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Clorinated Water!!

Discussion in 'Environmental Discussion' started by DaveinOlyWA, May 12, 2004.

  1. DaveinOlyWA

    DaveinOlyWA 3rd Time was Solariffic!!

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    Up until now, I have been blessed with living in an area where clorination of the public water supply was unnecessary. The water quality has been excellent for years because of the many surface level aquifers in the area.

    The Olympia Brewery which is located less than 5 miles from me said it best in their beer slogan..."Its the Water".

    but times have changed. Lately our water supply (currently the largest unclorinated public water supply in the state) has tested positive for coliform.
    I guess its just another sign of humans creating their own destruction. Its interesting how differently we treat our water supplies.

    For the past two weeks workers have gone around and opened water mains and fire hydrants all over town in an attempt to reduce or eliminate the contamination. millions of gallons of water have been spilled into the drainage ditches here. In California, i never saw that happening. When i lived in Riverside, there would be an occasion when a few galllons were spilled and everyone would be up in arms complaining!

    here is a link to the story...

    http://www.theolympian.com/home/news/20040...47178_ARC.shtml
     
    #1 DaveinOlyWA, May 12, 2004
  2. randalla

    randalla Member

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    In Washington, DC since the story broke several weeks ago about high lead content in the city water, one of the suggestions that the water authority made was to run the water at full pressure for several minutes before drinking it. Well, it was just two years ago that the Washington area was in the midst of a long drought and the same water authority advised users on how to conserve water at home and work. It would be interesting to see what the water authority's advice would have been at that time.
     
    #2 randalla, May 12, 2004
  3. bookrats

    bookrats New Member

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    I'm not sure whether we've got chlorinated water in Seattle or not. I only know that, in general, Pacific NW water tastes pretty good (i.e., not bad.)

    Visited Vegas a few years ago; now that was unpleasant-tasting water.
     
    #3 bookrats, May 12, 2004
  4. cybele

    cybele New Member

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    Los Angeles water is pretty bad, too. I read somewhere that it's all the minerals it picks up as it travels through the deserts ... if someone were to bottle it, it qualifies as mineral water.

    We just installed a five stage filter on our kitchen sink ... it's much better now. We used to have a three stage on there ... the filters were supposed to last a year, but the minerals were so concentrated we ended up replacing them about every 9 months.

    The best water I ever had came from a spring up near Laurel Lake in Cumberland County, Pennsylvania. That was fantastic water. And free (though I'm sure someone's tapped it and is selling it by now).
     
    #4 cybele, May 12, 2004
  5. FloridaShark

    FloridaShark Member

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    The water here in Orlando was the worst I had ever tasted when I moved here 24 years ago. :pukeright: They have made lots of improvements over the years and now it's just bad. With an under the counter filter it is quite acceptable. And I now think Vegas water is the worst I ever tasted.
    Of course living in a hot climate like here or Las Vegas you only get two temps,HOT and HOTTER.
     
    #5 FloridaShark, May 12, 2004
  6. DaveinOlyWA

    DaveinOlyWA 3rd Time was Solariffic!!

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    Wow i knew i was lucky with the great water we have in Wa St but i never realized how precious good water is...

    its sad to think that we are doing the same thing to the air we breathe. I wonder how long it will be before bottled oxygen is as popular as bottled water is now?

    My mother is on oxygen part time. She is not bed ridden so she carries a portable oxygen tank. her problems do stem from polution and the fact that she smoked for 30+ years. But i was surprized to hear that air polution is the cause of an estimated 150,000 child asthma cases in Wa St every year. Our air is generally pretty clear. i can imagine what the impact would be in places like LA and the Bay area. (i have lived both places and had sinus problems worsen while there)
     
    #6 DaveinOlyWA, May 12, 2004
  7. TonyPSchaefer

    TonyPSchaefer Your Friendly Moderator
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    Bookrats, I heard on NPR last year that Seattle was having problems with the water because so many coffee vendors were pouring extra coffee straight into the drains and down the sinks. According to the article, the water filtration plants couldn't get it all out.

    And as though a little caffeine boost was something to worry about, there was a news article on WGN News here in Chicago stating that people are flushing their expired medications down the toilet and now our water supply is testing positive for prescription and OTC drugs. Granted, it's only very very slight, but it's there nonetheless.

    Just wanted to throw in my two cents worth.
     
    #7 TonyPSchaefer, May 12, 2004
  8. cybele

    cybele New Member

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    Water contaminated with drugs is not just coming from people dumping expired prescriptions ... those drugs come right out of US and we flush them down the drain.

    Right now scientists are detecting measurable levels of birth control pills in many rivers and studies are underway to see what effect that has on fish and other wildlife. There are important environmental effects from modern medicine that we've not even begun to fully comprehend.
     
    #8 cybele, May 12, 2004
  9. Smooth Operator

    Smooth Operator Member

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    On a trip to Mexico in the mid-1990s I was reading about air pollution in Mexico City. The report said that breathing in Mexico City was equivalent to smoking a pack of cigarettes every day. (Of course, not breathing while in Mexico City would lead to a quicker death.)

    It also said that airborne pollutants combining with human waste from squatter areas that do not have sewage facilities has created diseases that occur only in Mexico City.

    Vancouver BC where I live is at the mouth of the Fraser River. The river valley forms a funnel shape to the east. Every summer we get inversions that result in air pollution getting stuck in the funnel, moving back and forth every day, becoming more concentrated with each passing day.

    And most of that pollution is created by personal vehicles, many being driven down the valley for the morning commute and up the valley for the evening commute.
     
    #9 Smooth Operator, May 12, 2004
  10. DaveinOlyWA

    DaveinOlyWA 3rd Time was Solariffic!!

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    keep in mind that normal automobiles spew an average of 20-30 tons of pollutants into our atmosphere every year.

    and for you math whizzes, taking into account the weight of the gas burned is only part of the problem as most of the air polution created by automobiles besides making the air dirty, it has to use clean air to make the dirty air resulting in a double whammy to the air we need to live on that we take for granted.
     
    #10 DaveinOlyWA, May 12, 2004
  11. bookrats

    bookrats New Member

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    You know, that could explain a lot of the type-A behavior around here... :D
     
    #11 bookrats, May 12, 2004
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