"Drinking water advisory!" Topic

Great! Our drinking water in this town is unsafe to drink. They're handing out water, but nobody can say how soon they'll have the system flushed.

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Any thing else I'm thinking is Blue Fez material…

Allen

Thats not cool…is Del Taco still open?

A number of hotels and restaurants have closed for the duration. Don't know about Del taco.

Allen

you gotta watch the water, its chock full of dihydrous monoxide.
you dont wanna be drinking that.

My section of the state is right in the middle of the Marcellus Shale gas field.
Some towns have so much methane in the water they can light their tap water.
Not only that, but for some reason, the drilling companies do not have to reveal what chemicals are used in the fracking process. (Note, this is a real term, and not stolen from Battlestar Galactica…)

I find it odd that I get purer water in the city than some people get from their wells.

John story including fraching was a major plot line on a recent CSI Las Vegas

At least the toilets still flush.

Just went up to the college and was issued two flats of pint bottles. Each one has a California redemption value marking, so that's going to cost somebody a bunch more money. Tomorrow, I'll go down to the community center with five-gallon carboys; they have a potable water tanker there.

Anyway, that keeps us from having to dip into the emergency stocks (yes, we're "that type").

"At least the toilets still flush."

Darn near didn't, after the morning constitutional, but that's probably more than you wanted to know.

Allen

I'm not concerned about the dihydrous monoxide as much as the oxygen hydride.

By "that Type" do you mean the couple from Temors?

Not really: they're too lightly armed to take seriously.

Allen

Wow, sorry to hear that.

The situation really sucks.

They've had to do the same thing locally here in a town nearby, since they have arsenic in the water.

Supposedly, the gov't is thinking about confiscating the well water under eminent domain. I can't believe they can actually do that, even if they wanted to, but if it stands the air will be next one day, mark my words. And you thought the healthcare situation was bad…..

It's time like this that I'm glad I live a stones throw from Lake Michigan. My state may suck business wise but we still have access to loads of reasonably drinkable fresh water!

Remind me once again: where do the fish do their business?

It's like folk back home who think nothing of cupping up lake or pond or stream water--until the day they see a moose drop a load while standing in a pond. (Out here, the threat in even the most remote areas of the Sierras is Giardia; there literally is no safe running or standing fresh water.)

Old Mother Gaia does a heck of a job filtering most of the nasty stuff through herself and offering it up in reliable aquifers. It's mankind that stuffs things up by contaminating her, or by simply wasting what she provides.

Allen

Just had a visit from the Captain of our Neighborhood Watch and his lady, to make sure that the word was getting out. That's nice, I suppose, and a change from their usual MO; the Neighborhood Watch's principal function here seems to be to call the police should they see a person of color on our street.

I declined to join when they formed, pointing out that the police department's liaison is possibly the least stable member of the department (he came to his door brandishing a handgun to answer a visit from a lady working for the Census). But I digress…

They pointed out that the 250,000 gallons being flushed from the system by the water company is just being pumped out onto the streets: at least three of the major streets around here, so presumably throughout the "city" (it ain't that big). So all the contaminant that's currently in the water is just going to be recycled as ground water and wind up…

It makes you weep. It really does.

Allen

So what is flushing the system supposed to do? It's the wells, not the distribution system. Although I didn't notice any mention of the actual levels being found in the wells and/or the entire water system.

If your water treatment plant has the capability to aerate the water, the perchlorate will dissipate fairly rapidly. Although, knowing California, ya'll would get hit with the air emission violations though.

Only found in three wells, and only one of those was currently active; it's been shut off. So the system is being flushed to remove any contaminant from that one well.

Perchlorate is detectable at 4ppb, according to the EPA; the standard is 6ppb; the levels measured here exceeded 100ppb. The wells were last tested for perchlorate in December 2009, and the next test was scheduled for December 2012. Fortunately, the Marine Corps test picked it up.

MCLB had not made the EPA's last perchlorate hit list. Fort Irwin had tiny amounts in 2005. Edwards AFB (and the aircraft plant nearby) was almost top of the list, with a horrifying level of ground contamination, only exceeded by a couple of ammunition plants in Texas and a Naval Surface Warfare facility in Maryland.

Allen

Off-topic; "Captain of our Neighborhood Watch ". "Captain"? Really? Or is a US Neighbourhood Watch significantly different to a UK one?

I believe the position title is Block Captain.

Allen

Time to either drill some deeper wells and/or tap into the Los Angeles aqueduct.

I'm sure the DoD will just jump on that groundwater contamination. Although it's really not that hard to deal with, comparably.

Sorry to hear about the water. It always bleeps me off when water utilities screw things up – it really isn't that hard to get right, and it's kind of important.

Off-topic; "Captain of our Neighborhood Watch ". "Captain"? Really? Or is a US Neighbourhood Watch significantly different to a UK one?

Usually in the U.S. they are unregulated volunteer organizations that can make up any grandiose titles for themselves that they choose to.
-Kle.

The LA Aquifer is at a considerable distance; the Colorado River is just as close. The aqueduct is also a very good example of abusing Mother Gaia. All you have to do is drive up the Owens Valley and "see" what isn't there anymore. No need to contribute to that abuse.

No need to drill more wells; there are plenty of unaffected ones. But since the last perchlorate test was run on the system in December of last year, it seems that the best thing to do is for (organizations unknown) not to contaminate the water supply with a chemical that comes primarily from munitions. If this were 1945, it might be understandable. But it's 2010.

"Although it's really not that hard to deal with, comparably."

Please call and lend your expertise to Golden State Water Company. They are planning on using the treatment system to disperse the contaminant, thus lowering the level. Direct treatment of perchlorate contamination is considered very expensive. You mentioned aeration, but I've seen no references to that as a viable method for this problem. Most recommend reverse osmosis or ionization; anaerobic organisms have also proven effective.

Allen

Usually in the U.S. they are unregulated volunteer organizations that can make up any grandiose titles for themselves that they choose to.

Like in the UK, then; they just choose not to. It all sounds a bit creepy and totalitarian.

It's creepy when they ask if they can wear police-style uniforms, carry equipment and weapons, and put emergency lights on their vehicles. (And they do ask.)

Allen

That's taken creepy and added sad.

Perhaps you could suggest a uniform with huge epaulettes, a chest full of spurious medals, a huge peaked cap and aviator sunglasses? "Generalissimo" is a good title.

Like in the UK, then; they just choose not to. It all sounds a bit creepy and totalitarian.

Well, creepy, yes.
They don't actually have any power to speak of, though, so totalitarian is kind of out.
-Kle.

My wife is Presidente for life and High Holy Hejaysus of our Local Neighbourhood watch. I designed her a uniform but she won't wear it outside the Bedroom.

SHE has absolute power round our way.

Pat

Like in the UK, then; they just choose not to. It all sounds a bit creepy and totalitarian. grin

But in the US they don't get to watch government cameras ;)

I follow the advice of W.C. Fields. He said he never drank water because, fish screw in it.

Only he didn't say "screw", he used another term.

Hey Allen look at it this way, it could be worse.

You could live in San Francisco and you would not be allowed bottled water by law.

So I recommended you drive out to Bitter and Garlic Springs and fill your canteens!

Happy Thanksgiving.

Robert Henry
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A couple of years back we had to boil our water for a month as cryptosporidium had got into the supply.

For those who don't know, it's the kind of stomach bug that can turn you inside out for weeks at a time and lives in the guts of ruminants.

It seems that as we live close to the mountains, the water supply was deemed pure enough to not warrant UV screening.

Which worked well, for years, until apparently a bunch of cows crapped in the wrong lake….

After having to give all of us £25.00 GBP refund for the trouble, and a potentially huge fine, we now have UV filtering :).