A partial collapse of a seawall on the property that was holding aggregate dirt piles that potentially is contaminated with uranium has spilled into the Detroit River during the Thanksgiving weekend. The site has been marked as contaminated with uranium by the U.S. Department of Energy and the Environmental Protection Agency. Detroit Bulk Storage currently leases the site which was formerly owned by Revere Copper and Brass factory in the 1940s and 50s for use of World War II-era research and development, in an effort to build an atomic bomb. Regulatory agencies were not informed of the spill until days afterward and, of course, they are concerned about the impact it may have on the environment and the public water quality. To read more on this recent spill, click here
What You Should Know About Hexavalent Chromium
Due to the rising attention given to the seeping of hexavalent chromium (or “green goo”, as called by area residents) in Madison Heights, MI, it is important to understand how you can protect your family from such dangers should they arrive near your home.
What is Hexavalent Chromium?
While the hexavalent chromium (made famous in the movie Erin Brockovich) seepage in Madison Heights poses little health risk to residents due to differing drinking water sources, it is important to understand exactly what this health risk is and what it can do to you and your family. Hexavalent chromium, according to this OSHA article, is one of the valence states (+6) of the element chromium, usually produced by an industrial process. Cr(VI) is known to cause cancer and targets the respiratory system, kidneys, liver, skin, and eyes.
What Can be Done to Prevent This?
What happened with the Electro Plating Services building in Madison Heights was the result of gross incompetence with waste disposal by the owner and thus posed a huge risk to residents who are ill-equipped to deal with such contaminants when the seepage was discovered, as reported in this WXYZ article. A net positive with this unfortunate incident is the growing awareness of how to deal with potentially harmful contaminants in your home’s water going forward. One proven combatant to contaminants like Cr(VI) is reverse osmosis, which sends water through a thin membrane that naturally filters particles too small to be filtered through prefilter systems located within the overall reverse osmosis filtration system. By installing a system like this in your home you’re able to keep harmful contaminants, not only Cr(VI) but a vast quantity of other similar agents, out of your home’s water and keep your family safe.
Reynolds Water is the best local source that provides you with a variety of filtration systems to keep your family safe. Give us a call and we can set you up with the right system for your family at the best price in the area.
Mysterious Water Leakage
A peculiar instance of water testing is scheduled for this Friday on mysterious green-colored water that oozed out onto eastbound Interstate 696 in Madison Heights a week earlier. According to this Detroit News article, the groundwater is believed to be contaminated with hexavalent chromium, which produces the green color that had onlookers scratching their heads. Due to the potential danger of this contamination, especially the possibility of local rivers and lake contamination, action is being taken immediately to remedy this situation to keep nearby residents safe. The origin of the water is believed to be from the Electro-Plating Services plant located nearby, which incidentally would not be the first time the plant has been in the news for water-related incidents. Results of the testing are scheduled to be released on Friday.
The experts at Reynolds Water Conditioning have a solution to your homes unique water quality needs including: arsenic, bacteria, chlorine, rotten egg smell, fluoride, hard water, iron, lead, acid, tannins, radon, and more. More information on our water treatment solutions including water softeners and conditioners, water filtration and purification, reverse osmosis drinking water, and iron & odor removal can be found online at https://reynoldswater.com.
Water Filters 101
Water is one of the most important elements on this planet and without it, we would only live a few short days. Our bodies are made up of roughly two-thirds of H2O and to keep a healthy balance, we need to consume 2.4 liters of water each day. It comes to no surprise that new ways are constantly being found in order to provide us with more clean, pure water to nourish ourselves. In order to remove many of the harmful impurities from our water, the use of water filters is a solution to this problem. How important are water filters you may ask? Let’s take a closer look at what a water filter is.
How Filters Work
Water filters use two different techniques in the removal of dirt and debris. The first is physical filtration in which water is strained by a physical barrier such as a thin gauze or fine textile membrane to remove the larger particles. The second method is done thorough chemical filtration, which involves water passing through an active material, such as carbon, that removes impurities as they pass through chemically. There are 4 primary methods used for water filters that use a combination of physical and chemical filtration:
Activated Carbon Filters
This type of filter is the most common and popular of the options available that are based on charcoal. Charcoal is a form of Carbon that is very porous because it has a big internal surface area that can trap foreign particles. Larger contaminants are stuck on the outside, thus being removed from the water. Carbon can also act as a magnet for items such as lead and VOCs that continue to remove particles internally as water passes through the filter. On the chemical aspect, chemicals like Chlorine are removed during a chemical reaction when water is in contact with Carbon. The main disadvantage of this type of filter is after time it will get clogged with impurities and need to be replaced, which can add additional costs down the road.
Reverse Osmosis
Filtration that removes contaminants by water pressure to force tap water through a semipermeable membrane is called Reverse Osmosis. The membrane is an effective, very fine filter that allows the water to pass through but the contaminants like Lead, Mercury, and Iron stay behind. The downside is certain items such as some pesticides, solvents, and metals like Chlorine and Radon can not be removed with Reverse Osmosis.
Distillation
A natural option for filtration can be done with the simple process of steam distillation that involves heating water to boiling and then cooling the steam to remove the contaminants. Most contaminants have a higher boiling point than water which is why they are left behind when the water becomes steam. The steam is collected and transformed back to water in a separate container. The disadvantage to this type of filtration is some contaminants such as volatile organic compounds (VOCs) boil at a lower temperature than water and they evaporate with the steam and can remove beneficial minerals in natural water during the filtration process.
Ion Exchange
This filter is very good at softening hard water by removing limescale. The process is done with chemical filtration method by releasing ions, like sodium, and exchange them for unwanted ions like heavy metals found in your water. The result is better-tasting water, however, the sodium is simply another form of contaminant, so the ion exchange doesn’t exactly make the water “pure”. This option is not the best for people on low-sodium diets. The second disadvantage of ion-exchange filtration is that it will need to recharge the filters occasionally with more sodium ions by adding a certain type of salt.
The experts at Reynolds Water Conditioning have a solution to your homes unique water quality needs including: arsenic, bacteria, chlorine, rotten egg smell, fluoride, hard water, iron, lead, acid, tannins, radon, and more. More information on our water treatment solutions including water softeners and conditioners, water filtration and purification, reverse osmosis drinking water, and iron & odor removal can be found online at https://reynoldswater.com.
New Membranes Created For Water Purification
A new development has been made with the creation of plastic membranes that could be the solution to more effective and affordable options for water purification. These membranes are created by polymers that produce a shape like a fusilli pasta that has microscopic hydrophilic pores that attract water. The pores can capture the water molecules and ions of a specific size. This new finding shows that this membrane can catch the water particles that are unsuitable for drinking and can also catch lithium from the water that can then be reused for batteries. Developing countries can most definitely find this new research very valuable since nearly half of the world is having issues with water scarcity so these membranes can be very promising for creating new freshwater options and for large scale renewable energy storage. More information on this new development in membranes can be read here.
Hard Water Impacts More Than Just Our Homes
When dealing with hard water, many homeowners know that hard water will affect the taste of their water, leave orange stains on many hard surfaces, create a more difficult time cleaning, and can cause damage to our appliances with time as hard water leaves behind mineral deposits. When looking at the effects hard water has on the environment, it is less known. In this article, many of the environmental elements that can be affected by hard water are discussed further. Some of the impacts can be positive, such as hard water playing an important role in pH regulation in water bodies that will make a difference for fish and other aquatic animals. Another positive point of view is for the industrial buildings to create the ability to make concrete. On the other hand, there are many disadvantages of hard water such as with the pharmaceutical and textile industries with more waste created causing even larger problems. One thing is for sure that hard water should be treated in order to prevent the disadvantages from occurring in o outside our homes. It is recommended to have your water tested by local water experts and solutions such as a water softener can be put into place.
Why You Should Test for Lead in Your Water
Over the past several years lead in water has become a hot issue amongst homeowners, especially after the events and discovery of lead in Flint, MI water systems. Lead in your water can be a very big issue for not only you and your family but your home as well. No matter how old or new your house is, no home is truly immune to the effects of lead in water, although older homes with older plumbing systems are more susceptible than newer, more modern homes. The effects of lead in the water are the same across all instances, however, and having a proper understanding of them can help you and your family better prepare yourselves if you find yourself experiencing this troubling issue.
Your Home
As mentioned, homes with older plumbing systems can be more susceptible to having lead contaminates in the water. This is because the pipes themselves experience natural corrosion over time, and thus experience a higher probability of contaminates getting through as these pipes age and deteriorate. It benefits both your home and your family to consistently replace the piping of a home over the course of your life to ensure the pipes you don’t see aren’t causing health issues for your family. This is also beneficial to ensure the pipes don’t deteriorate too much to a point where damage is caused in your home by water leakage, which can cause even more damage that can get very expensive to fix.
You and Your Family
Lead in your water can be an invisible issue that may go unnoticed for years until very visible damage is caused to your family’s health. While every member of a family can be negatively affected, infants, young children, and pregnant women are the highest risk for visible health damage. According to a HealthyChildren article, infants drinking formula prepared with lead-contaminated water can be at an even higher risk due to the large amount of water consumed relative to body size.
Concerned parents can have their local pediatrician test their children for lead deposits in their blood so parents can be on top of their children’s health. Because lead in water cannot be seen, tasted, or smelled, having your child tested is the only way to confirm lead in your water. Once that is done you can take the necessary steps to replace the piping in your home or install the proper equipment to better the quality of your water.
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The experts at Reynolds Water Conditioning have a solution to your homes unique water quality needs including: arsenic, bacteria, chlorine, rotten egg smell, fluoride, hard water, iron, lead, acid, tannins, radon, and more. More information on our water treatment solutions including water softeners and conditioners, water filtration and purification, reverse osmosis drinking water, and iron & odor removal can be found online at https://reynoldswater.com.
Reverse Osmosis technology is the future
A solution to increasing problems of water quantity and quality that continues to worsen as the global population grows along with climate change is being explored more in-depth with the process of water desalination. The process of desalination uses the technology of reverse osmosis with large tanks full of sand filter impurities from seawater along with several hundred steel tubes with special membranes. The industry is expected to grow more in plant sizing in the next 5 to 10 years, but there are several obstacles that are still standing in the way such as costs and the brine remains and what will be most environmentally friendly options. More details on this topic can be read in this New York Times article. Reverse Osmosis is an excellent option for water filtration and can be a product used in your homes as well. If this system is something you would like to learn more about, contact Reynolds Water and a specialist would be happy to answer all of your questions.
Get Ready for Exceptional Water Quality
Have you recently woken up and found that your shower faucet is making strange noises? Or maybe your sink is spewing brownish, grey material? When is the last time your water system was replaced? Now may be the time!
Beat the rush of holiday happenings! With Thanksgiving and Christmas around the corner, now is the time to get your house in order before the houseguests arrive. Reynolds Water Conditioning Company has been providing quality water treatment solutions, system repairs, and tune-ups for over 85 years. Let us help you improve your water quality.
Reynolds’s Soft Stream High-Efficiency Water Softener is a great system in being an efficient iron removal softener with many unique features. It is fully automatic and programmable for any water quality and has no wearing parts in water to assure a long, dependable life as well as a non-prorated 10-year guarantee. After installation and setup, the SoftStream HE softener will alert you when you’re running low on salt/potassium chloride in the storage tank. Another benefit is the self-programming microprocessor that can help you monitor your water intake and help you save money. The Reynolds SoftStream HE Water system automatically monitors how much water you use each day over a period of four weeks and averages it out. For example, if you use more water on the weekends and on “laundry day”, the waterflow will be maximized while pressure loss minimized. It’s an easy way to be environmentally conscious and lower your water costs for your home or business.
Reynolds Water Conditioning Co. provides exceptional water solutions you so desire. Check out their website to view all the products and services they offer.
Why We’re Likely to See More Water Alerts for Lead
In the wake of the Flint water crisis, former Governor Snyder and Governor Whitmer of Michigan put into place the strictest regulations for lead in drinking water across the nation. While the state has until 2040 to replace underground lead service lines that connect water lines to homes and buildings – the goal to reduce lead “action levels” from 15 parts per billion to 12, the federal limit takes time. Previously, Michigan only required testing on the first liter drawn. Now, our regulations require testing the fifth liter as well, which will expectedly detect more lead in our water.
To read more on this original news article click here