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From the looks of the trailer, this will be a pretty hard hit on bottled water.  The documentary looks like it will go after the environmental side of bottled water, from plastic chemicals leaching into the drinking water to the affects of millions of plastic water bottles being disposed of annually.  They also look at the “water wars” between companies like Nestle and local communities that seek to prevent Nestle from bottling their community water.  This has become a huge issue in communities throughout the US as more and more communities seek to protect one of their precious natural resources.  They also often object to the constant flow of trucks coming in and out of their community to collect the water and deliver it elsewhere.  See my previous blog on the subject. 

If the trailer freaks you out, feel free to let me know when you’re ready for a reverse osmosis unit for your home!

Again, I think we know the answer here, but it will be great to see some new, independent evaluations of the positive effects of water softeners on the environment.  The Battelle Memorial Institute will study soft water’s effects on energy consumption and water consuming appliance longevity.  For those of you wondering how this could be, hard water causes scale buildup on water consuming appliances.  When scale builds up, more energy is required to heat the same amount of water.  An oft used example is to imagine heating a tea pot directly from the stove as compared to heating that same tea pot with a brick in between the stove and the teapot.  The brick represents a lot of hardness, but you get the picture.  If you eliminate hardness, you eliminate scale, and you can heat water more efficiently.  Plus, the appliance lasts longer, which is an added benefit.  A water softener can help with this. 

I’ll let you know, through this blog, when the results of the study come out. 

http://www.watertechonline.com/news.asp?N_ID=71954 

Research to study ‘green’ benefits of softeners

Friday, May 22, 2009

LISLE, IL — Those who make and install water softeners contend that the devices save energy used by water heaters, clothes washers and other water-using appliances, and, by extending the life of those appliances, reduce the burden on landfills.

Those concepts will be examined in a new study to be conducted by the Battelle Memorial Institute, an independent nonprofit science and technology research organization, according to a May 21 press release from the Water Quality Association (WQA), the trade association representing the water treatment industry. WQA oversees the Water Quality Research Foundation (WQRF), which is funding the study.

Tests will be conducted using independently developed and impartial methods, the release said. Battelle is based in Columbus, OH.

WQA had recently announced a new WQRF-funded Battelle study of the effects of soft and hard water on energy consumption of water heaters and other appliances. The results of that study are expected in September. To that study, WQA announced this week, Battelle will add the study of the longevity of clothes washers, dishwashers and low-flow faucets using hard and soft water. The impact of worn-out appliances discarded in landfills will be examined.

WQA Executive Director Peter Censky expressed the view of the water treatment industry when he said in the latest release, “By making sure our appliances run better with soft water, ion exchange water softeners ultimately help to protect the environment.”

Soft water used by appliances prevents the formation of mineral scale on appliance components and related plumbing. The industry says that scale prevention maintains the efficiency of these components and thereby helps contain their energy consumption. Also promoted as a “green” benefit of soft water is the fact that less soap and detergent is required to wash clothes and dishes, and that washing with soft water generally reduces water consumption.

Some of those conclusions were borne out by research conducted some years ago at New Mexico State University. WQA has said the new Battelle study will be a more comprehensive and up-to-date examination.

The water treatment industry has been under pressure in recent years by wastewater treatment agencies who have sought to restrict or ban softener use due to the softeners’ discharge of chlorides into sewer systems. The chlorides are produced in a softener’s regeneration cycle, which requires solutions of sodium chloride or potassium chloride.

WQA and its allies believe that softener bans are short-sighted due to softeners’ environmental benefits that far outweigh the chlorides issue.

I am not certain that we needed a study for this, but it was done nonetheless.  Hard water clogs showerheads.  That they could clog them up in a week is pretty cool, though.  Anybody who lives with hard water knows that their shower heads are clogged and it’s a bit exciting wondering each day where the water will hit and where it will spray out of the side of the showerhead.  Softeners fix all of that, of course, but ruins the excitement of mystery sprays.

http://www.watertechonline.com/news.asp?N_ID=72018

Hard water quickly clogs showerheads: study

Thursday, June 04, 2009

LISLE, IL — The first results of a major study on the effects of water softeners in the home have shown that untreated hard water can rapidly lead to clogged showerheads — in some cases, after as soon as a year and a half of regular use, the Water Quality Association (WQA) announced June 4 in a press release.

After just one week of constant testing with hard water, more than three-fourths of showerhead nozzles became clogged, according to laboratory results cited by WQA. Showerheads using softened water performed nearly as well as on the day they were installed. For an average household, the amount of testing and hardness was equivalent to fewer than 18 months of normal use, according to the researchers.

The results are part of a larger research project being conducted by the Battelle Memorial Institute, an independent nonprofit science and technology research organization in Columbus, OH. WQA oversees the Water Quality Research Foundation (WQRF), which is funding the study.

In addition to the showerhead tests, engineers are examining the longevity of clothes washers, water heaters and dishwashers using hard water versus softened water. Battelle also is conducting tests to determine how much energy savings softeners can provide homeowners. The final research report is scheduled for September 2009.

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The FDA changed the rules for bottled water and now bottled water must be free from E.coli bacteria.  I’m sure you are now thinking, “You mean before May 29, the FDA was okay with E.coli in bottled water?”  Well, yes, a little.  To be fair, the International Bottled Water Association’s own standards require that its members maintain E.coli free water, but the FDA had no such policy. 

Unfortunately the standard does not take affect until December 1, 2009, so in the meantime there’s still a chance that your bottled water will contain trace “fecal microbial pathogens.”  Put that way, I’m all for zero tolerance.

http://www.watertechonline.com/news.asp?N_ID=72034

E. coli in bottled water not acceptable: FDA

Monday, June 08, 2009

WASHINGTON — The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has amended federal regulations regarding bacteria in bottled water, publishing in the May 29 Federal Register a final rule establishing a zero tolerance for E. coli bacteria in bottled water.

The International Bottled Water Association (IBWA) on May 28 announced its long-standing support of a zero-tolerance standard of quality for E.coli.

According to the IBWA announcement, “In fact, FDA’s final rule reflects IBWA’s ‘Code of Practice’ standard which was adopted in 1999 and which all IBWA bottler members must meet.”

Both the FDA and IBWA refer to the stricter regulation as an extra measure of safety for the consumer.

IBWA President and CEO Joe Doss is quoted in the IBWA announcement as saying, “Our members work hard and long to protect against E. coli. Now it’s the law of the land for all bottled water products.”

The FDA rule was promulgated under Section 410 of the Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act, which requires that FDA’s bottled water regulations be as protective of the public health as the US Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) tap water standards. EPA issued its new National Primary Drinking Water Regulation, the Ground Water Rule, on November 6, 2006, which provides for increased protection against fecal microbial pathogens in public water systems that use groundwater sources. The EPA and FDA rule both become effective on December 1, 2009.

The primary elements of the new FDA rule are:

● Bottled water manufacturers that obtain their source water from other than a public water system must test their source water at least weekly for total coliform. If that source water is total coliform-positive, the manufacturer must conduct follow-up testing to determine whether any of the total coliform organisms are E. coli.

● Source water found to contain E. coli will not be considered water of a safe, sanitary quality as required for use in bottled water.

● Before a bottler can use water from a source that has tested positive for E. coli, the bottler must take appropriate measures to rectify or otherwise eliminate the cause of E. coli contamination of that source in a manner sufficient to prevent its occurrence. A source previously found to contain E. coli will be considered negative for E. coli after five samples collected over a 24-hour period from the same sampling site that originally tested positive for E. coli are tested and found to be E. coli negative.

● Bottlers must maintain records of corrective measures taken to rectify or eliminate E. coli contamination.

● If any coliform organisms are detected in weekly total coliform testing of finished bottled water, follow-up testing must be conducted to determine whether any of the coliform organisms are E. coli.

● Analyses conducted to determine compliance with the standards for microbiological quality for total coliform and E. coli must be made in accordance with the multiple-tube fermentation (MTF) method and membrane filter (MF) methods.

● If E. coli is present in bottled water, then the bottled water is deemed to be adulterated under section 402(a)(3) of the Federal Food Drug and Cosmetic Act (FDCA) and is banned from sale or distribution.