The National Primary Drinking Water Regulations (NPDWR) are legally enforceable primary standards and treatment techniques that apply to public water systems. Primary standards and treatment techniques protect public health by limiting the levels of contaminants in drinking water.
Printable version: Complete NPDWR Table
Hurricane Harvey is leaving his mark across the Gulf States. Flooding is still going on in a wide area and moving north. Waiting is one of the hardest tasks in life, especially when waiting for a disaster to end or to see if any of your precious belongings or treasures survived a disaster. This one will not end for years.
After the waiting is over, the first thing that we all want to do is get back to our homes after a tragedy. The smartest person taking the very best advice can’t negate the desire, (the very NEED) to see what is left after the natural tragedy.
We understand that, but hope you can follow these suggestions to avoid even more tragedy than what has occurred up to the point where a return into the home is possible.
· Do not enter unsafe structures
· Cut off electrical power until checked by an electrician
· Do not enter the home if the water has not subsided
· Do not enter the home until the gas is shut off
· Leave the gas line and gas appliances off until checked
· Do not use water damaged appliances until checked
· Wear gloves, mask, eye protection and good shoes
· Precious pictures and books can be preserved by freeze drying
· Take photographs of the damage for insurance use
No matter what the cause of water damage, quick action can protect your investment and treasures. Yes, I remember I just begged you to be patient and wait until it is safe to go into your home. That does not go well with telling you that quick action can minimize your loss. This is difficult, but health and safety trumps saving possessions.
The pictures show a biofilm in water in a medical office. The question I was asked is whether the bubbles and slime are mold. Short answer….let’s name it “biofilm” and discuss what that means
Biofilm that may contain mold, but is much more likely bacteria and chemical contaminants. When we disinfect water at the water treatment plant, the treatment process is designed to kill all of the nasty organic disease that can make us ill
Now for the gross part .......the dead bacteria (coliform, legionella, parasites and host of materials are still in the water.
The bodies of dead contaminants decay and become slime, and just like animal waste can become a nutrient for other things to grow. (yuck) The slime makes it through the municipal water system and into your drinking and flushing water ....and your fishes home in your aquarium By the way, the fish produce their own bio issues as they do swim in their own waste There is also sulfur, iron and other contaminants that encourage the growth of organic contaminants So.....I can test the water with a general test to show that there are a lot of things that are organic in the water (with a Luminometer) I can test for specific diseases and organic materials. (coliform does turn up in a high percentage of municipal water tests) The end story is that there is little to do with the water to make the bioslime go away
We can put Ty Di Bol or other product for toilet tanks in the tank to keep the slime from growing and neutralizing the minerals, copper, Mg, sulfur and iron
We can use distilled water in our relaxation fountains such as in the picture …..and clean it regularly (they will grow Legionella bacteria at room temperature) By the way, we still need to change water over time as dust in the air will settled into the water and be host for bio growth.
We can get a Reverse Osmosis water treatment for our drinking water or purchase distilled water (Notice.... DISTILLED water as most bottled water (spring water etc,) that we purchase has minerals and dead biological debris in it) I do have several articles on my website about water contaminants and water supply issues http://www.envirospect.com/SafeDrinkingWater .............and this subject will become a blog post in the next couple of days because it is a good question ( www.envirospect.com/blog )
Agsain, my apology for pointing out that most of the dead organic and mineral substances are still in drinking water. I think the young folks would say...... TMI (too much information)
Links About Biofilms in water
https://www.nap.edu/read/9595/chapter/12#208
http://www.blueearthlabs.com/maintenance-cleaning/treating-biofilms-in-your-water-distribution-system/
http://www.waterandhealth.org/battling-biofilms-aging-water-infrastructure/
Scholarly cites for biofilms in water
http://ws.iwaponline.com/content/2/1/271
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0958166908000505
http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/08927014.2013.772140
The nature of many water authorities is that they work with serious budget and staff constraints that often make monitoring and identification of problems difficult. That in turn makes response and solution of problems economically and politically difficult
The Stages of Water Treatment
Pre-Treatment: Water enters the system. Depending upon the source, dirt or sand may be removed from the water. If subject to algae growth, some chemicals may be needed.
Coagulation: Chemicals are added so that smaller suspended particles clump together and fall to the bottom of a settling tank. That coagulated junk is called floc. The water has to settle for a longer time in this step than in the pre-treatment stage.
Clarification or Sedimentation: Water slowly flows through the next step. This results in sludge at the bottom of the basin. That material will be removed and then disposed.
Softening or Stabilization: Minerals such as magnesium and calcium need removed from the water to avoid damage to the municipal system and residential pipes and fixtures.
Filtration: This is the step where the suspended materials are removed. The remaining products can make the water look cloudy. Cloudy appearance is referred to as “turbidity”. These small particles can include microorganisms, protozoa cysts, algae, silt, iron and other organic and mineral products. Yummy! Sand, gravel, garnet or similar materials are used for this step.
Fluoridation and disinfection: This is the important last step before water is pumped to a holding tank. The most common disinfectants are chlorine based chemicals.
Water is the pumped up to the holding tank: Water pressure is the result of gravity. The difference in elevation between the level of water in the tank and the open spigot in your home determines the pressure of the water. The pressure is ½ PSI for every foot of difference in that height.
Click for download of full PDF article http://goo.gl/BM9Skv
The CDC (Center for Disease Control) tells us that the presence of contaminants in water can lead to adverse health effects. These illnesses include gastrointestinal illness, reproductive problems, and neurological disorders. They further say that infants, young children, pregnant women, the elderly, and people whose immune systems are compromised because of AIDS, chemotherapy, or transplant medications, may be especially susceptible to illness from some contaminants.
The CDC Top 10 List of Diseases Caused by Outbreaks in Public Water Systems*
Giardia
Legionella
Norovirus
Shigella
Campylobacter
Copper (http://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/toxfaqs/tf.asp?id=205&tid=37)
Salmonella
Hepatitis A
Cryptosporidium
E. coli, excess fluoride (tie)
If you listen to the news, Americans care more than ever about what we put in our bodies. Fats, additives, cholesterol, too much sugar, and on and on have become big media and legislative issues. We are paying a lot of attention to what is eaten
On the other hand, we don’t spend much time thinking about the water we drink. Make no mistake about it, we are way ahead of previous generations and past civilizations in the safety of our water. History is full of whole armies, societies and populations that have been decimated or even ended by drinking water contaminants and diseases. We are a far cry from that state of affairs, but not completely safe.
If you think about it, the amazing and at the same time disgusting fact is that the water in your spigot may contain water treated by an upstream sewage plant, and yet we drink it.
America has one of the safest water systems in the world. On the other hand, we have seen serious brain damage and other health problems can occur in places like Flint Michigan. The scary part is that the damage to many lead poisoned children is now a health and developmental problem that will live with them and those around them all of their lives.
The rest of the story in Flint Michigan is that even if the water quality is corrected, the pipes themselves are now chemically damaged and will continue to leech lead into the drinking and cooking water of the residents. Digging up and replacing the underground main service line pipes, hot water tanks and damaged pipes in homes has been estimated to have a cost of between 20 and 200 million dollars in that city of 100,000 residents. Many of those residents can simply not afford to do the needed work in their individual homes. Cost of replacing the damaged underground municipal system is claimed to be 1.5 billion dollars.
If the water of Flint was properly treated, the poisoning and permanent physical damage to the people drinking the water would have never occurred. The big question to ask as you stare at your own glass of water from your tap should be: Is my water safe?
The EPA requires that each municipal water treatment system provide an annual “Consumer Confidence Report” (abbreviated CCR) and make that report available to the consumers of the water. It only took minutes for me to look up the report for the local water authority that supplies our home. The good news is that the water was pretty good……in this case. The bad news is that I had never checked that information on the water we drink before today. All of us need to take a look at the report for our homes. Click for download of full PDF article http://goo.gl/BM9Skv