Water in California

Often, we hear about California’s water issues, or the Southwest’s water issues, but when was the last time you heard anything specific to your town or neighborhood? We often generalize water problems, but it’s not until they hit our own kitchen sink that we actually care enough to make a change, or even learn more about the problem. That’s why we decided to take an upclose look at the water in three of our neighboring cities:  Anaheim, Yorba Linda, and Brea.

Anaheim’s Water Quality Report can be seen at http://www.anaheim.net/utilities/waterservices/LatestWQR.pdf. According to their brochure, they conduct more than 44,000 analyses each year to ensure that the water is safe and aesthetically acceptable. Anaheim’s water supply is a blend of groundwater from the city’s own wells, and water imported from Northern California and the Colorado River by the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California. Your particular water source depends on where you live or work within the boundaries of the community. Each of these sources is vulnerable to certain contaminants.  Colorado River supplies are most vulnerable to recreation contamination, urban/storm water runoff, increasing urbanization, and wastewater. State Water Project supplies are considered to be most vulnerable to urban/storm water runoff, wildlife, agriculture, recreation and wastewater. The ground water is vulnerable to contamination from sources such as gas stations, dry cleaners, and industrial activities. The Anaheim area is subject to very hard water, with a range of 11-17 grains per gallon.

Yorba Linda’s Water Quality Report can be seen at http://www.ylwd.com/your-water-service/water-quality/water-quality-reports. Yorba Linda’s water supply is a blend of groundwater from our own wells and water imported from Northern California and the Colorado River by the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California. As described above, these was sources are vulnerable to many different contaminants, so the groundwater is treated with chlorine and the imported water with chloramine. Yorba Linda also has very hard water, falling primarily within the range of 17.8 and 19.0 grains per gallon.

Brea’s Water Quality Report can be seen at http://www.cityofbrea.net/images/default/citydocs/PW/Brea2012WQR.pdf. According to this report, “The State allows us to monitor for some contaminants less than once per year because the concentrations of these contaminants do not change frequently. Some of our data, though representative, are more than one year old.”  Brea’s water sources are largely disinfected with the use of chlorine. Chlorine is added to the drinking water at the source of supply (groundwater well or surface water treatment plant). Enough chlorine is added so that it does not completely dissipate through the distribution system pipes. This “residual” chlorine helps to prevent the growth of bacteria in the pipes that carry drinking water from the source into your home. While chlorine is extremely effective at disinfecting water, there are generally unintended chemical byproducts produced. The Brea Water Quality Report discusses these contaminants but was not found to exceed state or federal allowable limits.

Pacific Coast Water Systems of Fullerton encourages you to read your municipality’s water quality report. However, as you do, keep in mind that they do not test for every contaminant every single day. In the case Brea, some of their reported tests were over one year old. We actually applaud our city water suppliers – they do a fantastic job of providing safe water. However, if you’d like to rid your home of water spots and other signs of hard water, we invite you to call and learn more about our water softeners. Or, if you’d like to filter out all those drinking water contaminants that appear in “acceptable” amounts or that are yet unregulated, call to learn about our reverse osmosis drinking water systems.

Between the cookies and cocktails, there’s a good chance that most people will pack on the pounds this holiday season. In fact, according to one health expert, North Americans will gain 2-3 pounds on average this holiday season alone. Drinking water is essential for weight loss, so this holiday season, drinking water may help you feel a little less guilty about that extra helping. Drinking water systems will filter this water so you have less worries about contamination and more worry about other health issues.

Water makes up about 50% of your body. We know it is important, but that is an understatement. Water is absolutely essential for the body to function. According to an article from atlanticblackstar.com, “every enzymatic and chemical reaction in the body occurs with the help of water. Water transports hormones, nutrients, oxygen and antibodies. It regulates body temperature, helps maintain muscle tone, and protects tissues, organs and joints from shock and damage.” Getting healthy and staying healthy starts with drinking plenty of water – safe water, that is. Unlike quenching your thirst with a soft drink, alcohol, coffee, or milk, water is fat free, calorie free, and cholesterol free. When you are hungry, water can also act as a natural appetite suppressant. This is a good habit all year long, so consider a glass of water before you reach for that plate of milk and cookies. According to the article, “clinical studies even show that a low consumption of water allows fat to be deposited in the body rather than burned for energy.

The reasons for drinking plenty of water are clear, but the water we drink is just as important. When you start increasing water into your lifestyle, we believe it is vital to ensure that you are keeping it safe and pure. Our drinking water filters work hand in hand with your newfound diet or lifestyle. Our reverse osmosis drinking water systems filter harmful contaminants out of the drinking water so you have the best quality water you could imagine. Don’t let increasing your drinking water mean increasing your contamination intake. Reverse osmosis  is the most cost-effective and eco-friendly method for providing a constant flow of safe drinking water and staying healthy. This holiday season, give yourself the best gift you can – a healthy lifestyle that starts with drinking plenty of safe water!

Company is coming!  How often have you heard that this time of year?  Maybe the kids are coming home from college and bringing some friends, your in-laws are coming and want to spend the week spoiling the grandchildren, or you’re just having some friends over for an evening holiday party.  Whoever is coming, and whatever the occasion is, the bottom line is that you have a lot to do to get ready.  From cleaning the house to cooking the food, the list of things to get done before company arrives seems endless!

As it gets closer to the time of your company’s arrival, the house begins to smell like a bakery, with all sorts of delectable treats being made and stored away for meals to come.  You’ve been to the store and bought the freshest ingredients but have you ever thought about the water that you used while cooking all that food?

Many people in the United States live in areas where the drinking water tastes less than great.  It could be tainted by chemicals and other contaminants that may not affect its safety, and are therefore allowed to remain in the water by local municipalities.  These things can certainly affect the taste of the water, however, and may still be noticeable in food that was cooked with water added.  Foods such as vegetables are especially susceptible to having their taste altered when cooked with or soaked in poor tasting water.

As you are making your holiday to-do list, you may want to add getting a water filter to that list.  A simple drinking water system installed in your home can save you the headache of cooking all that food, just to find out that it doesn’t taste as great as you had hoped.  You may have become accustomed to the taste of your own water and wouldn’t notice the poor taste, but company coming from out of town would be sure to notice the difference.  You may even find that getting a water treatment system at this time of year would save you money versus waiting until later since many companies offer holiday savings.  While you’re finishing up your holiday list, make sure you add great tasting water to it and check it twice!

When it comes to drinking water, most people agree that drinking an adequate amount of it is essential for good health.  But how do you know that your water is safe to drink and even when someone else says that it’s safe, how do you know that they are right?  Fortunately for the consumer, there are several organizations that govern the quality of the water we drink or the products that are used in making water safe.

One such organization is the Water Quality Assocation (WQA) which is “a resource and information source, a voice for the industry, an educator for professionals, a laboratory for product testing, and a communicator to the public”.  This organization works very closely with companies in the water treatment industry to provide quality water treatment products and services that are safe and reliable.  For example, the Water Quality Association has a Gold Seal program which certifies products or chemicals that come in direct contact with drinking water.   In order to receive the Gold Seal, products must first undergo vigorous testing that determines their integrity, quality, and safety.

As a homeowner, you have the right to know what is or isn’t in your water.  If your water is provided by the town or city in which you live, you can research the public records to find the most recent water quality report.  Or, if the public records are not easily accessible or you have your own well water, you can have your water tested by a local water treatment company.  Many companies provide this service for free or for a small fee.

If your water has been tested and it has been determined that it should be treated in order to be safe or even if you want to simply improve the taste or smell, you should look into a drinking water system for your home.  With safe drinking water being an integral part of achieving or maintaining good health, it makes sense, then, to choose products that have received the Gold Seal of approval from the WQA.  When looking for a drinking water system for your home or office, look for water treatment companies who offer products certified by the Water Quality Assocation.  You can then rest easy, knowing that when the salesperson says the system is safe, it really is.

It’s a well-known fact that drinking water, and copious amounts of it, is essential to good health.  But, it’s just as important to your body’s health where that water comes from.  The health of our environment also depends on how that water gets to you and into your body.

According to National Geographic, Americans currently consume more bottled water than any other nation in the world.  With the convenience of being able to grab a bottle and go, it’s no wonder that many people use it to help them get their recommended amount of drinking water each day.  With how busy most Americans are, it’s no surprise, then, that National Geographic states that Americans purchase “an impressive 29 billion bottles every year.”  What happens to these bottles while being made or after they are used, however, is a cause for concern for our environment.

Making plastic bottles requires using crude oil, oil that could be used to fuel the vehicles we drive, or could be saved from entering the environment altogether if the use of plastic bottles was eliminated or at least reduced.  According to the National Resources Defense Council, only about 13 percent of the plastic bottles used for drinking water end up being recycled and the rest end up in our country’s landfills or are burned.  In the landfill, the plastic takes hundreds of years to decompose. If burned, toxic byproducts are released into the air.  Neither of these situations is healthy for the environment.

Some people use bottled drinking water because they believe that it is healthier and contains less contamination than that of the water coming out of their tap at home.  This is not always the case, however.  In a 2008 study of bottled water completed by the National Resources Defense Council, “22 percent of the water tested contained contaminant levels that exceeded strict state health limits.”

One eco-friendly solution to this problem is to install a drinking water system in your home.  Not only will this water filter provide pure, clean water for you and your family to drink, it will also help reduce plastic waste.  This way, you can improve your own health and that of the environment at the same time…a win-win for all of us!

These days, the media is full of doom and gloom about the state of our nation’s economy.  Everywhere you look, we are bombarded by messages about unemployment, high gas prices, and people losing their homes.  It seems that if there was ever a time to think about saving money, this would be it.  But where do you start?

Well, some people would start by trying to manage expenses over which they have some control…utility bills, groceries, vacations, you name it.  Another place to start would be to look at the condition of your water.  Have you ever noticed a white film on your glass dishes even after running the dishwasher?  Or, when you do your laundry, do you notice that it takes a lot of detergent just to get suds and make your clothes clean?  If so, you may be dealing with hard water and it could be costing you more money than you think.

Hard water is simply water that is high in mineral content, usually excess calcium and magnesium, and is the cause of that annoying white film on your dishes that makes them look dirty even after cleaning.  Many companies that sell water softener systems also offer a free water test, so you can see just how hard your water is and whether or not it needs softening.

Although hard water does not usually pose any significant health threat, it can adversely affect the life expectancy and efficiency of your water-using appliances by causing mineral buildup within them.  This in turn costs you more money to run them and exposes you to greater chances of having an unexpected repair bill or having to replace an entire appliance…exactly what you DON’T need when you’re trying to conserve money and live on a budget!  Whether you live in Anaheim, Fullerton, or one our neighboring towns, we at Pacific Coast Water Systems of Fullerton have been helping people deal with hard water for over 40 years and we know that a new water softener is a CENTSible solution to a hard problem.  Come visit us today and see all of the water treatment solutions that we offer.

Children’s bodies may be smaller than adults, but that doesn’t mean they need any less water. Water is in fact one of the most important nutrients for children. Often times when we read tips for nutrition for our children, they leave out important information about the intake of healthy fluids. According to medical experts, water not only keeps children healthy, but also will help them perform better in school. Dehydration leads to a reduction in both mental and physical performance. This can be show results in the classroom.  “Long-term chronic dehydration may cause health problems and illnesses.” But most schools do not have water filters, so the water could potentially have the same contaminants that public drinking water systems have.

Because many schools have inadequate water resources, parents and teachers should regularly encourage children to drink water at home, and even bring their own to school. Children should especially drink water after taking part in sports, such as in gym class. As one article from ENews Park Forest explains, schools in Oregon found themselves in a less-than-ideal situation when it came to their drinking water. A study found that several schools had pesticides (quite a few pesticides actually) in the drinking water that children were consuming. According to the article, “children face unique hazards from pesticide exposure. They take in more pesticides relative to their body weight than adults in the food they eat and air they breathe. Their developing organ systems often make them more sensitive to toxic exposure.” Likewise, “In addition to the harmful effects that these chemicals have on children, the combination of these chemicals can be more detrimental then each chemical individually”

Children’s health and pesticides just don’t mix. They don’t work together and they certainly do not produce the results which every educator, administrator, or parent hopes for. The importance of water alone is enough to realize that the water your child is drinking needs to be safe and pure. Our drinking water systems reduce harmful contaminants while staying eco-friendly and affordable. This means all households have the ability to supply safe drinking water at home and send this same water with their children throughout the school day. The more safe water children drink, the better they tend to do academically and physically. Schools don’t have the resources to filter all of the water that they supply your children, but with our drinking water systems, you can.

We all know that drinking water is vital to ensuring good health – including proper weight, reasonable blood pressure, and even cancer prevention to a degree – but did you know that the time of day that you drink your water affects how much benefit from it?  A recent infographic on the Life and Livingness blog shows some interesting facts that will have you reaching for a glass of water before your cup of coffee or glass of OJ even.

Here are the facts behind it:

1.  Drinking water first thing in the morning, before breakfast particularly, helps cleanse the colon, making it easier for the body to absorb the nutrients you will consume at breakfast and even lunch. Why waste the calories if your body can’t efficiently use the nutriets you are feeding it with each meal?

2.  Drinking water helps increase the production of new blood cells and muscle tissue. As we age, we see that it becomes harder and harder for our body to repair itself. If something as simple as drinking water can help, why not?

3.  Drinking water jump starts your daily weight loss. According to their statistics, 16 ounces of chilled water can boost your morning metabolism by 24%. Water also helps the body feel full and satisfied, thus reducing the amount of food you need to consume.

4.  Drinking water purges toxins from the blood, helping give you glowing skin. That’s a little less time you can spend on your morning routine!

5.  Water in the morning balances your lymph system, which helps with all of your body’s everyday functions, balances your fluid levels, and fights infections.

We always knew a glass of great-tasting, healthy drinking water was a perfect way to start your day – glad that the medical sciences agree with us. To make sure that your water is all that it should be, use a home water filter to flush out the things that you don’t want to drink!

Some we know about and others are more of a mystery – drinking water contaminants. There are too many to list, and too many factors to blame at once. While the United States may have some of the best drinking water in the world, we still have much room for improvement. While we know of the following contaminants, other threats are making the news too. Environmental and human factors threaten drinking water all over the nation:

• Microbes such as fecal coliform and E coli are bacteria whose presence indicates that the water may be contaminated with human or animal wastes. Microbes in these wastes can cause short-term effects, such as diarrhea, cramps, nausea, headaches, or other symptoms.

• Radionuclides like Alpha emitters (certain minerals) are radioactive and may emit a form of radiation known as alpha radiation. Some people who drink water containing alpha emitters in excess of EPA’s standard over many years may have an increased risk of getting cancer. Likewise, Radon gas can dissolve and accumulate in underground water sources, such as wells, and in the air in your home. Drinking water containing radon presents a risk of developing cancer.

• Heavy metals can be very harmful to your health if found in your drinking water. Severe effects include reduced growth and development, cancer, organ damage, nervous system damage, and in extreme cases, death. Exposure to some metals, such as mercury and lead, may also cause development of autoimmunity, in which a person’s immune system attacks its own cells. This can lead to joint diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis, and diseases of the kidneys, circulatory system, and nervous system.

These are only some of the known threats. An article from kaaltv.com and ABC 6 News describes an unexpected threat to drinking water contamination by a less common factor – a pile of thousands of old railroad ties which were treated with the chemical creosote to prevent them from rotting. According to the article, “it is considered hazardous waste, and county officials say they need to be removed from the area, and taken to a proper waste facility.” “If you breathe it in or get it into the water supply it can be a carcinogen. If there’s a major fire, smoke can be toxic,” said Wayne Sorensen, planning and zoning administrator for Freeborn County.  He says the stacks cannot stay put. “If they’re disposed of, they have to be disposed of in a solid waste landfill. They can’t go to a demolition landfill, they can’t be burned or chipped,” said Sorensen. Also, they sit near a shoreland district which feeds into Fountain Lake. So for neighbors like Ben Cerney, they fear drinking water will be contaminated.

No matter the origin of a threat or the health effects they may have, we have products to protect your drinking water. Bottled water is a common alternative to unfiltered tap water but is more of an environmental threat than anything. Our drinking water filters and water coolers are a much more affordable and eco-friendly solution to effectively remove harmful contaminants from your drinking water with no maintenance, frequent filter changes, or repairs done by residents. No matter the threat, no matter the reason, and no matter the contaminant, let us clean up your drinking water with a home drinking water system starting today! To read the article mentioned above, click here.

If you live in an older home and learned that there could be a chance it was increasing your exposure to lead in drinking water, would you up and move? Most people wouldn’t. But, many people would take the opportunity to find a product that would eliminate the exposure and risks to lead and provide safe drinking water to their families. We have those products. Our drinking water systems will make you feel safe, even after learning about a recent CDC study regarding exposure to lead and human blood lead levels in the United States.

Many changes have been made in the last few decades to protect our youth from exposure to lead, which is a common metal that accumulates in the body with disastrous results. We have come a long way from the days where exposure was all around. In fact, according to a recent article from The Food Poisoning Bulletin, “the 1970s, the United States government started to reduce lead concentrations in air, tap water, food, dust, and soil. As a result, blood lead levels (BLLs) in children have been substantially reduced. But children are still being exposed to lead, since many live in housing built before the 1978 ban on lead-based residential paint. Drinking water lines used to be made from lead, and lead solder was used in plumbing. Most of the public water utilities in the country are now in compliance” with the Safe Drinking Water Act Lead and Copper Rule (LCR) of 1991.

Since the lead bans put in place in the 1970s and 1980s, the average BLL has decreased from almost 16.0 micrograms per decaliter to less than 2.0 micrograms per decaliter. Lead has very serious health affects like reducing IQ and increasing the risk of cancer. Lead exposure also affects adults, suppressing the immune system, acting as a carcinogen, and causing peripheral neuropathy and motor nerve dysfunction. Lead exposure can also cause renal failure, gout, and hypertension, as well as suppressing and adversely affecting reproduction. BLLs of children in this country increased sharply during the period 1900 to 1975. As the article also mentions, regulations that reduced lead exposure included reducing lead in gasoline, foods, food packaging, house paint, water pipes, plumbing fixtures, and solder used in plumbing and beverage containers.

Exposure may have been reduced, but for many children and adults, it is still an issue. Consumers in older homes should pay attention to their blood lead levels if their pipes are leaking lead into tap water. The article explains that “partially replacing lead service lines actually increases lead levels in drinking water. Full replacement of lead service lines should be considered. And information about lead in plumbing should be routinely provided to homebuyers and renters.” We highly recommend a drinking water system like a reverse osmosis water filter which is a cost-effective way to reduce harmful contaminants (not just lead) from tap water. Don’t live in fear. Consider one of our drinking water systems instead.