As we have reported before, there is plenty of dissatisfaction about the quality of Waikanae water. This article is American, but it’s just as relevant here.
Source: Nworeport
While we would love to be able to trust the liquid flowing from our faucets, anyone who pays even half-hearted attention to the news knows that we can no longer expect safety in our drinking water unless we confirm it ourselves.
The EPA and Michigan’s Gov. Snyder really added to the list of reasons that I have trust issues. Water is one of the most important survival topics around – it’s so important to me that I wrote an entire book about it.
Flint, Michigan: A Cautionary Tale
Every day for more than a year, new horrors were uncovered in relation to the drinking water in Flint, Michigan. Residents of the city had been drinking water that was presumably safe for the past year without knowing that it was actually contaminated with chemical byproducts, E. coli, Legionnaires’ disease, and lead.
It appears that both the EPA and the governor of Michigan knew the water was unsafe for quite some time, but no one said a word to warn the people of Flint. To heap insult onto injury, the water company had the audacity to bill people for the poisoned water and even sent out shut-off notices.
Where to get a water testing kit
So, do you really think you can trust the water flowing from your own taps? If Flint was the last straw for you, it’s time to take matters into your own hands and test your drinking water for contaminants. Whether your water source is private or municipal, the onus for your family’s safety is on you.
Water testing kits are readily available on Amazon.
- The Watersafe Well Water Test Kit was specifically designed to help you test quickly and easily for the 10 most common contaminants found in private well water, including iron, copper, lead, bacteria, pesticides, nitrates, nitrites, chlorine, pH and hardness. (order here)
- The PurTest Home Water Analysis kit is a comprehensive EPA-based test kit that allows you to quickly and easily test your drinking water for various contaminants and conditions. Tests included: 1 test each for bacteria, lead, & pesticide. Two (2) tests each for iron, alkalinity, pH, hardness, chlorine, copper, nitrate & nitrite. (order here)
- The Essential Indicators test is the most thorough, but you have to send the water to their lab to get the results. The test checks for 170 health-related contaminants including Volatile Organic Compounds, Essential Elements, Heavy Metals, and Inorganic Chemicals. You simply fill the bottles with your tap water and return them to our lab using the same box you received with the test kit. Within about 6 business days you will receive an email containing the results of your water test along with recommended treatment suggestions if a problem was found. The one family of contaminants that you will test for yourself are pathogenic bacteria, which, if present, can cause infectious diseases. (order here)
From a preparedness perspective, it makes sense to keep a few of these DIY kits on hand in the event you need to test water during a disaster situation. (Obviously, not the one you have to send off to a lab.)
Be sure to also test the pH of your water. Your water’s pH level is very important because if it is too low or too high, it can cause corrosion of lead and copper from household plumbing. To be safe, drinking water should not have a pH lower than 6.5 or greater than 8.5.
How to test your water
Following, please find an excerpt from my book, The Prepper’s Water Survival Guide. Chapter 9 of the book discusses the importance of testing your own water, how to do it, and what to test for.
The water from the treatment plant is tested thoroughly. There’s really no reason for folk to go to the trouble and expense of testing it at home.
Geoffrey, I think this article is mischievous. I expect better from a responsible publication.
Cr Holborow says the water is tested when it leaves the treatment plant, but what about when it reaches people’s taps? Whatabout contaminants that might be picked up because of damaged or corroded pipes, if not normally then after an earthquake? You always spring to the defence of the establishment without giving things appropriate thought.
I see the wayne maxwell stated in stuff
“”In addition, the reduction in water use means we have been able to defer the costs of increased water supply (for example, a dam) by up to 30 years.”
But surely the meters will need to be replaced sooner and they are bound to cost more than the $8, $10 or $12Million, lets say $20million. Similarly a dam will will cost 3 or 4 time more than today’s cost.
Let us get rid of these vexed things and hope that we have a mayor who is committed to their removal and will not do a 180 this time round.
At the time the meters were installed it was stated that because the soil has a high salt content they would only last 10 years, so there’s only about another 5 years before they’re kaput. The sensible thing will be to not replace them, instead get on with building a reservoir as should have happened 6 years ago.