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The busy holiday season is well under way which leads us to a new year. Remember to spend time with loved ones and cherish the moments you have with them. Merry Christmas from all of us at A & L Laboratory.
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3rd Annual Toys For Tots Toy Drive
AND
Polar Express Free Movie Morning
Was A HUGE Success!!!
We had another amazing year at the Polar Express Free Movie Morning - Toys for Tots Toy Drive! We filled 5 boxes of toys for children in Maine this Christmas. We also raised over $500 in cash donations and raffle ticket sales that will be used to buy even more toys in the coming weeks. We are still accepting toy donations at our office until December 7th, if you were unable to attend our event!
We look forward to seeing everyone again next year and plan to have even more theaters open for the show!
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pH and Alkalinity in Drinking Water
pH is simply a measure of the concentration of hydrogen ions
, and is short for "potential of hydrogen." The higher a liquid's pH, the fewer free hydrogen ions it has; the lower its pH, the more free hydrogen ions it has. It measures how acidic or alkaline a substance is on a scale of 0-14. For example, something with a pH of 1 would be very acidic, and something with a pH of 13 would be very alkaline.
Natural water on our planet ranges in pH from 6.5 to 8.5, depending on surrounding soil and vegetation, seasonal variations and weather, and even time of day responses to sunlight. Human activities further influence the pH of our water, from the barrage of toxic industrial pollutants.
The alkalinity of water may be defined as its capacity to neutralize acid and means that the pH is greater than 7. High alkalinity is good to have in our drinking water because it keeps the water safe for us to drink. The amount of alkalinity that should be in our water is 20-200 mg/L for typical drinking water. Alkalinity is basically dissolved minerals in the water that help neutralize the water we drink.
Alkalinity of natural water is determined by the soil and bedrock through which it passes. The main sources for natural alkalinity are rocks which contain carbonate, bicarbonate, and hydroxide compounds. Borates, silicates, and phosphates also may contribute to alkalinity. Limestone is rich in carbonates, so waters flowing through limestone regions or bedrock
containing carbonates generally have high alkalinity.
Drinking too much alkaline water, or drinking water with a high pH, may disrupt the body's normal pH. This can lead to a condition called metabolic alkalosis, which may cause confusion, nausea, vomiting, hand tremors, muscle twitching, and tingling in the face, hands or feet.
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In short, a watershed is a precipitation collector. It is an area of land that drains all the streams and rainfall to a common outlet such as the outflow of a reservoir, mouth of a bay, or any point along a stream channel. It is also the land area where water soaks through the Earth filling an underground water supply called an aquifer.
Water is a universal solvent, affected by all that it comes in contact with: the land it passes over, and the soils through which it travels. The important thing about watersheds is: what we do on the land affects water quality for all communities living downstream.
Flooding can easily cause contamination when water enters the watershed too quickly for the land to absorb it. This can happen from rapid snow melt, severe thunderstorms, tropical storms, and other high precipitation events. As the water runs over and through the watershed it picks up and carries contaminants and soil. Contaminants consist of pesticides, fertilizers, detergents, oil spills, litter, and sediments that are on the ground. When a watershed gets contaminated it can adversely affect human health.
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A & L Laboratory, a Division of Granite State Analytical Services | 207-784-5354 | [email protected] | www.allaboratory.com
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