| Contaminants
can be "pulled" into the water supply after it has
been treated by your water company. Water testing and water
filters can safeguard you.
Most of us want to believe that our public water distribution
system is safe, sanitized and sealed. The truth is that it
may not be the secure, self-contained system that your water
provider wants you to believe.
In fact, as I was doing some research on water system vulnerability,
I had the chance to talk to some water utility executives.
When I brought up the subject of back-flow contamination,
I was strongly urged not to talk about it publicly. That only
made me dig deeper, and my findings were startling.
The "Back-Flow" Hazard
"Pressurized" tap water is transported to your home
through the underground network of mains and pipes. But, when
the water pressure drops, the water naturally starts to flow
backward, creating a "back-siphon" that can suck
dangerous contaminants back into your water supply.
This problem is a regular occurrence in public water systems.
It happens in a section of the system whenever large amounts
of water are drawn out of some part of the system, such as
when water is used to fight a fire, when a water main breaks,
when large companies put heavy demands on the system, or during
periods of heavy residential usage.
Hitting Close to Home
Imagine a neighbor is spraying some weed killer with a garden
hose sprayer attachment. If the water pressure drops and creates
a back-flow, the contents of that sprayer can be siphoned
back into your water supply.
Residential homes are a common source of backflow contamination
but are rarely required to install anti-siphon devices. Typically,
only new homes are required to have back-flow valves installed
on outside water faucets.
Local laws also require that back-flow prevention valves be
installed on the pipes of businesses that work with hazardous
materials. But many businesses simply don’t comply,
and valves can fail.
Other residential sources of contamination sucked back into
the system are:
• Improperly installed toilets
• Garden hoses used to flush out sewer lines
• Garden hoses submersed in soapy buckets of water
• Underground sprinkler systems
Other commercial sources of contamination sucked back into
the system are:
• Farming irrigation systems
• Sinks in manufacturing, automotive, hair styling,
mortician, or photo development _ facilities
How To Protect Yourself From Back-Flow Contamination
1. Have a licensed plumber check your tolilets to make sure
the correct anti-siphon aarefill
valve is installed. Install back-siphon prevention valves
on your outside aawater faucets/spigots.
2. Never leave a kitchen faucet sprayer submersed in a sink
full of water.
3. Make sure all hoses are attached to spigots equipped with
anti-siphon devices aaand NEVER
leave a hose lying anywhere near a pool, puddle, bucket or
any other nnnon-potable water
source.
4. Have your water tested at least once a year because no
matter how careful you aaare,
careless neighbors, landscapers or other companies can impact
your water sssupply.
Don’t Be Fooled
In many instances, you cannot tell if water is contaminated
by taste, smell or by how it looks. Many common pesticides,
herbicides, chemicals and cleaners are so toxic that laboratory
equipment measures them in parts per billion (micrograms).
Your senses are simply unable to detect contaminants in micrograms.
Also, the water filter on your faucet or under your sink may
not be providing the protection you believe. That’s
because it may not have been manufactured to remove the specific
contaminants that are in your water. And remember that you
are still using unfiltered water for showering, bathing and
washing your hands.
Toxins can be absorbed through the skin and inhaled in shower
steam.
For more information on back-flow contamination visit the
Cornell University Web site.
A Note To Well Owners: Have your water tested a least once
a year. You are solely responsible for your water quality.
If you don’t test regularly, you are relying solely
on soil and rock to filter the surface water that refills
your well’s water source.
Testing is the only way to monitor your water quality and
keep your family safe.
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