Sunday, March 30

What....No Water?

Todays Water Tip:
Fill up a gallon of water and check the amount of time it takes it to fill up. Now think about that time frame. How many times a day do you just let water run while you are doing little chores? Start doing the math. How much just runs down the drain? How much water just seeps into the ground? This little bit of awareness could have big results if everyone would just think about it. Now take your gallon of water that you just filled up and give it to your pet or water a plant.

What....No Water?
I have been reading a lot about the water shortage looming over the world these day's. How we could begin to see by 2025 a different world. A world where water will be known as the precious resource that it always has been, although ignored and taken for granted in the past. Suddenly people will see what they should have been doing all along, with great regret. It is predicted that nearly 2/3 of the worlds population could be water stressed by 2025 if nothing is done. Protection and conservation is the answer. It's never too late to start.

You may think that this could only happen in other countries. I think Hurricane Katrina should make you reconsider. That was a devastating example of what can happen in a blink of an eye, and a glimpse of what has happened to many others around the world. On November 13th, 2005 the city of Harbin in China became a toxic ghost town when a lethal dose of highly-toxic benzene was released into the Songhua River after an explosion at the China National Petroleum Company plant, hundreds of miles upstream in the Jilin province. The town had absolutely no water. China was already water stressed, so this could not have happened in a worse place. 31,000 miles of rivers are now so polluted in China that the fish can't even live in them, let alone be consumed by humans.

70% of the earth is covered with water, but only 2% of that water is fresh water (suitable for drinking). Now, some of our nations surface water has been discovered to be contaminated with pharmaceuticals. "Pharmawater" as it is called is just one highly alarming message, believe me there will be more to come. We haven't even touched on the deteriorating infrastructures which need to be replaced. There is something like 800,000 miles of water pipe and 500,000 miles of sewer pipe in the U.S. with an average age of 43 years. The life span of these infrastructures is approximately 50 years. Major work and expense is looming if not already necessary.

Technology just doesn't seem to be keeping up with the rate that the human race and it's industries are contaminating our environment. We have a population of 6.5 billion people in the world, but yet we still have the same amount of water that has been here on earth since the beginning of time. It's time to take notice, it's time to do something.

Find out what you can do to make an active contribution to a better future. Conservation, protection, donations and investing are all options. You can make a difference.

The wide spectrum of water uses, turn round and round, like a
water wheel. I welcome your comments

Monday, March 24

There Are Rules For a Reason

Todays Water Tip:
Common household bleach makes a great econimical disinfectant. Mix 1-3 tablespoons of bleach into a gallon of water, depending on the the job. Use to wipe down counter tops, tables, bathrooms, changing tables, etc.

Rules
My phone is starting to ring. This is the beginning of our busy time of year. I was recruited from my full time job 3 years ago to work with my husband Bill who is a Certified Water Operator, Backflow Assembly Tester, Cross Connection Specialist, and Sanitary Surveyor (he also holds another full time job supervising the local county water dept.).

Through this venture, I have become passionate about the protection of water. I have now seen the other side of the coin. I have seen how easily water can be contaminated and what the utility workers have to go through in a water emergency. I now hand deliver public safety notices at night, counseling customer's about emergency's, risks and health issues. I trudge through back yards carrying dog biscuits in my pocket, just in case I meet an unfriendly face (with fangs).

Water does not just flow through your tap effortlessly, especially in a public drinking water system. That tap water is part of a fairly complicated system that has taken a lot of planning, construction, specialized equipment, government compliance, and ongoing maintenance. We are so lucky to have this resource. There are over 1 billion people in the world that do not have access to clean safe drinking water.

There are many rules put in place by the government concerning drinking water and are for good reasons. Gone are the day's where we can assume that our water is always safe. The more people sharing a water system, the higher the risk of contamination. You don't always know what your neighbor is doing. He may be dangling a hose in his garden pond or a bucket of chemicals. This water could be siphoned back into the drinking water if the water system were to lose pressure (a state approved backflow assembly would prevent this contamination).

Follow the rules set in place by Department of Health and your Water Purveyor. These rules keep us all safe.

The wide spectrum of water uses, turn round and round, like a
water wheel. I welcome your comments.

Wednesday, March 19

Water High

Today's Water Tip:
Re Use. It's amazing how much water runs down the drain while doing little chores. Try washing fruits and veggies in a dishpan and then watering your plants with the water left in the pan. It saves water and helps you remember to water the plants too. It's a double whammie!

Water High
Well here's another reason to take care of those drinking water wells out there. Pharmaceuticals are being found in large public surface drinking water systems around the U.S. Our nations surface water comes from rivers, lakes, reservoirs or streams. The water is treated before it is delivered to your tap. Some cities use surface water and others don't. Selah, the town were I live in is supplied by several wells around the area.

Evidently the current treatment method isn't removing all of these substances from the surface water drinking supply. The water is treated when it comes into the system from the river for purity, and then it is treated for purity again before it goes back into the river . I guess what's going back to the river isn't as pure as we thought. Tell me this, are all of our fish high in these rivers? What about the people? It's not like you can pick what you get.

This a good enough reason for me to believe that we need to conserve and protect this resource more than ever. Take care of those groundwater wells they are our purest form of water and we need them. Hopefully through technology this dilemma can be resolved. But you know what. It really makes you think.

The wide spectrum of water uses, turn round and round, like a
water wheel.
I welcome your comments

Saturday, March 15

Grand Canyon Sand Bars

Todays Water Tip:
Flush your lines. Water that sits in water lines can become stagnant and stale, especially if it's from a faucet that's not used very often. Before drinking water from a faucet that you suspect is not used very often, let it run for 2-3 minutes to bring new fresh water into the line. This may seem contradictory to my conservation theory, but our health is first and foremost important in this case. Using water for benefit is a lot different than needless waste.














My friend John on the Tieton River, WA. Sept. 2007 on our "Wild River Weekend". The annual water release from the Rimrock Dam makes for tons o fun!

Grand Canyon Sand Bars

I read a report today in our local newspaper stating that the Grand Canyon is sporting some new sand bars, due to the man made flood which occurred for 3 days last week. Some of the sandbars are as large as football fields and already have signs of wild life exploring the new stomping grounds. Beaver tracks and long horn sheep tracks have been identified.

The sediment buildup above the dam was at a 10 year high and the measure seems to have worked (to help restore the environment), but......as I mentioned in my last post, it is believed that these new sand bars will erode in approximately 18 months unless a flooding program is developed. Another flood is not scheduled until 2012. Annual to semi-annual flooding really seems to be the ticket to maintain the benefits. (There will be some very happy rafters too!)

If it's all about restoring the environment it would seem that a sensible program should be developed, otherwise, to me, it seems like a waste to find a solution that works, only to let it backslide and be faced with the same problem in just a couple of years. It's a viscous cycle if you ask me, one that good planning could fix. I think they need to pick a side. Either restore the environment and do it right, or simply utilize the benefits that the canyon has to offer as it is, like recreation, tourism, livelihood, and hydro power.

The wide spectrum of water uses, turn round and round, like a
water wheel. I welcome your comments.

Thursday, March 13

The Grand Canyon

Today's Water Tip:
You can use a mixture of water and hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) for many of your cleaning duties around the house. The peroxide naturally disinfects and removes stains without toxic chemicals. I have used it for cleaning counter tops, floors, laundry stains on whites, etc. I have even heard of people soaking meat in the solution to kill bacteria on the surface prior to cooking. H2O2 also has many health benefits because of it's anti bacterial and anti fungal qualities.

The Grand Canyon
41,500 cubic feet of water per second (300,000 gallons per second) was released for 60 hours from the Glen Dam into the Grand Canyon in Arizona (USA) last week in an attempt to help restore the environment. (The dam's normal discharge is 15,000 cubic feet per second). This is enough water to fill the Empire State Building in 20 minutes. Wow!

Before the dam was built in 1963, the Colorado River was warmer and muddy, and the natural flooding created sandbars that are essential to native plant and fish species. Now the river is cool and clear, the sediment blocked by the dam.The sandbars have eroded horribly. The theory is that the rush of water and sediment will help replace the natural habitat of wildlife such as the endangered fish, the Hunchback Chub.

The attempt to re-create the high springtime flows that shaped the river before the dam was built in the 1960s, is the third artificial test flood in the past 12 years, but some say the experiment doesn't go far enough. There are people who believe that the flood goes against the latest scientific evidence, and for the experiment to be successful it needs to be repeated at least bi-annually if not annually, but there are questions about whether that is in the plan. There are also rumors that the test was pushed forward simply as a measure to maximize hydro power revenue.

White water rafters on the other hand stood on the bank watching the water rise, excited by the challenges of the rushing water. Gotta ride that water! (Tip: If you haven't tried white water rafting, your missing out! Wow, what a rush, literally!).

It will be months, or possibly years to determine if this massive experiment will get nature back on track. I my self am torn on the issue, I'm all for the environment, and if done correctly I think it could work. I just hope that our precious natural resource is being used wisely and with good planning by all. I do hope it's worth more than a spendy, yet awesome ride down the river! All I have to say is, like so many things in life, it's a bittersweet thing, savor what you can.

The wide spectrum of water uses, turn round and round, like a
water wheel.
I welcome your comments

Monday, March 10

It's Been To Long

Today's Water Tip:
Re-use your water bottles. Bottled water is a huge convenience, but......we're accumulating an awful lot of plastic waste, and that's not good. Refill your (safe plastic) water bottles as often as you can with tap water or filtered water from your fridge. One thing to keep in mind is that you need to wash the bottle between each use because bacteria will begin to grow quickly inside the bottle. There is some controversy over plastics and the safety of reusing them because of chemicals leaching into the water. If in doubt use a refillable water bottle that is made of a safe plastic or other material.

It's Been To Long

Yes, I've been a bad blogger lately. I've been re-uniting myself with some old crafting passions, so I've been designing and beading and crocheting instead of blogging. My idea is to bring some hand crafted items to my blog. I am working on a water themed jewelry line using a variety of mediums. Stay tuned for these items in the future.

I do want to mention today the Grand Canyon in Arizona. They have released huge amounts of water into the Colorado River to try to restore the environment. Both the environment and endangered species have suffered hugely since the Glen Canyon Dam was built in 1963. This water release is an attempt to restore the sandbars for a 277 mile stretch of the Grand Canyon National Park which have eroded over the years. The sand bars provide a habitat for wild life, plant life, camp areas for tourists and help to protect archaeological sites. Scientists are also hoping the high flows will create backwaters (areas of low velocity flow) which are used by young native fish. This is a very interesting but yet controversial subject. Not everyone is pleased. More info will follow in a future post.

The wide spectrum of water uses, turn round and round, like a
water wheel. I welcome your comments