We are lucky to live in a country with some pretty good , but even some of the water in the rural parts of the United States, farm towns or cities with older infrastructure where their water is treated could use some help ensuring that there are no .
No water is ever perfect unless it is in its purest form, and even then it could still pick up minerals or chemicals from the ground. When we take an active and interested role in the state of our drinking water, that’s awesome. However, many Americans don’t ever give a thought to the water coming out of their tap, which is scary.
One huge concern we have here in the United States, especially in rural areas, is . Today we are going to focus on them and what you need to know. You might be surprised at how many homes are plagued with nitrate contamination.
Nitrate is a form of oxygen which is found naturally in soil and groundwater.
They get into the ground through human activities such as fertilizer use and manure applications.
Widespread use of these applications have increased nitrate concentrations in drinking water to levels well above the EPA’s drinking water standard in many areas.
Nitrates can be dangerous in high levels and is considered a contaminant.
They can affect a person’s health. Too many nitrates in your body makes it harder for red blood cells to carry oxygen.
Infants exposed to high amounts of nitrates may develop “blue baby syndrome,” which can be deadly.
Infants may be especially vulnerable if they are fed with formula mixed with well water that has a high nitrate concentration.
The maximum contaminant level, or EPA’s drinking water standard, for nitrates is 10 milligrams per liter mg/L, which is the same thing as 10 parts per million ppm.
Millions of homes in the US are exposed to nitrate contamination
Anyone can simplify the facts for you, but what you do when confronted with nitrate contamination is what is important. If you’re concerned about your tap water quality or just want to add an additional layer of protection to your drinking water in your home, contact our
to learn more about our . With superior nitrate removal, you’ll never have to worry about you or your family drinking nitrate contaminated water.
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State data shows that nitrates are contaminating 1 in 5 wells in Wisconsin. That relates to about 90 thousand wells in the area. Nitrates often enter the
through farming runoff. Farmers use fertilizers that contain nitrogen, which in turn, will eventually run down into the groundwater. Many private well owners don’t realize that they need to test their wells themselves. Private wells are not regulated, and are highly susceptible to .
The only way to know if your private well contains high levels of nitrates, is to have is tested by a certified lab. Other things to consider, are looking at the location of the well. Is it located near farm fields, barnyards septic tanks or even municipal wastewater treatment centers? If so, there is a high likelihood that nitrates are present in your drinking water.
Another thing to consider is if your well has a shallow casing – a shallow well is more apt to be affected. Check out the geology of they area – are there sinkholes or exposed bedrock around? Both can make well more vulnerable to .
What are nitrates and what harm can they do? Nitrates are compounds made up of nitrogen and oxygen. They are found naturally in plants and vegetables. They are also often found in groundwater depending on the fertilizer and manure applied to crops. Most people consume 10-25 milligrams of nitrates per day in their food.
So, what are ? If the nitrate concentration in your drinking water exceeds 10 milligrams per liter standard, you must immediately stop consuming your water.
Serious health issues can arise from drinking water contaminated with high levels of nitrates, such as increased risk of thyroid disease, diabetes, and certain types of cancer. Infants can also become extremely ill with Blue Baby Syndrome. There is also an association between pregnant women and certain birth defects in women exposed to high levels of nitrate in drinking water.
If your drinking water is contaminated with nitrates, it is important to remove them. There are some water filtration systems that remove nitrates to a point, however the
can actually remove nitrates to NON-DETECT levels – which is huge! Give us a call and we can discuss the right water filtration for your own unique water needs.
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How angry would you be if you had toxic drinking water and you didn’t even know it?
Well, this could be the case for 4 million Americans right this very second. Does this make you angry? You have every right to be!
This is the story of 2-year-old Adam Walton, whose
was poisoning him and he wasn’t given the chance to escape the nightmare. The poison was delivered in the form of his tap water, via 100 year old pipes. You guessed it – lead found its way into his drinking water. It was in his food, in his drinks and in his bath water. His brain development was affected and his parents unfortunately didn’t notice it until this past fall when he turned two. The water supplying their house tested high for lead, but it was already too late for little Adam.
Here’s the most frustrating part.
It was determined that officials at their City Hall knew long before the Waltons did that they had . Local and state records show that. So did state and federal government regulators, who are paid to make sure drinking water in Texas and across the nation is clean. This poor baby didn’t ask for any of this and certainly doesn’t deserve any of what he has to face now. Even after two years, the city still hasn’t fixed the issue – lead in their drinking water continues to exceed safe levels.
So what happens now?
The Walton’s learned that their tap water contained lead — about 28 times the acceptable federal limit — when a USA TODAY Network reporter told them in early November. They are not alone. Millions of other Americans could be facing the same issue and not even know it. Why? Because their water is supplied by a small utility company. Small utility companies unfortunatley, do NOT have to follow the same safety rules as everyone else. Drinking water enforcement differs from area to area and tiny utilities – those serving only a few thousand people or less – don’t have to treat water to
until after lead is found! How is this acceptable? It’s really not.
Officials and the local government didn’t protect this child, who could represent millions of other children. Due to the exhorbitant cost of fixing small town water utilites and water infrastructure in these areas, too many water utility companies are underperforming and leaving millions of Americans at risk. An EPA assessment from 2013, estimates infrastructure needs for small water systems will total $64.5 billion over 20 years. There are no loans big enough to cover this. So millions of Americans living with small town
are stuck – no chance, no protection.
“What we have is a national joke,” admits one man interviewed in an article on this topic.
What can you do at home?
Protecting your drinking water can be done right at the tap, instead of hoping and praying that one day your region will fix your low quality water. If you need to , consider one of our effective and efficient . Every child deserves the chance to live healthy and drink safe water without the worry of impaired brain development. What a sad story. To read the full article, .
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Even with conservation efforts these days, we are still wasting a whole lot of water on a daily basis. Sometimes it is by ignoring leaks, sometimes by letting the faucets run too long, and sometimes, it is with the water-using appliances that we use in our homes. We try to limit the quantity of filtered drinking water we use, but are you limiting the waste water from these ? Do you have a reverse osmosis system that is an older model without updated water filtration technology? With , you can feel better knowing that your home’s water filter wastes less and you can use more water within your home.
Traditional reverse osmosis systems are known to be wasteful and gallons of water are wasted each day in each household through other means, too. According to the EPA, POU water waste accounts for billions of dollars worth of wasted water every year!
For residents seeking more , we have options for you.
have been the popular choice for water filtration for over five decades. The water waste was more acceptable in the p when people go through a drought year after year, it starts to create an awareness and an urgency to limit the water that goes down the drain and cannot be used.
can provide the benefit of water savings more than any other drinking water system on the market. Independent studies show that a traditional RO filter can waste up to 92% more feed water under normal household conditions when compared to LINX drinking water systems. Technology and this very urgency have changed the way we do things these days. Anyone living in California where the drought has affected your way of life is encouraged to consider one of our drinking water systems. Too many appliances on the market waste water, especially traditional RO systems, but you can make the environmentally-responsible choice with ours. In the process you will help save billions of dollars of wasted water every year!
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Where we Were
As we reflect on the past year, we cannot help but think about the effects of the California drought. We are concerned about the state’s
efforts and what they will entail during the coming year.
published by NPR at the end of last year, explains that since the message about water conservation is lessening in strength and frequency, California’s water conservation efforts also seem to be decreasing.
Residents were once forced to reduce their water usage, and as such, were conserving water better than ever. It seems that since we don’t see this message as much anymore, people are forgetting the importance of saving water for the future of their communities.
It’s not Easy
Water conservation is not the easiest of tasks as a homeowner. We realize that it takes creativity, patience, compromise and ingenuity to reduce water usage and
inside and outside the home. Without hearing as much about the drought and the status of our water reserves, people aren’t giving this enough thought. As a result, many residents are back to their water wasting habits.
More than 62 percent of California remains in severe to exceptional drought conditions, according to the U.S. Drought Monitor. Our reservoirs are still low, groundwater is still being over-pumped and the mandatory statewide water cutbacks are over.
So what now?
With fewer drought messages, we still need to be vigilant about our environmental responsibility in regards to our water supply. A year ago, when Governor Jerry Brown mandated a 25 percent water cutback, the message was dire and it was clear.
We saw people taking ac less watering of lawns, installation of water saving appliances and water recycling programs were popping up all over. Many residents were also contacting us about our
that waste less water than their current reverse osmosis systems.
It is difficult to change bad habits overnight, and it is also difficult to explain the current drought status to everyone each day. The drought is nothing new, so it becomes old news and people don’t pay attention to it after a while.
It is still not too late to make the changes within your household, however. One way to reduce water waste and continue to make eco-friendly and responsible choices when it comes to water waste is to consider one of our
with advanced technology.
Reducing water waste with your water appliances at home is a good start. You can be even more creative with some of your other water conservation efforts as well. Just because we don’t have mandates or messages to tell us to
doesn’t mean we shouldn’t continue to do our part. Together, we can all make a difference for the future of our state.
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As California enters its sixth year of extreme drought, it’s no surprise that
is top of mind for most residents and lawmakers. Since the beginning of the drought in 2011, more than 100 million trees have died, wildfires have swept the state, dozens of farms have been decimated, rivers have dried up, countless numbers of wildlife have been killed and entire communities have suffered through no running water or
available. There have been emergency water restrictions put in place to help manage the water that California has left, but lawmakers know there needs to be something more definitive with long term measures put in place.
Currently, there is a
proposal underway which will change the way water is managed and budgeted throughout the state. The proposal, “Making Water Conservation a Way of Life” could be finalized within the next couple of weeks, although it may take up to three years before it will be implemented. There is expected to be quite a lot of legislative and public debates about how to go about identifying and budgeting the water needs of each community. According to Water Deeply, when and if this proposal is implemented, some of the provisions in the plan would include the following:
Make permanent the ban on , such as watering down driveways and other hardscapes
Provide technical help and incentives to aid water suppliers in finding and fixing leaks
Develop new water use standards for urban water suppliers based on local conditions
Require water suppliers to be compliant with new water use targets by 2025
Require water suppliers to submit a five year drought risk assessment
Improve drought resiliency for small rural water agencies
Require agricultural water districts to create an annual water budget, a drought plan and measures for increasing efficiency
California has historically been one of the most irresponsible when it came to water management, and legislators are seeking to change that. With no end in sight seen for the current drought, setting water budgets for the state is critical. Until recently, even some major cities did not require businesses and homes to install water meters, according to the Washington Post. However, under the new proposal, California will require thousands of sophisticated meters to be installed and will combine satellite technology and aerial flight data to study the state’s topography to determine irrigation needs.
The new proposed plan will not only affect homeowners and businesses, but also the huge agricultural industry in California. Approximately half of agricultural water suppliers are not following the existing requirements of the Department of Water Resources. This new plan will enforce current reporting rules already in place, as well as addressing the need to modernize water delivery systems for irrigated farms.
We are already seeing greater scrutiny on private water treatment systems in California, with many areas enforcing water softener bans. Another area where we expect water conservation efforts to extend to is
– and for good reason! Many homeowners use reverse osmosis water filtration systems, and if you have ever visited our
or watched any of our , you understand how much water these types of systems waste. Making the switch to more environmentally friendly water filtration systems, such as our , just makes sense. Not only will you be ahead of the game for water management legislation, but will be doing your part to help preserve California water now and into the future.
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Picture this: it’s a hot summer day and you have been working outside all afternoon and all you can think about is a fresh, cold glass of water. You come inside and turn on the faucet to quench your unimaginable thirst, and to your dismay, your
smells worse than you do! Gross, right? Okay, it might not be that bad, but it is still unpleasant enough for you to question whether or not it is safe to drink. Well, we are here to help you decipher the cause of .
There are many causes for smelly water. To start with, if your drinking water smells like gas, petroleum, or the like, DO NOT DRINK IT! This could be the result of an underground leakage that could be contaminating your water supply. If you smell this, be sure to contact a local health agency or your water utility company immediately, this type of n could be deadly.
A chemical or chlorine odor to your drinking water could be the result of added chlorine to the water supply. Generally this will be a slight odor and nothing to worry about. However, if it is mixing with organic matter in your plumbing system, the scent could be more noticeable. If this smell seems to be excessive, go ahead and call your utility company for some advice. For those everyday chlorine odors, a
is the way to go.
One of the most common scents people complain of is a sulfur or rotten egg smell. There are many causes for this particular scent. For one, various bacteria growing in your drain could be causing the problem. Another cause is the deterioration of an element in our hot water heaters. If you suspect that this is the cause, it might be time to put in a call to your local plumber. The presence of hydrogen sulfide in the water supply is a major contributor to this odor. To combat this issue, the use of a
is recommended.
If your drinking water smells moldy, earthy, or fishy have no fear! These nasty odors can be a result of bacteria growing in your sink drain or from organic matter present in the water supply. To determine which is causing the odor, fill a glass with some water and walk away from the sink. If the water doesn’t smell, then it is most likely the sink drain causing the problem. If the water is malodorous, then there might be organic matter in the supply. While it certainly smells awful, these odors are harmless. Despite this,
is just so much nicer to smell and drink. It might be time to purchase yourself a nice filtration system.
Even though some of these odors may not be the result of a dangerous situation, if any scent seems to be abnormally strong or you cannot identify the odor, you should place a call in to your local water supply company or a health agency. It’s better to be safe than sorry. For the most part however, a water filter is the way to go. A good water filtration system is the key to that clean, fresh glass of water you were searching for in the first place.
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As a consumer, you may feel bombarded with advertisements and commercials, telling you to buy their products. If we bought everything on the market, we’d be flat broke or worse. There is no way to buy everything that we are told to, but there are some products out there which are good for your home, good for your health and good for the environment. Something which is good for all three is certainly worth looking into. That product is in fact a .
Many people assume that their tap water is safe, and if they are concerned, they turn to bottled water. However, by doing so, they fail to take into consideration that bottled water is often not any better for you than tap water, and it is certainly not very good for the environment.
While American
is some of the best in the world, it is not perfect and it is not foolproof. There are many
which aren’t even regulated. Also, many drinking water treatment facilities around the country are older and are allowing contaminants to get into their water supply. There are stories popping up all the time where another water supply source has been contaminated or a pipe that has burst, contaminating thousands of gallons of water.
More than 60,000 chemicals are used in the U.S., but only 90 water contaminants are regulated under the Environmental Protection Agency’s EPA Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA). The SDWA doesn’t necessarily require complete removal of these 90 it only sets a ‘safe standard’ on the maximum contaminant levels allowed in public drinking water.
Another thing to think about when considering the purchase of a , is who will be drinking your home’s tap water. Some people may be more vulnerable to contaminants in drinking water than others. People with compromised immune systems, such as cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy or those with HIV/AIDS, as well as some elderly individuals and infants can be at an increased risk.
As a consumer, you need to be aware of what is in your drinking water and concerned enough to do something about it. Fearing your drinking water won’t change it – but our
can! Contact us today to learn which of our drinking water systems would be the perfect addition to your household.
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Even though
here in California is pretty good, there are still some water contamination issues. As you drink your tap water tonight, think about what might actually be in your water. And if you get your drinking water from your own private well, then the question becomes even more significant. Drinking water around the state has the potential to contain many different contaminates, however today we are going to look at nitrates. Sure, we can filter them, but how effective are
for nitrates?
just cannot handle water that has extremely high levels of nitrates. Here in California, we have a lot of areas where agriculture is a key component of daily life. With that being said, there are high levels – extremely high levels – of nitrates in the groundwater. These nitrates can quickly and easily seep into private wells and even into tap water.
Animal waste is another source of nitrates, but if you live in an area where fertilizers are used, that too could be one way that your water is developing high nitrate levels. If you don’t filter your water, then you could be at risk for . Too much nitrate in your body makes it harder for red blood cells to carry oxygen. While most people recover quickly, this can be very dangerous for infants and some adults. Infants exposed to high amounts of nitrate may develop “blue baby syndrome.” All of these are important factors to consider when choosing your means of nitrate removal.
Municipal drinking water treatment facilities test for nitrates, but wells are left on their own and you’ll need to test your own water for nitrate contamination frequently. The maximum contaminant level, or the EPA’s drinking water standard, for nitrate is 10 milligrams per liter mg/L, which is the same thing as 10 parts per million ppm. If a nitrate test shows levels higher than 10 ppm, you need to find a safe alternative drinking water supply. This usually means installing a
in your home, but even some of those systems cannot lower your nitrate levels to under those set standards.
If your water has extremely high levels of nitrates, then you need the
on the market – LINX(R). Our drinking water systems have been proven to reduce the levels of nitrates and nitrites by over 99%, taking them down to non-detect levels in drinking water. In fact, our
is the first device ever certified to reduce nitrate and nitrite contamination down to NON-DETECT levels in certification testing. Pretty impressive, right?
If your household is ready to start reducing those nitrates from your drinking water, or if your current
cannot seem to lower your levels enough, it may be time to contact us about a better solution. Our
are effective and efficient and will also waste less water than traditional RO, so you’ll enjoy the best in water filtration and water conservation on the market.
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The development of
in the last few decades has helped thousands of homeowners reduce their drinking water contaminants from both tap water and well water. It has saved people from illnesses and maybe even more serious health conditions, thanks to the removal of unsafe drinking water impurities. As advantageous as reverse osmosis is however, it does have one major disadvantage, and during these times of drought and water conservation, we need to make sure that consumers know about it, too.
is one of the worst things about the traditional RO systems still on the market. Though they work to reduce water contamination, they don’t always work to reduce water waste.
These days, drinking water picks up cancer-causing contaminants, pesticides, antidepressants, chemicals and so much more. The Environmental Working Group found that roughly 85% of the population was using tap water laced with over 300 contaminants, many with unknown long-term effects and more than half of which aren’t even regulated by the EPA. While many of these contaminates can be filtered, typical water filtration utilizes a LOT of water in the process. During the filtration process in some older, basic systems, up to 20 gal of water is flushed down the drain for every gallon of filtered water produced. Below, you’ll read about other numbers with other systems on the market. Either way, it is important to find a balance between water filtration and . We cannot afford to waste our water any longer. Maintaining water sources, along with utilizing tap water wisely, should be in the minds of all homeowners, especially coming off this long-term drought for last five years.
While we encourage all homeowners to provide safer drinking water for their family, take this into consideration.
are created equal. Many systems waste gallons of water per gallon they filter.
The typical water pressure in the average house is around 40 PSI. If the water coming from the tap is 64° then a normal reverse osmosis filter will require 12.5 gallons of municipal water to make one gallon of filtered water. That is a LOT of water waste!
have a smarter design which translates into huge water savings – up to 90 percent less water waste! If your family only consumes one gallon of drinking water per day, you can save over 7,000 gallons of water in a year as compared to a traditional RO filter under typical household conditions. Give us a call and learn more about the
on the market. Water filtration and water conservation all in one!
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The smartest drinking water system ever made. The Eco-friendly choice for drinking water.
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