Ever wonder if your water is safe to drink?

 

That will seem like a silly question to some, or perhaps even one of those sky-is-falling warnings by others.  But the fact is, much of the water in this country has become irreversibly polluted by our cavalier attitude toward what goes in our sewers and septics.

 

Much of this country’s water is no longer fit to drink, or to be more accurate, is not healthy to drink.  We’ve unwittingly polluted our water supplies with a wide variety of chemicals, many of those unregulated and all still present when the water arrives at your house.  The problem originates with the fact that we use our water both as a waste disposal system and as the source of our drinking water.  

 

Have you ever taken your daily vitamins and later urinated and then wondered when you see that bright yellow color in the toilet?  Well, vitamins are only one small example of what’s found in our water today.  The exact same thing happens with pharmaceuticals, such as hormones or prozac, and caffeine. Household cleaners,  detergents and other common chemicals also end up in our water.  Other even larger sources of pollutants are the herbicides and pesticides applied to lawns or farm fields or the chemicals discharged by industries which then flow into surface waters used as a water source by downstream residents.  Even groundwater sources have become contaminated, though to a lesser extent, by continued application of chemical treatments to the land that serves as its recharge area.

 

In the past, dilution was thought to be the solution to pollution, that meager acronym has become outdated and we now face serious challenges with hundreds of chemicals in water we still consider safe.  Traditional water treatment methods used by public agencies are intended only to rid the water of dangerous microorganisms such as coliform bacteria.  Typically the poison chlorine or chloramine is added to kill bacteria.

 In recent years we’ve discovered that when chlorine reacts with other ingredients in water it creates by-products such as the trihalomethanes and Haloacetic acids, both known carcinogens in themselves.  Chlorine itself is harmful to the human body and may be both ingested either when drinking water or in the shower or inhaled when it converts to a gas in the shower.  

 

What we’ve created is a situation in which any water coming to you, the consumer, from a public agency is unhealthy.  I make that statement and you can hold me to it.  Most traditional water providers will either take exception to that comment or refuse to say anything, but I stand on my statement.  Water provided by a public agency is unhealthy if left untreated.  

 

My comments are not meant as some negative critique of water supply agencies.  Rather, they are meant to be interpreted for what they are: a stark realization of what we’ve inadvertently done to our water supplies.  It is impossible for water agencies to treat for the hundreds of chemicals now present or potentially present.

 

Personally, I’d rather drink well water these days if you’re lucky enough to have a source that tastes good, is contaminant free, or can be treated effectively at a minimal expense.  Many people who contact me are worried about their well water but the ground does have act as a filter as water percolates through various layers until it reaches your aquifer.  Shallow wells are more likely to be contaminated by poorly functioning septics and or land use activities such as herbicide or pesticide applications or chemical spills.

 

Just as the water softener became a household item in the 50s, water purification systems will become commonplace in the coming years.  If you want to drink water that is healthy, that is cleansed of contaminants, you have to treat it yourself.  

 

If you’re considering treatment the place to begin is to know what’s in your water.

 In order to aid my clients in determining their needs, I’ve written my Ultimate Guide to Selecting the Perfect Water Treatment System.  Though it sells for 14.95, I’ve made it available to readers of Hummer Country for FREE for a limited time only.  

 

You may access the Guide here: http://www.cleanairpurewater.net  It will be delivered to you with a link by email and followed by an email series called: Five Steps to Pure Water.  

 

The purpose of my Ultimate Guide is to walk you through the steps of discovering:

 

√ what’s in your water,

 

√ setting goals for your family,

 

√ determining the location of treatment,

 

√ avoiding the mistakes other people make,

 

√ and learning what treatments you need…

 

to meet your family’s goals and eliminate the contaminants in your water.  I facilitate a process that enables you to know with certainty what treatment system best fits your needs.  If you follow the steps in my Guide, you will achieve healthy water in your home.  By the way, everything I’ve said above, is documented with sources in my Guide.

About the Author:

Jim McMahon is an Ecologist with over 30 years of experience.  He works from his home overlooking a lovely headwaters trout stream in Brookside, Utah aiding people achieve healthy water in their homes.