Water in California

If you are spending your time scrubbing water spots off your glasses, white scaly deposits from your showers and sinks, and using more laundry soap and shampoo than you think you should, then you are working harder than you have to. All that time spent scrubbing is unnecessarily wasted, you could be having fun with the family instead of scrubbing till your hands and back ache. The fact is, your water might be causing you far more work than it is saving.

Hard water simply means that it contains more minerals than ordinary water. The most common minerals in this case are calcium and magnesium. Hard water is not a health risk, but it is a nuisance because of all the problems these minerals produce. As water moves through soil and rock, it dissolves very small amounts of minerals and holds them in solution. The degree of hardness of water is greater as the calcium and magnesium content increases. The amount of hardness affects the amount of soap and detergent needed for cleaning. Soap used in hard water combines with the minerals to form a sticky soap curd. Bathing in hard water with soap leaves a sticky soap film on the skin as well as in the hair. This film can make skin itchy and irritated and leave hair dull and lifeless as well as difficult to manage.

Laundry is also affected by hard water, soap lodges in the fabric during washing to make fabric stiff and rough. Because the water and detergent don’t work well together there can be soil left in the laundry causing a graying of white fabric and dulling of colors in other fabrics. When you notice that they aren’t clean, you throw them back in the wash and run them through again. The problem with this is that continuous laundering shortens the life of the clothes and sour odors can also develop in these situations.

Hard water doesn’t just affect your skin, hair, clothes and dishes; it also affects your appliances. Heated hard water forms a scale of calcium and magnesium minerals that make your hot water heaters, dishwashers, and other water using appliances work much harder. Pipes can also become clogged with scale that reduces water flow and ultimately requires pipe replacement.

All in all, hard water doesn’t really hurt anyone health-wise, it just makes regular life more difficult. It creates more work than it cleans up. Perhaps you think a water softener isn’t for you, but if your life is littered with the scenarios that are listed above, then perhaps you do need a softener. Consider that you could simply load the dishwasher and when it is finished you could unload the dishes into the cabinet and not rescrub any of them. Laundry would be easier too, no need to rewash that load of clothes because it is actually clean the first time it’s washed and the clothes last longer.

Water softening systems are among the most popular home improvement items on the market today. Because they do make life easier, they also make a home more desirable on the market. We lead busy enough lives as it is without adding lots of hours of extra cleaning to remove the spots that our water leaves behind. There is nothing more discouraging than opening up the dishwasher to find that it just didn’t do a good job. We don’t need extra work; we need extra time for all the other things we want to do in our lives. Investing in a water softener would allow us the freedom to go out and do those things we currently only dream about.

Studies aren’t meant to scare people. They aren’t meant to affect businesses. They are meant to keep consumers safe and be sure that the products they are using or ingesting aren’t making them sick, especially when it comes to something as vital as drinking water. That is where the birth of some important studies on chlorine in drinking water came from. Researches wanted to make sure that chlorine wouldn’t harm consumers if they used it in the water. Now, chlorine is a chemical element and is added to water as a method of purification to make it fit for human consumption. Water treated with chlorine is effective in preventing waterborne diseases. While chlorination has prevented many bacteria and viruses, and is a regularly used agent in sanitizing pools, it does have many serious drawbacks according to scientific studies.

The Environmental Protection Agency has some crucial information for consumers regarding this serious topic as well. From one article on their site, they say “disinfection practices can be complicated because certain microbial pathogens, such as cryptosporidium, are highly resistant to traditional disinfection practices. Also, disinfectants themselves can react with naturally-occurring materials in the water to form byproducts, such as trihalomethanes and haloacetic acids, which may pose health risks.” Limitations are in place, but even the EPA admits that controlling these limits is a major challenge for water suppliers.

In many studies on the topic, there has been evidence of a link to chlorine in drinking water and chlorine by-products and rectal, colon, and bladder cancer. One molecular science author had incorporated many studies into one article. He states that “Long-term risks of consuming chlorinated water include excessive free radical formation, which accelerates aging, increases vulnerability to genetic mutation and cancer development, hinders cholesterol metabolism, and promotes hardening of arteries.” Furthermore, “A study in the late 1970s found that chlorinated water appears to increase the risk of gastrointestinal cancer over a person’s lifetime by 50 to 100 percent. A later meta-analysis found chlorinated water is associated each year in America with about 4,200 cases of bladder cancer and 6,500 cases of rectal cancer. Chlorine is estimated to account for nine percent of bladder cancer cases and 18 percent of rectal cancers. Those cancers develop because the bladder and rectum store waste products for periods of time.” Those can be worrisome statements, but a dependable water treatment company has products which will help eliminate those worries.

Water filtration systems are the true purifiers. Don’t let chlorine fool you. It might clean the water, but too much of it can really be harming your health. Chlorination claims to purify water, but it is actually adding to the contaminants. The water treatment solutions offered include water filters, reverse osmosis systems, and water coolers. Choose one that is designed with state-of-the-art technology to ensure your household or business has a consistent flow of safe drinking water no matter how high the demand is. The reverse osmosis systems effectively reduce and eliminate unwanted contaminants from your drinking water.

Contaminated water doesn’t happen in just isolated areas of the country. It doesn’t happen in only rural areas, nor does it occur in just urban settings. But it happens. The Philadelphia Water Department is currently looking into finding the source of the contamination – radioactive iodine found by federal authorities in the drinking water supply coming from the Schuylkill River. The news comes from an article from CBS, and while one representative from the PWD says there is no reason for residents to panic, he states that hospitals and pharmaceutical companies to the north are the potential sources of the contaminant.

The water department urges people to continue to drink and utilize the water as they normally would without any changes, as it is still safe to drink. They state that the water samples were actually collected last summer, months before the events in Japan, so there isn’t a connection to the nuclear events there. “We’ve also enhanced our treatment by adding carbon to the water treatment process to help provide additional removal of the iodine-131,” Crockett of the PWD says. While common sources of iodine-131 are related to nuclear reactors or weapons, Crockett says it’s also “used by hospitals to treat patients with thyroid illnesses.”

So what about citizens who do want a change? What about citizens who don’t want to worry about any contaminants in their water and would prefer to have a continuously great-tasting and safe water supply? They first should have their water tested for any unwanted or harmful contaminants from a reliable water treatment company. Water filters can and will reduce harmful contaminants and still provide a continuous supply of safe drinking water at any demand. Products range from water filters to reverse osmosis systems and remove any doubt about the safety and effectiveness of public water supply. Affordable water systems are only a call away, and while the experts say to continue drinking your tap water, no consumer needs to hear the words “radioactivity” with their drinking water. To read more from this article, click here.

Most people send their children off to school believing that they will receive an education and a healthy diet while there. Schools offer a selection of foods and beverages throughout the day, the majority of which go along with Congress’s Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010 to improve school nutrition in the National School Lunch Program. According to the new federal law, school districts will have to provide water in student eating areas, but the law doesn’t discuss accessibility. But after the completion of the CDC’s National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, as mentioned in a CNN article, only 15 percent of kids around the age of 12 are getting adequate hydration. “Since children spend a large percent of their waking hours at school, they should be consuming at least one-half their total water intake at school,” says Dr. Melina Jampolis, CNN Health’s Diet and Fitness Expert. But many schools have limitations (many financial) that don’t allow students the opportunity to get enough water to not be thirsty, much less adequately hydrated.

Nutrition advocates think that school access to water is a national problem that the federal government has barely addressed. The mandates are there to provide the water to students, but the financial backings aren’t as they are with milk and juice. And what’s worse is that mild dehydration can affect learning as well as mental and physical performance. It’s scientifically proven that schoolchildren need plenty of water in their diet to stay healthy, but the debate over how and where has just begun.

With water sources slowly diminishing in some areas of the western part of the United States, schools aren’t able to provide unlimited access to tap water and water fountains. Bottled water is expensive for districts and don’t follow an environmentally-friendly guidelines either. So without specific requirements, schools are running out of options. With larger populations of students, schools in Orange County and Los Angeles county have a hard time providing students easy access to water fountains in these areas. Vista Middle School outside Los Angeles has approximately 1,700 students and four water fountains in the entire student eating area. And with this many students, that could produce some long lines for drinking water – something many students choose to not wait on. But that decision could in turn be affecting their school performance. Many of the nation’s bigger school districts also have chosen not to provide cups to students for other reasons. So as the debate grows, the options seem to be shrinking.

Schools could continue the status of hydrating students as it is, or could also look into water filters, or water coolers that can handle the demands of most commercial needs. According to the CNN article, “It’s called a water intervention — a five-week research program that includes a water filter and cups for five schools in the Los Angeles school district, provided free from the UCLA/RAND project. The test includes these steps: Install a water filter in the school. Fill five-gallon jugs. Chill jugs overnight. Place in the eating area during mealtime. Serve with cups. The results will not be published until next year, but anecdotally, the program is a success, researchers say.” To add these to more schools all over the county, it is critical to finding a water treatment company that can handle the demands and provide services to so many places at once. Above all, schools and those federal programs are responsible for helping students make healthy, positive decisions, and providing opportunities for them. If water filters and water coolers become that option, schools should then find ways to help them make related decisions and programs. If schools want students to perform outstanding, they need to provide opportunities for them, starting with drinking water.

Millions of people today are taken up with their appearance. Plastic surgeons are making a mint off people that simply want a face lift, chin tuck, nose job, double chin removal, and many other cosmetic changes. Drinking more water can’t solve these problems but it can drastically improve the appearance of the skin as well as the elasticity of it.

According to WaterInfo the human body is more than 60% water, blood is 92% water, the brain and muscles are 75% water and the bones are about 22% water. That is a lot of water making up our body. As we age the amount of water in our body decreases, the largest decrease occurs within the first 10 years of life. The physical condition of each person also determines how much decrease takes place, for instance, obesity can decrease the amount of water in the body to as low as 45%. That is actually a long way from 60%.

We all know the recommended amount of water to drink each day is eight 8-ounce glasses. The problem is, many of us don’t stick to that amount. We find other things to drink like soda and juice and even power drinks. These offer liquid to the body but not the kind it needs because most of these drinks also contain a lot of sugar. That sugar is the leading cause of obesity in our nation, also causing a lot of other health problems. We also reach for coffee every morning to wake us up. While it contains water, it is also a diuretic that actually removes more water from our system than it provides.

Not drinking enough water leads to dehydration which affects vital organs in the body such as the kidneys and the lungs. The largest organ it affects is our skin. Most people have dealt with dry, flaking, itchy skin during the cold winter months and know how uncomfortable it is. We use lotion to help soften and moisturize the skin but drinking enough water would also help. Water replenishes skin tissue, moisturizes, increases skin elasticity, flushes out toxins, improves blood circulation, increases energy levels and helps to present a youthful, radiant complexion.

One of the problems people have with water is the taste. We are all picky about how things taste and if our water doesn’t taste good we would rather reach for a soda or juice because it tastes good. That is why markets have pulled in the flavored water that also contains a lot of sugar. It is possible to have great-tasting water, we just have to know what it takes to accomplish that task. Water straight out of the tap is generally safe to drink but may not taste good. There are still contaminants in the water even though it has been treated at the city facility. There are home water treatment systems on the market that will remove many of the remaining contaminants making the water taste much better. The reverse osmosis system is one of those home water treatment systems that will dramatically improve the taste of your water and reduce those harmful contaminants. Great tasting drinking water can come right out of your kitchen tap with the reverse osmosis system. This system provides sparkling clean water without buying it in a bottle. Basically you can have great tasting safe, natural water to drink that will also improve your overall health and your cosmetic appearance. Drinking water has never been so easy and has never tasted so good.

Since the huge earthquake and tsunami in Japan we have all become ultra aware of what is in the air we breathe, what is in the food we eat, and now what is in the water we drink. Currently if people go to the grocery store to buy fish they are asking to see if it comes from Japan and not buying it unless it’s from somewhere else. There are radiation monitors all over the United States that are measuring the radiation in the air we are breathing to see if those levels change over any given day or week. Concern over these matters also brings to the forefront the matter of possible contaminants in our drinking water.

Keeping in mind the radiation mentioned above was from a nuclear plant reactor, did you know that uranium is used mainly as fuel in nuclear power stations? Uranium is also present in nature; in fact, it is widespread, occurring in granite rocks and other mineral deposits. It leaches from natural deposits, is released in mill tailings in mining, is an emission from nuclear industry, and is used in phosphate fertilizers. Uranium isn’t known as an inhaled toxin, it is an ingested toxin. Thus the concern over uranium in drinking water is a very real concern.

Most people are aware that drinking water should be tested every so often to see what contaminants are present in it. We can only remove the contaminants we know exist and we will only know how to remove them if we know what they are as well. Some contaminants require filtering to be removed, some require ion exchange to treat the water to remove them and some require chemicals to remove them. It is very important to know what contaminants we are dealing with before simply trying to remove whatever might be present.

Health Canada says that water that contains more than 0.02 mg/L or 0.02 parts per million should not be consumed though it can be used for washing and other purposes. The World Health Organization (WHO) has been working to determine safe levels of uranium and in a 2011 document they suggest that 0.03 mg/L or 0.03 parts per million may be a conservative level. The WHO mentions however that “the guideline value for uranium remains provisional because of the difficulties in identifying an exposure level at which effects might be expected from scientific data”. Basically the effects of ingesting high levels of uranium may be associated with an increased risk of kidney damage. However, exposure to soluble uranium in drinking water has not been shown to increase the risk of developing cancer. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has estimated that the additional lifetime risk associated with drinking water that contains uranium at the concentration allowed in a public water supply is about 1 in 10,000. This means that if 10,000 persons were to consume two liters of this water per day for 70 years, one additional fatal cancer in the 10,000 people exposed might occur. While those stats aren’t necessarily alarming, they are figured for water with levels allowed according to the EPA, not for water with levels exceeding the recommended limits. Therefore it is necessary to have your water tested to know for certain what is in it and at what levels.

The great news about this situation is that uranium can be physically removed from household water supplies with specifically designed filtration systems. We don’t have to begin buying bottled water or abandon the household well. We simply have to be informed about what it takes to remove the contaminants we have and then enjoy our water knowing we have done all we can to make it safe.

There are so many water treatment and water filtration systems on the market today to choose from. We have to be informed about what each one does and what it can remove and what it can’t remove. It is important to not be misled about what we require from a system. Uranium and other contaminants can be removed from drinking water using a Point of Use Reverse Osmosis system. WHO reports that reverse osmosis treatment will remove 90-99% of uranium. To fix a uranium problem it is necessary only to treat the water you drink, as uranium exposure is connected only with ingested uranium not inhaled.

It is no longer sensible to simply trust our health to the local water treatment plant. We must take action ourselves and safeguard our own health and that of our family. Home water treatment systems like the reverse osmosis systems are not only available but also economical. Taking time out of our busy schedule to do a little research on the best system for us and the cost of each system can save us a lot of time and energy later on in life. Being healthy now will help us to be healthy in the future as well. It is time to drink to our health.

Anaheim is known for its sunny weather, exciting theme parks, and close proximity to both Los Angeles and the California coast. But what many people don’t realize, including many Anaheim residents know is that the city is also know for having hard water. Actually, Anaheim tests around 18 grains per gallon, which is categorized as “very hard water.”

Hard water is water that contains high amounts of minerals like calcium and magnesium ions that limit the formation of lather with soaps, can leave an annoying white film on dishes, and create a mineral buildup formation on pipes and appliances which can cause damage to the appliance and decrease the life of it, costing much more money than if soft water were used.

Hard water makes water softeners a popular choice for many residents in the Anaheim area. One recent study explains the actual benefits of soft water on appliances and in using detergents. The article describes how studies show washing clothing with softened water can cut detergent use and energy consumption. Two new independent articles state that consumers can cut back on dish and laundry detergent use by 50% or more and lower washing machine temperatures from hot to cold just by using soft water. Peter Censky, the executive director of the Water Quality Association says that, “the benefits of softened water in people’s daily lives are significant.” “These studies show how consumers can save money and energy by softening their water.”

The environment can also benefit from softened water, both by the softened water itself, and the eco-friendly water softeners Anaheim residents can find at Pacific Coast Water Systems of Fullerton. The results show that softened water might not only save consumers money but could also be environmentally friendly, Censky said. The savings weren’t just for “very hard water” like that of Anaheim. According to this article, the studies showed savings for hard water with grains as low as 5 per gallon. Everyone can save energy and money with water softeners.

The Battelle Memorial Institute did other research in 2009 and found that gas storage tank household water heaters operated on softened water maintained the original factory efficiency rating over a 15 year lifetime – versus as much as a 48% loss of efficiency in those operated with hard water. The longer the appliances last, and the fewer repairs the consumer has to pay for, along with the minimal detergent in the grocery cart means more money saved. This is huge for homeowners already finding themselves financially strapped in a poor economy.

Pacific Coast Water Systems of Fullerton offers a variety of water treatment systems that can provide your household with savings both financially and environmentally. Anaheim residents can save money above what they will spend on the affordable water softener with a high flow, and user-friendly controls. To read more about these studies, click here.

Studies show that drinking water is good for your health, but what many people fail to differentiate is that safe drinking water is good for your health. Tap water can be plagued by toxins, contaminants, and other minerals which could actually pose health risks when drunk in large quantities and for long periods of time. And, because we live in a prosperous, healthy nation, we make assumptions that our drinking water is safe and clean. Therefore, many people go long periods of time without ever knowing if their water is dangerous or not. Likewise, people don’t know the risks or the products out there that can keep your family safe.

Aluminum is one of those unwanted contaminants found in drinking water all over the United States. It is a soft, lightweight, durable, silvery-white metal and a member of the boron group of chemical elements. It is the most abundant element in the Earth’s crust, and is highly reactive and known for its low density and ability to resist corrosion, which is why it is frequently used with housing, automobiles, cans, and other items. It can also lead to deposits in cooling systems and contributes to boiler scales.

The element itself can cause health effects, and is often brought into our bodies through our drinking water. In large amounts, it presents some toxic effects, and its toxicity can be traced to deposits in bones and the central nervous system. Aluminum has also been suspected of playing a role in Alzheimer’s disease, where victims had four times the amount of aluminum in their brain cells. This is a serious risk, yet more studies are currently being done to find specific links between the two and to expand on the health effects.

Based on these serious risks, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is looking at making a determination on whether or not aluminum requires a national drinking water regulation, and it on the “contaminant candidates” list. Recommended regulations have been put in place, but residents should be advised that even with these real risks do not come the standards. The only standards for your family’s safety at this time come from your own household. To stay safe, there are many drinking water systems that can provide even the most demanding household or business enough water at an affordable cost. Newer drinking water systems range from water filtration systems to water coolers. Each will provide healthy drinking water. Unsure of your tap water quality? Be sure of your drinking water. To read more about the risks of aluminum, click here.

Bottled water in the United States may be a billion-dollar business, but you don’t have to be a billionaire to have your own bottled water source. There are many water treatment companies who offer affordable water coolers for any homeowner looking to provide their family and guests safe drinking water. It used to be about luxury for those that could afford it, but today, water coolers can actually save you money instead of buying bottled water as frequently as most Americans do.

In the US alone, 1500 plastic water bottles are consumed every second. Though recycling programs exist almost everywhere, 80% of these bottles will end up in landfills where even the smallest piece of plastic will never biodegrade. Water that could cost mere pennies from the tap or a home water cooler is costing hundreds or even thousands and hitting budgets hard.

Tap water used to be at the top of the news for concerns with contaminants, but after more research was done, bottled water companies aren’t all making the grade either. Studies are taking place to review the purity of the drinking water in the bottles, as well as the wastewater present in the facilities. In addition to contaminants in the water, the plastic used in many bottles isn’t doing anything really good for our bodies either, especially when being reused, frozen, or allowed to sit for any real length of time.

In addition to all the health and environmental advantages, bottleless water coolers have a huge convenience factor. Unlike the old water coolers, there are no heavy bottles to store, carry, or change out. The water cooler also provides either hot water for tea, coffee, or cocoa, or cold water for drinking, juices, or Kool-Aid. All that, at the touch of a button!

A bottleless water cooler is the easiest and surest way to provide your family and guests constant safe drinking water which can handle even the biggest water demands. Water coolers are the affordable and eco-friendly alternative to bottled water.

Did you know that the amoeba that we all studied in middle school is being found in water supplies in the United States? Most people aren’t aware of this and most of us are too busy to wonder what might be in the water we are drinking – Too busy until we are sick, and it’s more than just a normal sick, then we begin to wonder just what we got into. Perhaps we should be taking a look at this before we end up with a whole bunch of Americans getting sick.

In recent analyses, amoebas are infesting many places where water was simply thought to be clean and had been treated for use by human consumption without concern. Seeing it showing up in tap water is a huge concern because some of these microorganisms can cause severe problems and even death. Even though it is known that amoebas can harbor many serious waterborne human pathogens, the U.S. water systems don’t have to screen for these parasites. Because there isn’t any concern in municipalities regarding this little microorganism, there also isn’t any testing to make certain there isn’t an infestation happening.

In 2003 in Arizona two young girls died of fatal encephalitis, a brain disease. Researchers, looking into the deaths, finally concluded that the deaths were brought on by water which was not chlorinated from a well on the family property. This water contained species of amoeba that is directly lethal, and was found throughout the plumbing in the home where these girls lived.

In another study, Florida has been found to have water containing other varieties of the amoeba, some of which cause the dreaded Legionnaire’s disease.

The United States isn’t the only country with a potential problem brewing; other countries also have this little microorganism hiding in their water systems. This little amoeba is so small but can cause such great harm to the human race; yet it’s hardly talked about or even known about.

It’s time to begin paying attention to these little microorganisms and get some testing put in place in municipal water treatment facilities. However, until that process can be done by the government, the best answer to the problem is to solve it with an in-home water treatment system. There are many available on the market today that are both affordable and effective in removing these little bugs as well as contaminants and chemicals. Pacific Coast Water Systems of Fullerton is here to help you find the home water treatment system that will fit your needs best and give you the safest drinking water possible. Our own health and wellbeing is entirely up to us, the government can’t fix everything and keep us safe from everything. The water coming out of our tap can be amazingly safe to drink simply by treating our own water. Renting or buying a Rayne water system can guarantee our health to be great every single day, that’s great peace of mind.