M5.4 Blog about your CCR & water quality
Answer the following questions:
What is the source of your drinking water?
According to SF Water, San Francisco gets 85% of our water from the Hetch Hetchy watershed. The rest of our water comes from the Alameda and Peninsula watersheds. In April 2017, SF also started using groundwater from the Westside Groundwater Basin aquifer.
Where does your water ORIGINATE? (It is treated at a water treatment plant, but what watershed or aquifer is the sources of the water?)
The Hetch Hetchy watershed.
What chemicals were found in your water that were higher than expected?
Most of the chemicals listed were well under the maximum contaminant level goal or the maximum contaminant level. However, I was surprised to know that byproducts of disinfection were still found in the water, like haloacetic acids. I also saw that even though the range for Giardia lamblia was <0-0.11, I thought it was a bit scary because it was still detected.
What chemicals did you NOT expect to find in your water?
I didn't think about copper being in the water (range <1-84). I also thought that the pH level was more alkaline than expected (9.4).
Are there associated health risks with the chemicals found in your water? (sources for this last question include the EPA, CDC, ATSDR and the National Library of Medicine's ToxNet program.
Trihalomethanes and haloacetic acids (both byproducts of disinfection) are associated with bladder cancer and adverse reproductive effects, according to the CDC. Lead and copper are both known to cause health related problems from the gastrointestinal system to the nervous system.
BLOG about your water quality
Where does your water come from? The source! Track it from the source to your tap.
Water comes from the Hetch Hetchy Reservoir. Snowmelt flows down the Tuolumne River, and is exempt from filtration by the USEPA because it exceeds safe drinking water requirements. The water flows from the reservoir down all the way to San Francisco by way of gravity.
What did you discover about your water quality?
According to these sources, my water quality is actually really good compared to other places in the US. Even though it is not filtered, it is still disinfected by means of ultraviolet light and chlorine. The pH is also adjusted, and it is fluoridated as well as chloraminated.
Do you use a filter for your water? What are you trying to filter out?
While SF water is supposed to be great (there are even many public water fountains around the City), I still use a filter. Even though water is treated, it can never be "clean." There will always be something in the water, even if it is below levels that can cause harm.
Do you drink bottled water? How does this square with what you learned when you watched the Story of Bottled Water (see next exercise)?
I only drink bottled water when necessary - like when I am traveling in a foreign country or forget my reusable water bottle. I have been aware of how much waste bottle water produces, so I have since tried my best to stay away from it. The Story of Bottle Water only enforced this practice.
References
https://www.cdc.gov/pictureofamerica/pdfs/picture_of_america_drinking_water.pdf
https://www.epa.gov/dwreginfo/lead-and-copper-rule
http://sfwater.org/index.aspx?page=554
http://sfwater.org/index.aspx?page=634
What is the source of your drinking water?
According to SF Water, San Francisco gets 85% of our water from the Hetch Hetchy watershed. The rest of our water comes from the Alameda and Peninsula watersheds. In April 2017, SF also started using groundwater from the Westside Groundwater Basin aquifer.
Where does your water ORIGINATE? (It is treated at a water treatment plant, but what watershed or aquifer is the sources of the water?)
The Hetch Hetchy watershed.
What chemicals were found in your water that were higher than expected?
Most of the chemicals listed were well under the maximum contaminant level goal or the maximum contaminant level. However, I was surprised to know that byproducts of disinfection were still found in the water, like haloacetic acids. I also saw that even though the range for Giardia lamblia was <0-0.11, I thought it was a bit scary because it was still detected.
What chemicals did you NOT expect to find in your water?
I didn't think about copper being in the water (range <1-84). I also thought that the pH level was more alkaline than expected (9.4).
Are there associated health risks with the chemicals found in your water? (sources for this last question include the EPA, CDC, ATSDR and the National Library of Medicine's ToxNet program.
Trihalomethanes and haloacetic acids (both byproducts of disinfection) are associated with bladder cancer and adverse reproductive effects, according to the CDC. Lead and copper are both known to cause health related problems from the gastrointestinal system to the nervous system.
BLOG about your water quality
Where does your water come from? The source! Track it from the source to your tap.
Water comes from the Hetch Hetchy Reservoir. Snowmelt flows down the Tuolumne River, and is exempt from filtration by the USEPA because it exceeds safe drinking water requirements. The water flows from the reservoir down all the way to San Francisco by way of gravity.
What did you discover about your water quality?
According to these sources, my water quality is actually really good compared to other places in the US. Even though it is not filtered, it is still disinfected by means of ultraviolet light and chlorine. The pH is also adjusted, and it is fluoridated as well as chloraminated.
Do you use a filter for your water? What are you trying to filter out?
While SF water is supposed to be great (there are even many public water fountains around the City), I still use a filter. Even though water is treated, it can never be "clean." There will always be something in the water, even if it is below levels that can cause harm.
Do you drink bottled water? How does this square with what you learned when you watched the Story of Bottled Water (see next exercise)?
I only drink bottled water when necessary - like when I am traveling in a foreign country or forget my reusable water bottle. I have been aware of how much waste bottle water produces, so I have since tried my best to stay away from it. The Story of Bottle Water only enforced this practice.
References
https://www.cdc.gov/pictureofamerica/pdfs/picture_of_america_drinking_water.pdf
https://www.epa.gov/dwreginfo/lead-and-copper-rule
http://sfwater.org/index.aspx?page=554
http://sfwater.org/index.aspx?page=634
I didn't expect there to be copper in water either. San Francisco seems to have much better water than where I live. Its good that you try to limit your water bottle usage as much as possible. Sometimes were stuck drinking it but reducing usage is super helpful.
ReplyDeleteI have heard that the metals in the water effect garden productivity because of it and they sell water filtration systems that connect to the garden hose to decrease the amount of chlorine in the water. I also know the water agencies are only required to test for certain water chemicals, and not all of them. So when they test they are only looking for specific ones. I think that is a dangerous practice.
ReplyDelete