Welcome to our May Newsletter |
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This is a great time of the year to clear around your well head. Remove leaves, branches, long grass, and other debris that could have an impact on your well. |
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In this Edition
Microplastics In Drinking Water
Desalination
Nitrate and Nitrite in Drinking Water
Industry News
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Microplastics In Drinking Water |
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Microplastics are generated in several ways: Polyethylene microbeads used in toothpastes, facial scrubs and other personal-care products because many water-treatment facilities are unable to filter them out. Plastic garbage that is put into the ocean, wave action and sunlight can weaken large items and break them into ever-smaller fragments. Some microplastic material is dust from construction or industrial processes that’s carried to the ocean by wind or water.
All of these tiny plastic particles wouldn’t be a problem if they quickly broke down into simpler chemical forms, but plastic molecules are very resilient and could remain intact to threaten the environment for thousands of years. Microplastics have been shown to absorb toxic chemicals linked to cancer and other illnesses, and then release them when consumed by fish and mammals. More research is needed to determine the health effects, if any, on human ingestion.
In 2015, congress passed the Microbead-Free Waters Act. This bill prohibits the manufacturing, packaging, and distribution of rinse-off cosmetics containing plastic microbeads. The law also applies to products that are both cosmetics and non-prescription drugs, such as toothpastes. This is a step in the right direction to help reduce and eventually eliminate these microplastics from entering our drinking water supplies.
Plastic has brought many benefits to society, from packaging materials and cutlery to plastic appliances and medical devices, but it is clear that the way we use and dispose of plastic has resulted in the widespread occurrence of microplastics in the environment.
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The process of desalination is the removal of minerals from saline water. Most often it is the removal of salts from ocean water, to create fresh drinking water. The interest in desalination technologies is growing due to the fact that there is insufficient fresh water to meet the daily drinking and sanitation needs for everyone on the planet. There are over 13,000 desalination plants worldwide producing more than 12 billion gallons of water a day, but still only producing 0.2% of global water consumption.
Desalination is one of the few rain independent water resources that are available today. Water intake is filtered through gravel, sand, and other media to greatly reduce particulates before going through reverse osmosis filtration. Half of the saltwater taken into the plant is converted into pure potable water and the rest is discharged as concentrated brine which is anywhere from 20% to 50% higher in salt than seawater. Most desalination plants discharge water with about 50% extra salt, which can lead to dead spots in the ocean, because the super-saline brine doesn't mix well with seawater. However, there are other ways to dispose of brine waste including, but not limited to, deep well injection, sewer discharge, and used as irrigation water.
Reverse osmosis is the same technology used in wells to remove minerals and heavy metals from well water, such as arsenic and uranium. It is uncertain which states in the U.S. will create desalination plants to diversify their water portfolios, but it is likely that there will be many. States in warmer climates, with access to seawater and the tax dollars to support a desalination plant will have to consider this option if water sources start to decline.
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Nitrate and Nitrite in Drinking Water |
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Nitrate and nitrite are naturally occurring nitrogen-oxygen chemical units that combine with various organic and inorganic compounds. They are essential nutrients for plants, which absorb them from soil, fertilizers, and other organic matter. The excess nitrates not used by the plants are carried through the soil to ground water in a process called “leaching.” Once in water, they remain there until used by plants or another organism or removed by water treatment techniques.
Nitrate in water is undetectable without testing because it is colorless, odorless, and tasteless. If you decide to test your water and the report shows a presence of nitrates, you should use bottled water for drinking and cooking–especially if you have an “at risk” family member (infant, pregnant, or elderly). Keep in mind that boiling your water will not get rid of nitrates. The concentration of nitrates will increase with boiling. This happens because evaporation will reduce the amount of water present creating a higher concentration of nitrate.
There are generally three accepted methods for removing nitrates in water: reverse osmosis (RO), ion exchange, and distillation. In the reverse osmosis process, pressure is applied to water to force it through a semi-permeable membrane. As the water passes through, the membrane filters most impurities. Ion exchange, on the other hand, will use special anion exchange resins that exchange chloride ions for nitrate and sulfate ions in the water as it passes through the resin. Finally, distillation involves heating the water to boiling by means of a metal coil. Water without nitrate is obtained by collecting the steam that is released and condensing it.
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has adopted the 10 mg/L standard as the maximum contaminant level (MCL) for nitrate-nitrogen and 1 mg/L for nitrite-nitrogen for regulated public water systems. Subsequent reviews of this standard have not resulted in any changes.
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NEWS THROUGHOUT OUR INDUSTRY |
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