Taylor Made Water Systems

 

Recent findings by the National Resource Defense Council (NRDC) show higher than acceptable levels of Atrazine, an “endocrine disrupter” in many US water supplies.  NRDC’s theory is that spikes in Atrazine occur after heavy rains and after spring when the herbicide is applied to crops.  The EPA, under the Safe Drinking Water Act, requires municipalities to test for such contaminants four times per year with a limit of 3 parts per billion as “safe.”  NRDC argues that this limit is too high and testing should be done more often, especially when spikes are likely.

Luckily, Atrazine is fairly easy to remove with a high quality carbon filter.  Even more luckily, we carry many of those…

 

(more…)

 

I find it almost laughable that FIJI is branding itself as a green bottled water solution when in fact it is the poster child for all that is wrong with bottled water from an environmental standpoint.  Not only is the product shipped halfway across the globe, but it’s bottled on an island that does not have a ready source of safe drinking water for its own citizens where water rationing and water related typhoid outbreaks are fairly common, and it’s bottled in a diesel fueled plant!  FIJI has always been the Hollywood-chic water of choice (and now Washington DC-chic).  You have to respect their marketing, but to say they are green is ridiculous. 

Regardless of how many “carbon offsets” they buy, it is still beyond silly to bottle water in a small isolated island, water challenged island (in a diesel fueled plant), put it on a ship, lug it across the globe, truck it across the US, and pour it into your glass (or mouth).  There is no way that can be a green solution when tap water (or even local spring water if you insist) is readily available within a few hundred feet.  Great marketing can make it chic, but nothing can make it green.

For a fascinating story about Fiji, read the full Mother Jones article mentioned below – Mother Jones  – http://www.motherjones.com/politics/2009/09/fiji-spin-bottle

 

 

Fiji Water: The Earth-Friendly Choice for Military Juntas Everywhere

by David Friedlander, New York City on 08.15.09

Business & Politics

 

Image from Beverage World

A recent exposé in Mother Jones called “Fiji Water: Spin the Bottle” confirmed my common sense notion that drinking bottled water shipped from the South Pacific is a silly and wasteful idea. It also added myriad other reasons to not to drink Fiji Water.

Junta-Aid
Fiji has had 4 military coups in the last 25 years. The government du jour is lead by Commander (and now prime minister) Frank Bainimarama and President Ratu Josefa Iloilo. Because of a ruling last spring declaring the current government illegitimate, Iloilo suspended their constitution, appointed himself president and declared there wouldn’t be elections until 2014. This totalitarian approach to government recently earned Fiji an expulsion from the Pacific Island Forum, an inter-governmental organization that represents the many independent island nations in the Pacific.

The author of the article Anna Lenzer was in the country when martial law was declared and was the subject of police intimidation. Amnesty International reports of Fijian freedoms, “there is a very strong military and police presence….[and there] is a constant and intimidating reminder that the new military regime will not tolerate dissent and will follow through on the warnings it has issued to critics."

In a response to Lenzer’s article, the Fiji Water website claims of their relation to the recent political turmoil:

We bought FIJI Water in November 2004, when Fiji was governed by a democratically elected government. We cannot and will not speak for the government, but we will not back down from our commitment to the people, development, and communities of Fiji.

Besides conveniently sidestepping the specious circumstances that this “democratically elected government” came into power (i.e. through a 2000 coup), the company not speaking out about recent activity by Iloili et al appears like a self-preservationist strategy for a company that enjoys tax-free status.

In a rebuttal to the response to her article, Lenzer notes the contradiction between the company’s touts of being a socially progressive company and its “no comment” policy on the junta’s recent crackdown. She makes a good point saying:

It’s worth remembering that there aren’t very many countries ruled by military juntas today, and Americans prefer not to do business with those that are. We don’t import Burma Water or Libya Water.

Purest Product Placements on the Planet
Behind the Fiji Water empire is a California couple named Lynda and Stewart Resnick, who bought the company in 2004 from a Canadian mining and real estate mogul named David Gilmour (no, he didn’t play for Pink Floyd). The Resnicks are the same folks who convinced Americans they couldn’t live without POM Wonderful brand pomegranate juice.

Image by Mother Jones

The Resnicks have successfully insinuated the FIJI Water brand (the capitalized name is trademarked) onto countless aspirational tabletops—from Obama to Paris Hilton to Mary J. Blige (who demands 10 1.5-liter bottles of room-temp Fiji Water before shows)—and events like the Emmys, the Avon Walk for Breast Cancer, and Justin Timberlake’s "Summer Love" tour. The chef Nobu Matsuhisa once stated in a cooking instruction that, "Each piece of lobster sashimi should be dipped into Fiji Water seven to ten times." Would Dasani destroy the integrity of the meat?

Fiji Water Will Solve Global Warming
Through their Fiji Green campaign , the company claims their water is 120% carbon offset. They achieve carbon negativity through channels like purchasing carbon offsets, a plan to have 50% renewable energy at their bottling plant and other measures.

Their enthusiasm for saving the planet is so great that Fiji Water’s former senior VP of sustainable growth Thomas Mooney said in a 2007 Huffington Post article, “We’d be happy if anyone chose to drink nothing but Fiji Water as a means to keep the sea levels down.” Yikes!

In a previous TreeHugger article, Michael Brune of the Rainforest Action Network stated it as plain as possible about Fiji water and all bottled water: “Bottled water is a business that is fundamentally, inherently and inalterably unconscionable. No side deals to protect forests or combat global warming can offset that reality.”

The difficulty Fiji Water and many other greenwashers is they believe their own rhetoric. With Fiji Water, there seems to be a sacrosanct idea that bottled water is essential. It is not.

Lynda Resnick has stated that Fiji Water’s main competitor—i.e. tap water—is “not a real or viable alternative,” and that we “can no longer trust public or private water supplies” (why not sell water filtration systems in that case?). This delusional thinking, where market-driven motivation is confused with common sense creates a powerful message. No wonder it’s the best selling water in America.

 

Is it the beginning of the end for bottled water?  Have we finally had enough and will come to our senses?  Certainly, there is a good deal of momentum for stopping the exponential growth of bottled water.  According to this Washington Post article, sales and profits for bottled water companies are dropping for the first time in six years.  The combination of a bad economy and a relentless barrage of environmental concerns about bottled water have contributed to the decline.  Specifically, the waste associated with plastic bottles, the fuel and transportation costs associated with shipping bottled water around the globe, and the environmental impact of bottled water in general are in the public eye continuously.  This, and the economy, are finally contributing to drops in bottled water sales for many major bottlers.

Is bottled water dead?  I don’t think so.  But, purified tap water and a re-usable bottle are making considerable progress against a formerly formidable foe. 

 

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/08/12/AR2009081203074.html

 

Bottled Water Boom Appears Tapped Out

Environmental Concerns, Recession Put Crimp in Sales

Washington Post Staff Writer
Thursday, August 13, 2009

The recession has finally answered the question that centuries of philosophers could not: The glass is half-empty.

That’s because sales of bottled water have fallen for the first time in at least five years, assailed by wrathful environmentalists and budget-conscious consumers, who have discovered that tap water is practically free. Even Nestle, the country’s largest seller of bottled water, is beginning to feel a bit parched. On Wednesday, it reported that profits for the first half of the year dropped 2.7 percent, its first decline in six years.

The biggest loser? Water.

"It’s an obvious way to cut back," said Joan Holleran, director of research for market research firm Mintel. "People might still be buying bottled water, but you can bet that they’re refilling those bottles."

The news delighted environmentalists, who have long berated the industry for wasting natural resources and stuffing landfills with plastic bottles. "I thought we’d never be able to impact sales of bottled water, and all of a sudden it’s really gained momentum," said Wenonah Hauter, executive director of advocacy group Food & Water Watch. "I think we’re making real progress."

Not so long ago, bottled water was bubbling. It climbed up the ranks of America’s favorite beverages in recent years, beating out juice to become the third most popular in 2008, according to Mintel. (Soda is the drink of choice by far, followed by milk.) Sales of bottled water swelled 59 percent to $5.1 billion between 2003 to 2008, making it one of the fastest growing beverages. About 70 percent of consumers say they drink bottled water.

But the economic downturn is stemming the tide. Nestle sells a variety of brands, such as Poland Spring, Deer Park, S. Pellegrino and Perrier. It was the only sector in Nestle’s food and beverage group to post a decline in global sales during the first half of the year, down 2.9 percent because of weakness in the United States and Western Europe. Coca-Cola has also blamed softening demand for weaker U.S. sales of its bottled waters.

According to consulting firm Beverage Marketing Corp., Americans drank 8.7 billion gallons of bottled water last year, compared with 8.8 billion in 2007 — the first decline this decade. Per capita consumption dropped from 29 gallons to 28.5. Jeff Cioletti, editor in chief of trade publication Beverage World, said he doesn’t believe bottled water will return to galloping growth for a long while.

"There were sort of a lot of headwinds," he said.

Those forces include not only the economic downturn, which is whacking at sales of everything from cars to clothes, but also the massive campaign by environmentalists to get consumers to turn on the tap.

Last spring, Takoma Park became one of the first cities in the Washington region to put a ban on buying bottled water for government offices and events, a green bandwagon that includes places such as San Francisco and Fayetteville, Ark. Local grocer My Organic Market decided last year to stop selling imported bottled water after considering the energy, oil and, well, water that go into selling it.

According to Food & Water Watch, more than 17 million barrels of oil — enough to fuel 1 million cars for a year– are needed to produce the plastic water bottles sold in the United States annually. And about 86 percent of the empty bottles get thrown into the trash rather than recycled. Beverage companies have responded through recycling initiatives and purchasing carbon offsets.

Hauter said she has worked on water issues for about a decade but that the movement took off about three years ago. The group fans out to festivals and other public events pouring water for attendees into corn-based, biodegradable cups or metal containers bearing the name of its campaign, "Take Back the Tap."

The containers are also available online for about $20 each. Sales, she reports, have been strong.

Staff writer Lori Aratani contributed to this report.

 

Yet again, we find an E. coli problem in an American municipal water system.  If it seems like this is happening more and more it is because this is happening more and more.  Our aging water infrastructure, as I’ve mentioned a couple of times, is catching up to us.  So far, they have not determined the cause of the E. coli in the Boston suburb, but more than likely they’ll find a leak somewhere near a location where fecal matter from human or animal waste (yes, yuck) was able to penetrate the water supply. 

For those who have never had a boil water alert, read the requirements from the water company.  Basically, it’s pretty simple.  You have to boil all of the water you consume.  That sounds somewhat simple, but try it for a day.  All food, ice, baby formula, etc. that uses water has to be boiled first.  If you do that, you’ll realize how much water you use.  We take our quality tap water for granted, but those in Milford won’t for a while. 

Although the E. coli was detected on the 5th, residents weren’t notified until the 9th which is pretty standard.  So, they had 4 days of undisclosed E. coli in their water.  As always, the temporary solution is to increase chlorine content to kill the bacteria.  This will also increase Trihalomethanes (THM), carcinogens formed when chlorine reacts with organic compounds in water.  A lesser of two evils when compared to E. coli, but still unfortunate.

So, if you think water health issues only occur in third world countries, think again.

 

http://www.watertechonline.com/news.asp?N_ID=72382

E. coli in Boston suburb’s water

 

Monday, August 10, 2009

MILFORD, MA — Officials here on August 9 told residents to boil water used for drinking and cooking after E. coli bacteria were detected in the town’s water supply, according to local reports.

The source of the contamination still is unknown, according to an August 10 NECN.com report.

The Milford Water Co., a private company, detected the elevated levels of total coliform and E. coli bacteria last week.

The lag time between the discovery of contamination on August 5 and public announcement has some town officials upset. Selectman Bill Buckley told The Milford Daily News that the timing is “unacceptable,” MyFoxBoston.com reported August 10.

Water company manager Henry Papuga said it is the first time in his 25 years with the company that residents were advised to boil water. An investigation is under way and chlorine levels in the supply have been boosted.

 

http://www.myfoxboston.com/dpp/news/local/milford_issues_water_boil_notice_080909

E. coli found in Milford water system

 

MILFORD, Mass. – A boil order has been issued to residents of Milford after bacterial contamination was found in the town’s water supply.

The state issued the boil order Sunday after Milford Water Co., a private company, detected elevated levels of total coliform and E. coli bacteria last week.

Some town officials are upset that the public was not informed of the contamination right away after it was first detected last Wednesday. Selectman Bill Buckley tells The Milford Daily News that the timing is "unacceptable."

Company manager Henry Papuga says it’s the first time in his 25 years with the company that residents were advised to boil water. He says the company is investigating the cause and boosting chlorine content in the water to fight it.

---

DRINKING WATER WARNING

Milford Water Company’s water is contaminated with Total Coliform and E. coli Bacteria

BOIL YOUR WATER BEFORE USING

Total Coliform and E. coli bacteria were found in the water supply in one sample collected Wednesday, August 5, 2009 during routine sampling. These bacteria can make you sick, and are a particular concern for people with weakened immune systems.

What should I do?

• · DO NOT DRINK THE WATER WITHOUT BOILING IT FIRST. Bring all water to a boil, let it boil for one minute, and let it cool before using, or use bottled water. Boiled or bottled water should be used for drinking, making ice, brushing teeth, washing dishes, and food preparation until further notice. Boiling kills bacteria and other organisms in the water. As a precaution, if you used tap water to prepare any food item, baby formulae, ice, etc. since Wednesday, August 5th, these items should be discarded.
• · Fecal coliforms and E. coli are bacteria whose presence indicates that the water may be contaminated with human or animal wastes. Microbes in these wastes can cause diarrhea, cramps, nausea, headaches, or other symptoms. They may pose a special health risk for infants, young children, some of the elderly, and people with severely compromised immune systems.
• · The symptoms above are not caused only by organisms in drinking water. If you experience any of these symptoms and they persist, you may want to seek medical advice. People at increased risk should seek advice about drinking water from their health care providers.

What happened? What is being done?

Bacterial contamination can occur when increased run-off enters the drinking water source (for example, following heavy rains). It can also happen due to a break in the distribution system (pipes) or a failure in the water treatment process.

Our routine weekly sampling on Wednesday, August 5th indicated that two of the eight samples were reported positive for Total Coliform Bacteria and one of those two samples reported E coli present. The Water Company immediately increased the chlorine level at our Dilla Street treatment facility, collected six (6) repeat samples on Friday, August 7th and notified the MA Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) of a potential problem. The DEP continues to be involved on a daily basis. In addition to increasing the chlorine level we also opened a number of hydrants within the distribution system to increase the flow of chlorinated water into the West St and upper Purchase St areas. We will continue to collect special bacteria samples every 24 hours . We will inform you when tests show no bacteria and you no longer need to boil your water. We anticipate resolving the problem within the next few days.