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EXAMPLE: What's a "DBP" and why does it matter?

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EXAMPLE: What's a "DBP" and why does it matter?

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"DBP" stands for "disinfection by product", and is a class of contaminants that form when disinfection chemicals, like chlorine, interact with other elements in a water matrix, like organic and inorganic compounds. Some DBPs can have harmful health effects, like increased risk of cancer. Here's some more information: https://doh.wa.gov/community-and-environment/drinking-water/disinfection/disinfection-byproducts

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What are disinfection byproducts and how are they formed? Water systems add chlorine to drinking water to kill or inactivate harmful organisms in a process called “disinfection.” During this process, chlorine also reacts with naturally occurring organic matter that may be present in drinking water.…

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I couldn't find this... they only say it's above the secondary standard.

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It is on Lake Mendota Drive near eagle heights.

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How do disinfectant by-products get into the water?

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How do disinfectant by-products get into the water?

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It can get into drinking water when treatment facilities use chlorine to clean the ground water.

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What are normal concentrations of calcium and magnesium in drinking water?

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What are normal concentrations of calcium and magnesium in drinking water?

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Calcium and magnesium concentrations vary around the country but typically seem to be around 50-200 ppm. This interested me because the water in Madison is much harder with around 300 ppm.

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What can college students do to reduce the amount of minerals (like calcium) in their water?

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What can college students do to reduce the amount of minerals (like calcium) in their water?

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Something as simple as a brita filter can help filter out some of the minerals.

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What is a Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS)

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What is a Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS)

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Polyfluoroalkyl substances are a group of synthetic organofluorine chemical compounds that have multiple fluorine atoms attached to an alkyl chain. Found in fast food packaging, non-stick pans, fire extinguishers, shampoo, pesticides, and paints.

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Why is a house serviced by multiple wells, with varying percentages? 

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Why is a house serviced by multiple wells, with varying percentages? 

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I couldn't find a great source for this, but could probably be attributed to the fact that wells might undergo maintenance from time to time.

The percentages seems to be generally based on proximity to the well when looking at the well map.

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What is the standard for hardness levels in water and why is it important?

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What is the standard for hardness levels in water and why is it important?

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Hardness levels of water should not exceed 120-170 mg/L. High hardness levels in water can raise energy required to heat water, reduce life of equipment, and clog pipes. It can also cause damage to hair and skin.

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Although the population of madison has increased our water usage seems to have decreased since the year 2000.

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How has water usage changed over the past 50 years in madison?

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How has water usage changed over the past 50 years in madison?

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What effect does exposure to radionuclides have on humans?

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What effect does exposure to radionuclides have on humans?

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Radionuclides cause cancer. Via oral exposure, they are known to cause bone, head, and nasal passage tumors, and via inhalation exposure, they are known to cause lung cancer.

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Why do we need more than one well going to a house?

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Why do we need more than one well going to a house?

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It is smart to have more than one well going to a house in case one of the breaks down or becomes contaminated in some way.

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Why are some well's sodium levels so high?

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Why are some well's sodium levels so high?

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Runoff from road treatment can affect sodium levels in well water. High sodium levels in the water is not a large health risk

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The wells appear to be filtered chemically on the site of the wells. They use a small amount if chlorine to kill pathogens. Additionally, fluoride is added. Even after this process, the tap water is still "hard".

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VOC stands for volatile organic compounds. These are compounds that have a high vapor pressure at room temperature.

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How can iron and manganese be removed from the water?

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How can iron and manganese be removed from the water?

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My well had intermediate levels of iron and manganese so I wanted to know how they could be removed. I found that they are most often treated using a water softening process (ion exchange).

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Drilled wells are generally made of steel or PVC, not concrete.

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What effects does the hardness of Madison water have on humans?

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What effects does the hardness of Madison water have on humans?

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- Madison water is considered very hard (20 grains per gallon)
- This can cause dry skin and hair leading to an itchy scalp if you wash your hair often
- Your skins PH can be affected weakening your skins barrier against bacteria and infections
- drinking hard water can cause stomach issues like indigestion and discomfort

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is there a safe amount of radionuclides for humans?

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is there a safe amount of radionuclides for humans?

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Basically no, there is no safe amount of radiation, our well had a detection of 4.8pCi/L when the maximum is 5pCi/L, which is concerning

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What are radionuclides and why do they matter?

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What are radionuclides and why do they matter?

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Well 27 is very close to max allowable radionuclides- they are radioactive particles that expose you to radiation but can be filtered out (preferably by reverse osmosis

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Why are there different contaminants in different wells from the same aquifer? 

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Why are there different contaminants in different wells from the same aquifer? 

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There are different local contaminants, and it all depends on the soil chemistry and materials that the well is made out of. It also depends on the depth of the well.

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Differences in Hardness depending on well location. 

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Differences in Hardness depending on well location. 

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The richness of calcium in our water is likely due to the large dairy industry in Wisconsin.

https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=&ved=2ahUKEwja_YPBzIyCAxXeuYkEHTokAkwQFnoECBoQAQ&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.hydroflow-usa.com%2Fwisconsin-water-hardness&usg=AOvVaw2yCvZlqJyzw2d7JnTwVFw2&opi=89978449

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Water Quality in the State of Wisconsin

Wisconsin has an abundance of water that comes from 4 main Aquifers, 15,000 lakes and 32,000 miles of rivers and streams. The vast majority of Wisconsin's public water systems rely on groundwater pumped from wells. However, 56 public water systems use surface water from lakes to provide drinking water to their customers. These surface water systems serve some of the state's largest communities, including Milwaukee and Green Bay. So, while more than 99 percent of the state's public water systems use groundwater sources, surface water systems serve almost one-third of the state's population.

Water Hardness by City

Wisconsin water is considered moderately hard. The average water hardness for the Wisconsin resident is around 158 PPM. The highest hard water number comes from Madison with 350 PPM, the city with the softest water is Wausau with 90 PPM. Green Bay, has a water hardness level of 130 PPM, a moderately hard number, according to the USGS water hardness page.

For more information on water hardness in specific cities, please see the table below.

City

Water Hardness Data

90 PPM (mg/L) or 5 gpg

PPM = Parts Per Million

mg/L = Milligrams Per Liter

gpg = Grains Per Gallon

Dairy Industry and Hard Water

Wisconsin is an integral part of the United States dairy market and is the top cheese producer in the country. Today, Wisconsin is home to more than one million dairy cows and a growing segment of goats and sheep. Dairy production is by far the largest agricultural sector in the state, generating $43.4 billion annually for Wisconsin's economy.

As a great deal of Wisconsin has water rich in calcium (the primary source of water hardness), many dairy farms and food process plants can experience issues related to scale buildup in their milking and processing equipment, due to large quantities of water flow every day. Also, there is a greater need for waste and chemical control which may lead many farmers to look for eco-friendly solutions that can provide quality protection at a cheaper cost.

Solutions to your Water Quality Problems

Fixing your water quality issues in the state of Wisconsin will depend on your specific water source. It is best to test your potable water supply in order to get a better understanding of your water quality. Testing is relatively cheap. The test results will allow you to understand if your potable water has issues that need to be addressed. Common solutions to water contamination problems may include a water filtration system, a reverse osmosis system or other whole home water treatment solutions.

A problem that almost all Wisconsin residents will have to deal with is hard water. One old-fashioned, inefficient, expensive and unhealthy method to treat hard water is with a salt-based water softener. Most people don't realize that if you're using a water softener you are basically removing calcium and magnesium from your drinking water and adding salt to your diet.In addition, many states are banning the use of salt-based water softeners.

Alternative water treatment solutions such as "water conditioners" have been gaining popularity in recent years because they are cheap to operate and the best eco-friendly solution for hard water. Hydropath technology, which powers the HydroFLOW water conditioners is by far the most efficient and cost-effective eco-friendly solution to deal with hard water problems. To learn more about how HydroFLOW solves the problems created by hard water, please check out our technology page. ou might want to read this blog that explains the difference between water conditioners and water softeners: Water Conditioner vs. Water Softener Blog.

For more information, please contact HydroFLOW Midwest

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Water hardness in the state of Wisconsin including major metro areas and cities

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Why did the house 2 blocks away from me have a different main well?

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Why did the house 2 blocks away from me have a different main well?

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I was unable to find an answer in the time given, however the houses were built 10 years apart which could contribute. We also had all of the same wells, but different percentages from each well. This is something I would want to further look into.

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My well produces around 343mg/L of CaCO3. I am shocked. I searched the national map and some places like Washington have less carbonate in their water. Is there a specific reason?

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Hardness of Water | U.S. Geological Survey

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In scientific terms, water hardness is generally the amount of dissolved calcium and magnesium in water. But in layman's terms, you may notice water hardness when your hands still feel slimy after washing with soap and water, or when your drinking glasses at home become less than crystal clear.

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What are the effects of chromium? I found that high levels of chromium can contribute to an increased risk of acute gastroenteritis, increased risk of the development of asthma, skin and eye irritation, and kidney and liver damage.

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They are gases emitted into the air by products or processes. They can be harmful if they react with other gases or some are harmful by themselves.

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How does the Radium in the water effect us and what exactly is picocuries (The measurement of radium)?

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How does the Radium in the water effect us and what exactly is picocuries (The measurement of radium)?

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I couldn't completely find an answer to my question, but I did find that overtime it decays into Radon gas which is our most common consumption of Radiation from the natural world. I am still very curious how much a picocurie is.

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For municipal wells, most of the time drilling techniques are used to access deep aquifers.

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Q: Why don't the well reports give numbers for lead concentrations?

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Q: Why don't the well reports give numbers for lead concentrations?

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It is pretty much up to property owners to determine if there are unsafe levels from the Water Utility website. I guess insignificant levels are good enough for us.

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How Does Elevated Sodium Content in Water Affect Health?

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How Does Elevated Sodium Content in Water Affect Health?

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Elevated Sodium levels are not a great health concern for most, but can affect people suffering from hypertension, congestive heart failure, or those on a restrictive low-sodium diet.

Sodium can only be harmful in these cases when the concentration exceeds 20mg/L.

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How big of a concern is radium in drinking water?

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How big of a concern is radium in drinking water?

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Well 27 has been found to have a combined radium amount of 2.3-4.3 pCi/L, which is not far off from the maximum contaminant limit of 5.0 pCi. There is no safe level of radium, but the MCL set by the EPA is well below the amount that is detrimental to human tissue. However, if a source of water exceeds this MCL, the water treatment facility in question will be required to take steps to remove some radium from the water source.

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Most of the private wells in Illinois draw their well water from aquifers that are much shallower than those used by public water supplies. Most shallow aquifers do not contain higher levels of radium. However, radium has been found in some private and public wells. Radium cannot be seen, tasted, or smelled in your drinking water. Unless your private water supply has been tested for radium, you should not assume your water is radium-free. All public water supplies are tested regularly for radium.

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What Is Radium? Radium (Ra) is a naturally occurring radioactive element that is present in varying amounts in rocks and soil within the earth's crust. Small amounts of radium also can be found in groundwater supplies. Radium can be present in several forms, called isotopes.

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one trillionth of a curie, a curie is a unit of radioactivity.

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Are municipal wells visible above ground?

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Are municipal wells visible above ground?

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There were a lot of different types of wells on the internet. I'm not sure exactly which one is the correct type.

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A picocurie is one trillionth of a curie. A curie is a non-Si unit of radioactivity in units of becquerel (Bq). It was named after Pierre Curie.

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Why was the concentration of lead listed as "not containing significant amounts" while other contaminants are listed as having a concentration of zero?

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Why was the concentration of lead listed as "not containing significant amounts" while other contaminants are listed as having a concentration of zero?

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The water utility of Madison website stated on a separate page that it is up to the property owners to determine the concentration of lead in their pipes because the lead would likely come from pipe corrosion and not from the groundwater itself.

Interestingly, there seems to be no easy way to quickly test for lead in water. Most tests involve having a professional come in and take the test instead of having a quick at home test.

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What is a picocurie (in relation to radionuclides)?

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What is a picocurie (in relation to radionuclides)?

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Measures disintegrations per minute. My well had 2.5 picocuries/L, which is about the average for background environmental levels and half of the standard (5 pCi/L).

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Why do wells have different yearly flows?

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Why do wells have different yearly flows?

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Difference in demand near the well and ease of tapping into the aquifer

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Radionuclides are radioactive radium and uranium found in water. Pump 27 is contaminated between a range of 2.3 to 4.8 pCi/L. Extremely close to the maximum range of 5pCi/L. How should these be removed from my drinking water?

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Does the distance from well to the place you live make significant impact on how containment your water is?

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Does the distance from well to the place you live make significant impact on how containment your water is?

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Fluoridation of tap water was first practiced in 1945. It was found to reduce cavities in schoolchildren. Because of this and subsequent studies on children's dental benefits, it was accepted and adopted by neighboring states and soon other countries in the mid-late 20th century. Recent data over the decades since has shown a decrease in cavities since fluoridation, but countries with non-fluoridated water also had decreasing rates of cavities. Fluoridation has also proven to not reduce cavities in adults.

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How much lead is needed to be considered a "significant amount"

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How much lead is needed to be considered a "significant amount"

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15 ppb is the standard needed before it becomes dangerous is what I found