Mmmmm...WATER!

                Hello again everyone.  This week’s assignment brought about interesting memories. The assignment is to learn about the pros and cons of tap vs. bottled water as well as learn about our own source of water (in my case in the City of Riverside).  When the assignment was announced in class I couldn't help but think of all the times I had to clean out calcium deposits in all the shower heads. It was the first thing that popped in my head. I checked Riverside’s Public Utility report regarding Water Quality (2012) located  here.  I also went ahead and checked the previous years to see if anything stood out, but I really ended up focusing on the calcium deposits. What I ended up finding out is that it fluctuated a bit but overall has gone down a little…but still enough to gunk up my shower heads *insert Andy shaking his fist here*.

                As per the 2012 Water Quality Report, Riverside’s water is groundwater from wells in the Bunker Hill Basin and Riverside Basin. Riverside Public Utilities (RPU) treats some (really some?) of its wells and all water sources are blended at a central location before entering into distribution. I was quite surprised that they collected more than 17,600 water samples to test for the potential contaminants. These samples were collection throughout the distribution system of water and the testing was done by independent laboratories to perform water tests (more than likely to show no funny business occurred). They test for more than 200 possible contaminants in the water system and only those contaminants detected in the water system are listed in the report.

                I also read through the general info about Riverside’s water which gave some interesting history lessons, such as in 2012 they tore down and replaced Evans Reservoir with a new state-of-the-art 16 million gallon reservoir.  I really had no idea. It also assured that Riverside’s water is safe and exceeds the standards set forth by the EPA (which leads to the next section). It also explained that a safe amount of chlorine is used to purify the water and prevent harmful bacteria…which also shows up in the report at the amount found in Riverside’s water system. However, the amount of chlorine is MUCH lower (caps again for emphasis) than the maximum allowed, so that made me feel a little better. Another scary point was made by the USEPA at the beginning of the report stating that because of where we get our water it could still contain microbial contaminants (viruses and bacteria, that may come from sewage treatment plants, septic systems, livestock, and wildlife), pesticides and herbicides from a variety of sources, organic chemical contaminants, and radioactive contaminants (from oil and gas production and mining activities).  It went on to explain other important health information regarding that some people may be much more vulnerable than others from these contaminants in the drinking water, such as immunocompromised people, people with cancer undergoing chemotherapy, people with HIV/AIDS or other immune system disorders, some elderly people, and infants. So I learned quite a bit about what potential nastiness I could randomly be drinking!

                The EPA is in the federal agency in charge of tap water (drinking water) standards. I located a pdf that explains a little on their standards here. It also explains a bit on bottled water and the FDA around page 17.  On the topic of tap water still (before I get side tracked), their guidelines are set forth to ensure that a safe level of certain chemicals are in the water. They have guidelines on how much of a certain substance is allowed in the drinking water that is deemed safe to drink. If something is in the water supply the water suppliers have 24 hours to inform their customers of the violation of EPA standards that have the potential to cause harm to human health. There is also daily testing...several times here to insure safety.

                The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) regulates bottled water used for drinking. And as the guide mentioned above states, most consumers assume (including me) that it is at least as safe as tap water. However, there are still potential risks. Though they still have to meet the same safety standards as public water supplies, bottled water does not undergo the same testing and reports as water from a treatment facility. If bottled and sold in the same state it may not be subject to federal standards at all.  It also recommended that those with compromised immune systems may want to read bottled water levels to make sure more stringent treatments have been used, such as reverse osmosis, distillation, UV radiation, or filtration by an absolute 1 micron filter. The FDA does require labeling on the bottles and as mentioned much less testing on average than with tap water.

                While both have guidelines to meet safety standards, tap water undergoes much stricter policies regarding testing and accuracy of meeting those guidelines.  And as mentioned above bottled water depending on some circumstances if bottled and sold in the same state is not set to the same federal standard tap water is.  Other problems from bottled water are the fact that a bottle is needed as a container (duh, bottled water). Most made from plastics which also leech into the water, and become unneeded waste even if they are recyclable. I found interesting info here, which explain just how bad the bottles can be. To sum it up bottles used to package water take over 1,000 years to bio-degrade and if incinerated, they produce toxic fumes. It is estimated that over 80% of all single-use water bottles in the United States become litter. U.S. landfills are overflowing with two million tons of discarded water bottles. Recycling water bottles is only feasible in limited circumstances as only 1 out of 5 bottles is actually sent to the recycle bin. It is estimated that it takes three liters of water to package one liter of bottled water. Bottled water, while convenient, also costs a bit when compared to tap water which is more economic.

                While I had to go to numerous sites to figure out all of this stuff…I am glad I did. This was a definite learning experience and it has changed my views on many aspects of our water system. I really used to think the bottled water I obtained was so much more amazing than tap water…now…well let’s just say I will be keeping an eye on it and probably will find other means to make the water I drink a little safer. I read a couple different web pages regarding ways to make water safer, and I have been doing most of that (using filters and what not) and I will continue to do so. I also need to stop using bottled water and use the metal thermos I hardly use because it is pretty big…maybe I could ummm…buy a smaller one? Yeah, that is a good idea! Oh and here is one of the more informative pages on making the water safer to drink.