Double this amount if the water is cloudy.
  • Two percent tincture of iodine – add twelve drops per gallon of water. Double this amount if the water is cloudy.
  • Boil the water vigorously for 10 minutes.

  Local natural sources of fresh water
  Vancouver has paved over all but three of its many creeks and streams. This is very unfortunate for many reasons, one of which would be devastatingly clear in the event of a water shortage.
  Take note if you are lucky enough to live near a natural source of fresh water… a creek, stream, river or lake. Protect and respect this invaluable living resource. It could be your life-saving source of fresh water in the event of an earthquake.

  Note 1: If emergency use water is very murky, it is best to strain it through several layers of cheesecloth or a paper coffee filter before applying one of the above treatments.

  Note 2: Most drinking water filters are meant to be used with municipally treated (disinfected), microbiologically safe tap water only. They do not remove bacteria and will not protect you adequately in an emergency situation.

  *Map from EMBC Earthquake Info page

  Additional Links:

  Prepared BC
  B.C. Earthquake Immediate Response Plan (PDF)

  Posted in News & Initiatives, Vancouver Water, Water and Health, Water Treatment Guide

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