WHOA!!! ...and we're concerned about water quality for our plants?

[moogiemama]

Thanks Ray. I got the feeling that others thought I was bashing the chemical industry when in fact I was just stating that it's a problem from every facet of life. The businesses here who dumped illegally are in the electronics industry and some of their contractors. They have recently paid to have water piped in from the Hudson River because the amount of water they need is beyond what their wells can provide without the drawdown affecting the local residents. The other site dumped a cleaning solvent into the ground for years and the DEC wanted to remove their name from the contamination list. Further tests showed that the solvent had spread into the aquifer and the plume was moving in a direction no one had anticipated. It wasn't the chemical companies, but the others using the products and then not properly disposing of it. As I said before, the things we did many years ago and never gave a second thought to are coming back to haunt us. One of the worst contaminants to the streams and rivers is fertilizer. And my area was a farming community for hundreds of years. Who knew?

[moogiemama]

Jim, as you can see from what I posted to Ray, I think maybe I was misunderstood with my observations. I have never blamed the chemical industry itself - many of the problems we are confronted with today are the direct result of improper handling by others who either by ignorance or convenience, did the wrong thing. And who'd think that common practices years ago would be creating havoc today? The gas stations who had leaking tanks caused so many problems, not the gas/additives themselves. I see the whole picture! But it has become too easy to blame the product itself and not those truly responsible.

[cupcake]

Ah but beer is made with water!

[moogiemama]

When we were in France about 25 years ago, there was a bumper sticker on one of those teeny tiny cars they drive over there which said, " The water is polluted. Drink wine". Sounds good to me!

[Ray]

That's actually how I developed a taste for wine.

When I was 10, we moved over to England, and while on the continent, it was customary for kids to drink a water/wine mix (supposedly the alcohol killed whatever was living in the water).

[moogiemama]

Ray, the French do the same thing with their kids - make a wine/water mix. I don't believe I ever saw them give the true strength to the youngsters, though. I remember my dad wanted us to learn to appreciate wine and would make us wine spritzers. Had nothing to do with polluted water!

[Ray]

That's exactly where I began.

We had a bit of a break at home (near Windsor). My dad worked out of the US Embassy, which had a wine cellar for employees - very important, you know. ANY bottle was $1. (Your tax dollars at work)

[Oldguypops]

$1 wine?? And how do we go about applying for that job??

Thanks for the info Ray. It is a sad fact, and there isn't a whole lot we can do about it now. We can stop future contaminations, but what is in the ground already we have to live with.
I wonder if they make home filters that will remove that caca from the water. Will a R/O unit do that?

[calvin_orchidL]

Apparently a similar study was done up here in the north and similar findings were observed (just saw this in today's paper): CTV Toronto- Study finds traces of medicine in Ontario water - CTV News, Shows and Sports -- Canadian Television

[Ray]

Chris - Yes, RO units will remove a very high percentage of dissolved species from the water.

Some organics can work their way through (if the molecules are small enough), but that's why most systems have at least one activated charcoal filter each before- and after the membrane.

If I was in a polluted-water region, I'd simply make it a 5-stage, rather than standard 4-stage RO unit, as it adds a second carbon prefilter to the mix.