Safe Drinking Water

Question: How can we work together to ensure everyone has access to safe drinking water? Clean water is a necessity for life. More than a billion people don't have access to safe drinking water. How can we work together to fix this?

Answer: Safe drinking water is so basic to life, but the solution will involve much. My pipes froze a few days ago and my father asked, "How will you brush your teeth?" I reminded him that I had lived in a village in Africa for over 3 years as a Peace Corps Volunteer and that for me, here in America, one evening without water in my home could be readily overcome/resolved. So, to answer your question, I think there are three keys to this solution. 1) Here in America, we need to not take so much for granted. We fret over gas prices, traffic jams, and cell phone interferences, while others struggle with basic day to day matters of life and death. I think we need to get a little more outside of ourselves and reach out with support versus manipulation or force. 2) People living in areas without adequate water need to practice safer habits. The entire village I lived in used the very same river for laundry, bathing, travel, and drinking water. When mothers had their little ones squat to use the river as a toilet, my attempts to teach otherwise were in vain -- education is key. 3) If technology can send folks to the moon and do MRIs, we have the wisdom to build wells and such, but communities MUST buy into it themselves. When things such as wells are just built/paid for instead of being built by a community, it rarely lasts. Simpler is better, because it's easier for a community to realistically maintain. And training must accompany anything new. Methods for boiling, filtering and otherwise treating water must be more wide spread as well.

Question: How do I make sure I'm drinking safe water without wasting any money? What? Bottled water isn't safe? Then how do I know if my tap water from my kitchen faucet is safe? What if I drink it when it turns....brown? I know bottled water is a waste of money and also the plastic and the not passing the federal tests...but... Should I buy a filter? First, let me ask this question, is it safe to drink water from the faucet?

Answer: Of course its safe to drink water from a faucet... unless you live in certain parts of Nebraska and Kansas that have large quantities of nitrates in the water due to fertilizer and pesticide run off. Other than that, tap water is perfectly fine. Have you heard of towns coming down ill due to their water supply lately? No, you haven't, because its fine. If you are that paranoid about it, get a filter for the tap or one that is in a pitcher. Bottled water is a huge waste of money... 25% of bottled water is actually the same water that ends up in peoples taps. Its big business.

Question: Faucet or pitcher water filter guarantees safe drinking tap water? I just moved into an apartment and the water is awful. When it first comes from the faucet, it tastes fine but smells like metal or rust, but then after leaving it out for a while, it tastes metallic. Would getting a faucet or water pitcher filter give me safe drinking water? Should I start buying bottled water instead of a filter? This is in Richardson, TX

Answer: It's probably old pipes that is giving your water that metallic taste - not the water itself. So yes, I would buy bottled water.

Question: How long should I wait for safe drinking water? The water main coming into our house recently broke. We had to repair it (it was too expensive to replace the whole thing right now) and we were wondering how long we needed to wait for the water to be safe to drink again. It was broken for about a week. we would turn the water on at the meter to take showers and clean, but we had to replace a piece of the pipe where it was broken. Most of the dirty look seems to be gone from the water, but I do not know how long I should wait to make sure it is safe. Any ideas?

Answer: The water coming into your house from the municipality is clean and disinfected, and carries a residual disinfectant in it as well. Your best bet is to run your water until it is absolutely clear, to have removed any of the debris caused by the repair. The residual disinfectant should take care of any microbes along the way. If you want to be sure, your local health unit should be able to do a coliform bacteria test for you.

Question: What is the process involved in delivering safe drinking water to mississauga, Ontario? in my chem. STSE i need to determine what mississauga does to their water in order to make it safe for us to drink...whats the treatments...specifically in mississauga... This is in Canada Ontario...most of our water supply comes from the lake of Ontario

Answer: Hi Neena! Mississauga water is safe to drink! The Region of Peel treats its water to prevent contamination and regularly tests its quality including microbiological parameters, inorganic and organic parameters and operational checks. Brampton, Mississauga and Bolton are supplied with water from Lake Ontario. This water is treated at two treatment plants, the Lakeview and Lorne Park Water Treatment Plants, operated under contract for the Region of Peel by the Ontario Clean Water Agency (OCWA). To protect public health, the Ministry of the Environment has established the Ontario Drinking Water Standards (ODWS). These objectives help ensure that water used by the public is free from disease-causing organisms, hazardous amounts of toxic chemicals and radioactive materials. The Region of Peel is proud to report that it has met these standards in 2004. The Region of Peel operates municipal water supply systems in accordance with provincial regulations: ·Analytical tests to monitor water quality are conducted by a laboratory audited by the Canadian Association for Environmental Analytical Laboratories (CAEAL) and accredited by the Standards Council of Canada (SCC). Accreditation ensures that the laboratory has acceptable laboratory protocols and assurances of the proficiency of the analysts performing the tests. ·Operation by Licensed Operators. Competent and licensed staff operates and maintains the water treatment facilities and water distribution systems. Operator certification is regulated under the Ontario Water Resources Act (OWRA) Regulation 435/93. Licensing means that an individual meets the education and experience requirements and has successfully passed certification examinations. ·The Region of Peel adheres to all water sampling and analysis requirements required by the Regulation 170/03 under the Safe Drinking Water Act, the Ontario Drinking Water Standards, Permit-to-take-Water and Certificate of Approval conditions. ·The Region of Peel adheres to Ontario Ministry of the Environment Guidelines and Procedures to ensure the protection of the public health and operational excellence.

Question: The international designation of safe drinking water is the word? The international designation of safe drinking water is the word?

Answer: The only one I can think of is, "potable", but I don't know if it's an international standard. .

Question: Research: The Protocol safe drinking water for first nations ? I need information regarding The Protocol for safe drinking water in first nation communities, i just need a couple of sites regarding this & if so different people's opinions on this. (eg. Government agencies.)

Answer: Safe Drinking Water Foundation http://www.safewater.org/policy/first-nations-drinking-water-policy.html FIRST NATIONS SAFE DRINKING WATER ACT http://www.afn.ca/article.asp?id=3276 Framework for Drinking Water and Wastewater in First Nation Communities http://www.ainc-inac.gc.ca/enr/wtr/h2o/index-eng.asp .

Question: Re drinking water - is filtered rain water safe to drink? We have had unprecedented amounts of rain here in Gloucester, England resulting in the worst flooding in living memory. Now the news is reporting that our water supply has been contaminated and they will need to shut down the purification plant later today. Therefore everyone here is panic buying water and being restricted as to how much they can buy. We have two huge holding tanks of rain water and I wondered if anyone knows whether these would be safe to drink if I first boiled the water, then passed it through a brita filter. I know this seems an excessive response but people here are just making the situation worse by filling up baths, sinks and every available pot, jug and jar and thus making the situation much worse as we will run out of water quicker as a result. I'm quite happy to wash in the water from our tanks once it has been boiled but I do drink a lot of water and just wonder if it's going to be safe!

Answer: i would think if you boiled it and filtered it it would remove all the pollutants that it had pickjed up along the way. Good thinking!

Question: Is drinking-water safe for plants? I just found out that tap water can harm or even kill plants. And that boiled water can do the same due to inorganic substances that remain in the water. My question is "Is the water that I drink safe for plants"? I get my water from this store that sells purified water. Basically you go in there with your jug of water and you fill it up.

Answer: yeah sure

Question: Does anyone know of a garden hose that is drinking water safe AND can be used with hot water? I purchased a drinking water safe hose, but if I run hot water through it, it bursts open.

Answer: Even general service Garden hose would not normally BURST from "hot water" (water at temperatures below 200-212 degrees F at sea level). You should make sure that you are not reaching an internal pressure greater than the capacity of the given hose, and that the hose is suitable for the application. To achieve STEAM, water would need to be heated to temperatures above 200-212 degrees F at sea level. The corresponding PRESSURE this creates is significant and HAZARDOUS!!!! Steam should only be handled by hoses specifically designed to handle it. There are Teflon Lined Metal Hoses that would be suitable for both Potable (drinking) water and steam, but they will be very expensive as compared to garden hose. Contact you local industrial hose distributor with the application information and they can supply you with the proper type for your application.

Question: what is the international organization doing about safe drinking water in low income countries.? we all know the importance of water to survival, unfortunately many people in the poor countries have no access to it , despite the fact that water is a fundamental human right. what do you think the international organization is doing about it. and do you think borehole water is safe.

Answer: How about asking the Iowa flood victims if USA should go overseas and make that their top priority in Drinking Water Safety??? WHEN will the USA Put Americans First?

Question: Home Drinking Water - Are There Any Alternatives to Bottled Water for Safe Drinking Water? I'm not too sure of the quality of bottled water.

Answer: A Reverse Osmosis system is good in that it doesn't require electricity to generate clean drinking water. The problem is it consumes a lot of water in the purification process (85% of the water you put in is lost). We use jug filters at home but they're quite small and you need to refill them often. So the best 'green' alternative to bottled water is a good home water filter. If you're the DIY type, you can make one of your own and drive the cost down to cents.

Question: What are the options for safe drinking water in Mumbai? I heard that several brands of their bottled water have higher than average doses of pesticides, or is drinking milk better

Answer: stick to bottled, it's a lot safer

Question: Why can't Muslim countries manage to produce safe drinking water and other basic hygiene? You don't need shots for Malaria or Rabies to travel Europe, or the US why are Muslim countries so filthy?

Answer: They are too busy using their money to kill people they deem unrighteous, or use it to show how powerful and rich they are, instead of helping the poor and making their lace at least good enough to live.

Question: is the drinking water safe yet for cuyahoga county? i live in cleveland, ohio and recently because of the floods elsewhere, i was told that the tap water wasn't safe to drink yet. Is it safe now? What can i do or who can i call or what website can i look on to find out?

Answer: I live in Cuyahoga County and nobody told me not to drink the water... if it was bad to drink on channels 3,5, and 8 the TV would say Boil Advisory. (It might be different if your house was flooded, or your neighborhood) It doesn't right now so it should be ok. No need to be frightened, but if you still are, call your City Hall.

Question: How do I make RAIN Water into SAFE Drinking Water? Can people give me ideas on CHEAP methods, including methods that don’t take up a lot of space, since I am in an apartment? Thanks!

Answer: The rain water is safe and very high quality water. It was just distilled out of surface water and recondensed in the atmosphere. The problem is what it landed on. Your roof has bird droppings, wind-blown dust, zinc (from flashing and nails) and possibly lead on it. You can use chlorine or boiling to kill bacteria from the bird poop, etc. But eliminating the heavy metals is the bother. On a small scale, add alum to help the metals separate out and let it settle in a drum. Take the clear water off the top a day later without disturbing the bottom. Add chlorine or boil for the bacteria. Run through a Brita style carbon filter. Not the most cost-effective way to treat for any remaining dissolved heavy metals, but it will reduce the concentraions.