The 111th Congress has passed an amendment to the Safe Drinking Water Act which creates a federal limit of 0.25% for the maximum lead content of any plumbing component used for potable water intended for human consumption that is smaller than 2″ in diameter. I think that the intent of this bill is good, but it really doesn’t do more than make people feel good and cause a massive increase in the cost of delivered components, especially brass which is very difficult and costly to machine when the lead levels drop that low. Municipal distribution piping is a greater source of lead than the fixtures themselves, and should be addressed as a much higher priority. This bill will become effective in 2013, so expect an influx of high-lead components from China over the next year or two.
Tag: wqa
Salt Lake City’s water unsafe, according to EWG
I read this article in the Salt Lake Tribune this morning… The EWG is drawing attention to the presence of Hexavalent Chromium in water supplies nation-wide. Yes, this is an important issue, but one can’t react emotionally to information like this and we certainly don’t need more federal regulation. Since less than 1% of municipally supplied water is actually consumed by humans, why should the other 99% be treated to “drinking” water levels? It just doesn’t make sense!
Lead in Washington DC’s water
I read this article in the Washington Post today. It again highlights the importance of homeowners taking responsibility for their own drinking water quality. It is very interesting to note that the CDC falsified test data, and that the use of chloramine exacerbated the lead problem. The US recession has only made things worse for water utilities who continue to be help to extremely high standards with limited operating budgets.
American children are not drinking enough water because it doesn’t taste good
Regardless of how SAFE your tap water is, people won’t drink it if it tastes bad. Many homeowners resort to expensive filter pitchers, or refrigerator filters, but the smart money is on using point of use (POU) or point of entry (POE) water filtration and, purification systems.
Deceptive Sales Practices in Nevada
If you purport yourself to be a water treatment expert/professional, you shouldn’t want to or need to do anything illegal or unethical to make your sale. Soft water is one of the few “luxuries” a homeowner can buy that are actually extremely beneficial, and can often pay for themselves tangibly (soap, energy, appliance savings) in addition to the intangibly “lifestyle benefits” that we all understand like improved aesthetics in the home, time savings and peace of mind.
President’s panel on cancer recommends drinking water filters
America has some of the cleanest, safest, and cheapest municipal water in the world. With an average of less than 2% of all municipal water being used for human consumption it is unfeasible and ridiculously expensive to try to treat ALL municipal water to human consumption standards. The most logical option is to enable homeowners to use Point of Entry (POE) and Point of Use (POU) water treatment technologies to cost-effectively improve their water to the standard that they deserve.