watermatters

December 2015

• 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

• Hydrogen: What’s the difference between H, H2, H+, H- and OH- ?

  Sunday, December 27th, 2015

  Distinguishing between these different forms of Hydrogen can be confusing to those of us who flunked high school chemistry. Here is an attempt at clarification.

  H = Atomic Hydrogen
  Atomic hydrogen is number 1 on the Periodic Table of Elements. It consists of one proton and one unpaired electron which means that it is a free radical.
  However an atom of hydrogen rarely exists on its own because its unpaired electron eagerly seeks to join up with another electron.

  The molecular form of hydrogen is more common.

  H₂ = Molecular Hydrogen

  H₂ is a gas which forms when two hydrogen atoms bond together and become a hydrogen molecule. H2 is also called molecular hydrogen.It consists of two protons and two electrons. Consequently it is the most common form of Hydrogen because it is stable with a neutral charge. H2 is not a free radical. It is the antioxidant in ‘hydrogen-rich’ water.

  H2 is the smallest molecule in the universe. That means it can go where nothing else can …including into your mitochondria which are the powerhouses of your cells. Hydrogen gas cannot be kept in plastic because it will pass right through the walls of the container.

  H⁺ = Proton

  When the Hydrogen atom loses an electron all that is left is a proton. It becomes the positively charged hydrogen ion known as H⁺. This is the form of Hydrogen that produces the ATP enzyme that powers our cells and mitochondria.

  The H⁺ hydrogen ion is the basis of the pH scale.

  H:^– = Hydride

  Hydride is a hydrogen atom which has an extra electron. This means that it is a negatively charged ion, or anion. That is why Hydride ion (H-) has the minus sign distinguishing it from a regular Hydrogen atom (H). The two dots after the H means that this ion has two electrons instead of just one. The extra electron means that H- is not a free radical however it is not stable because this form of hydrogen is a very strong base (extremely alkaline) which reacts with water to produce hydroxide (OH^–and molecular hydrogen (H₂).

                                                         H:^– + H₂O –> H₂O + OH^–

  Hydride (H:^– ) also reacts with metals to form chemical compounds which are reducing agents.

  OH^– = Hydroxide ion

  Hydroxide (OH–) is also known as the hydroxyl ion. When water dissociates or comes apart into its component parts it forms OH^– (hydroxide ions) and H₃O⁺ (hydronium ions).
                                                         2H₂O ⇆ OH^– and H₃O⁺

  This reaction is reversible. The hydroxide ion also reacts with the hydronium ion (H3O+) to become two water molecules.

  The Hydroxide ion (OH^– ) is a base (alkaline). The Hydroxide ion is not a free radical or an antioxidant. Dissolved molecular hydrogen gas (H2) is the antioxidant in ‘hydrogen-rich’ water.

  Hydroxide (OH^–) is sometimes confused with the hydroxyl radical (OH^•). The dot to the upper right of the OH indicates an unpaired electron which means that Hydroxyl is a free radical, actually one of the most reactive oxygen radicals. Hydroxide and Hydroxl are two entirely different species. It is important to not confuse them.

  H₃O⁺ = Hydronium ion

  A water molecule (H₂0) plus a hydrogen ion (H⁺) becomes a hydronium ion (H₃O⁺). The H⁺ ion is a lone proton with a powerful charge. It does not exist on its own in an aqueous solution because it is immediately attracted to the unshared electrons in the oxygen atom of H₂O. The result is Hydronium (H₃O⁺). This process is reversible. Two water molecules can disassociate to form hydronium plus hydroxide.
  2H₂O ⇆ OH^– and H₃O⁺
  Experiments indicate that the proton (H⁺) is very promiscuous. It changes from one H₂O partner to another many times per second creating a new H₃O⁺ ion as it moves.

  pH = Potential of Hydrogen
  
  pH stands for potential of Hydrogen and is actually a measurement of the concentration of hydrogen ions (H+) in a solution. Water breaks down (dissociates) into protons (H⁺) and hydroxides (OH^–). This reaction is reversible.

                                                         H₂O ⇆ H⁺ and OH^–
  2H₂O ⇆ OH^– and H₃O⁺

  pH indicates whether water is acidic, neutral, or alkaline. More H⁺ = more acidic. Less H⁺ = more alkaline.

  Because H+ immediately associates with H₂O to form H₃O⁺ (Hydronium), pH can also be said to be a measurement of the concentration of H₃O⁺ in a solution.

  The pH scale is logarithmic. Increasing by 1 on the pH scale results in a 10 times decrease in the hydronium ion concentration and increasing by 3 on the pH scale results in a 1,000 times decrease in the hydronium ion concentration.
  

  Posted in Water Treatment Guide

• What’s the difference between Water Purification and Water Filtration?

  Thursday, December 24th, 2015

  The term ‘water purification’ refers to micro-biological protection (getting rid of creepy-crawlies).
  It does not refer to the removal of unsafe chemicals and heavy metals.
  A water purifier removes or inactivates micro-biological contaminants from drinking water. Pathogenic bacteria, viruses and protozoa (parasite cysts such as Cryptosporidium and Giardia) are examples of these micro-organisms.

  ‘Water filtration’ refers to the removal of sediment and/or chemicals.
  Specialized water filters target specific types of contaminants (such as chlorine, chloramine or heavy metals).
  Water filters provide protection from physical and chemical contaminants.
  Some water filters are fine enough to exclude Cryptosporidium and Giardia cysts however they are not designed to be barriers for micro-biological contaminants such as bacteria and viruses.

  Water purification requires at least a 4-log reduction or inactivation of viruses, 6-log for bacteria. 4-log means >99.99%. 6-log means >99.9999%

   

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

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