Drinking Water Quality Issues – 7 Things You Must Know About Drinking Water Quality
In light of all the drinking water quality issues that have surfaced in the recent years, here are some things that every U.S. citizen should be aware of.
1. Over 90% of all U.S. water systems contain traces of at least 10 synthetic chemicals and lead. And even though there are just TRACES of these contaminants found in water, it doesn’t mean that they are safe, especially over the long-run.
2. Our public treatment plant technology is old and out of date. We still use the same technology as we did back in the early 1900s! Basically all the visible particles and sediment is removed using sand-bed filtration, and then it’s disinfected with chlorine. Treatment plants are simply not equipped to deal with recent drinking water quality issues.
3. According to the Ralph Nader Research Group, U.S. drinking water contains more than 2,100 toxic chemicals that are cancerous. Unfortunately, most synthetic chemicals cannot be removed in our public treatment plants, which mean that we consume them on a pretty regular basis. And I’m positive that our liver and kidneys don’t like this!
4. Government maximum contaminant levels (MCLs) are determined based on what’s “safe” for a 175-pound adult. They also assume that the one contaminant they are referring to is the only one found in it as well. When more than one contaminant (especially chemicals) is in the water you drink, it’s potency and potential adverse health effects dramatically increase. Plus, what about our children? Their immune systems are still developing and they absorb up to 3 times as much water per pound of body weight than adults do, meaning they get bigger doses of contaminants. Read the rest of this entry »
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Drinking Water-Which is best?
Water, if it is to be considered drinking water, must be consumable by humans with causing illness or disease. Drinking water must be potable, that is, it must be clean, or drinkable. All life forms on earth require drinking water. Humans, in particular, require at least 64 fluid ounces, or 8 cups, of drinking water each day for optimal health.
Your drinking water, in the United States, may come from one of several sources.
A Public Drinking Water System
The term “public water system” usually refers to any water system that has 15 or more hook-ups, or serves 25 or more people. Water systems that serve less than this are considered private water systems. Public water systems may be run by cities or towns, by state or federal agencies, by other political subdivisions like water districts and co-ops, or by private, for-profit companies. Regardless of who owns and runs the public drinking water system, that system must comply with all requirements of the Safe Drinking Water Act.
A Private Drinking Water System
The term “private water system” usually refers to any water system that serves between 1 and 14 service connections. A private drinking water system is not regulated by the government. However, owners of private wells and these non-regulated systems often have resources available to them.
What Is Done to Keep Our Water Clean?
Government laws are designed to keep our water clean. But do they work?
According to a national inventory by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), rivers and streams with water quality rated “good” fell from 65 percent in 1998 to 61 percent in 2000. Estuaries with water quality rated “good” fell from 56 percent to 49 percent over the same two-year period. Read the rest of this entry »
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Aquaculture and Hydroponics System
Aquaponics?
Aquaponics is based on the symbolic relationships found in nature and can be loosely described as the combination of aquaculture and hydroponics. Fish effluent from traditional aquaculture systems is used to fertilize plants in a hydroponic system.
When the two practices are combined they work in a symbiotic relationship to create a natural growing system. The benefits of keeping fish in an aquaponic system include maximum efficiency of water. University trials showed that growing plants in an aquaponic system used 90% less water than soil grown crops, as the only water lost is through evaporation and transpiration. In traditional aquaculture water is discharged regularly often 10-20% of the total water every day, this water is often pumped into open streams where it pollutes and destroys waterways.
Instead of discharging water, aquaponics recycles the water in a reticulating system. Water is pumped from the fish tank through grow beds where the water is cleaned by the plants and media before being returned to the fish tank providing the fish with freshly oxygenated clean water. Hydroponic gardening often relies on the addition of costly chemical nutrients using valuable time, energy and money. Read the rest of this entry »
Tags: agriculture and water quality, aquaculture system