Archive for the ‘Water Issues’ Category

Water Issues in PA

Sunday, June 9th, 2013

What’s the water like in Pennsylvania?

Water quality can no longer be taken for granted — its quality varies from place to place and even house to house. A variety of factors can affect how your water tastes, smells, feels and works in and around your home. Well water quality, possible contamination, an aging water distribution system, violations of federal drinking water standards and a home’s plumbing are examples of things that can affect a home’s water supply. Some water problems may not be as obvious as others. Below, we’ve listed the water problems we commonly see in Lancaster, Harrisburg, Myerstown, and State College, Pennsylvania, But we need to test your water to determine if water treatment is necessary and which option is right for you.

 

 

HARD WATER

Hard water contains dissolved calcium, magnesium and in many cases, iron. Most homes in Pennsylvania have hard water, whether it is supplied by a private well or a municipality. In many cases, homeowners don’t realize they have hard water or the constant and expensive harm it causes.

Dry skin and hair, bathtub ring, spots on glass, silverware and fixtures, dull, dingy clothing, disappointing performance and a shortened life expectancy of water-using appliances are all problems frequently caused by hard water.

A Kinetico Water Softener will solve your hard water problems.

 

 

IRON AND MANGANESE STAINING

Water is a natural solvent and given the needed time and conditions, it will dissolve anything it comes in contact with. That’s why, depending on where you live, your water can contain iron or manganese which can cause rusty-orange or black staining. You’ll see the stains on clothes, fixtures, sinks, tubs, water-using appliances and toilets.

A Kinetico Water Softener or a Kinetico Water Filter will eliminate water staining problems.

 

 

BLUE-GREEN STAINING

If water has a low pH, you can see the tell-tale, blue-green stains. These stains are most noticeable on white surfaces that your water comes in contact with such as sinks, tubs and showers, toilets and even white clothing.

A Crystal Clear Acid Neutralizer will treat your water and eliminate these unsightly stains.

 

 

CHLORINE TASTE AND SMELL

Since the 1850s, chlorine has been used as a disinfectant to kill harmful bacteria in water itself or the pipes that transport it. Although it has helped end a number of major threats to public health and is essential at the treatment plant and in the water distribution system, it is no longer necessary once the water reaches your home.

Though chlorine is vital in PA for stopping the spread of disease, its benefits come at a price. Chlorine tastes and smells bad. It dries skin and hair, fades clothes (bleach is made of chlorine), and can dry out the rubber seals in appliances, shortening their lives.

Remove chlorine from your water with a Kinetico Water Filter or a Kinetico Drinking Water System.

 

CLOUDY WATER

Cloudy, murky or grayish water is usually caused by dissolved or suspended solids. This is also known as “turbidity.” Water can become turbid naturally or from land disturbances such as construction, storms and urban runoff.

The turbidity of your water can range from low to high. But even if your water looks clear, it could still contain a high level of dissolved solids. That’s why, whether your water is turbid or not, we recommend you have it tested.

There are a few options to treat this type of water, depending on if you want to treat all the water in your home or just your drinking water.

 

 

BACTERIA AND VIRUSES

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, there could be as many as 12 million cases of waterborne acute gastrointestinal illness annually in the United States alone. These illnesses are frequently caused by bacteria, viruses and protozoa that make their way into the water supply. Even well operated, state-of-the-art treatment plants cannot ensure that drinking water is entirely free of microbial pathogens. Learn more about safe drinking water.

A Kinetico Drinking Water System or a Kinetico Specialty Water Treatment Systemwill rid your water of troublesome contaminants.

 

 

TASTES AND ODORS

In its pristine state, water is colorless, tasteless and odorless. So, if your Pennsylvania water tastes or smells funny, you owe it to yourself to find out why.

  • Earthy or musty taste and odor: These types of complaints are generally the result of compounds released due to decayed vegetation and are typically associated with different forms of algae. While not toxic, they are nonetheless unpleasant and can be offensive at very low concentrations.
  • “Rotten egg” smell: Another common source of smelly water is hydrogen sulfide. Hydrogen sulfide is a colorless corrosive gas which has the characteristic odor of rotten eggs. If present in high enough concentrations, it can leave an unpleasant odor on hair and clothing. It can also accelerate corrosion of metal parts in appliances. Find out how much sulfur is safe to drink.
  • Metallic taste: As the name implies, a metallic taste to your water indicates the presence of metals such as iron, copper, manganese or zinc. Iron and manganese are often naturally occurring and are predominately found in groundwater. Copper and zinc can come from an aging water distribution system or the corrosion of copper plumbing and brass fittings. Learn about the permissible amounts of trace elements.

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Water Issues

Monday, February 25th, 2013

Water Issues

The millions of gallons of water required for drilling and the associated waste products are major concerns here in Pennsylvania.

Water usage has been a concern in other states where deep well drilling and hydrofracing have generated both a demand for large quantities of water and resulting waste fluids that require removal and treatment. The millions of gallons of water required for drilling and the associated waste products are also major concerns here in Pennsylvania. Like in other states, the source of water used in drilling raises an issue, as do the waste fluids, their treatment and disposal, and natural bodies of water in the vicinities of drilling activity and the communities tied to them.

The Susquehanna River Basin Commission regulates significant water use within its jurisdiction, and recently ruled that companies can purchase water from other permitted users with excess capacity without prior approval of the SRBC, provided the total amounts used do not exceed the permitted quantity.

  • The result has been widespread interest among natural gas companies in purchasingwater from municipal water systems and other already permitted users.
  • If approached by such a company, municipal water systems need to carefully consider how much surplus capacity they can sell without jeopardizing other users or other futurewater dependent economic development opportunities.

Use

One of the primary water concerns with deep gas well drilling technologies is the withdrawal of large volumes (millions of gallons) of water, used mostly in the hydro-fracturing process. The volume of waste fluids produced during gas well drilling and operation can vary considerably depending on the depth and location of the gas well.

One study in Pennsylvania found that the average volumes of water produced during shallow gas well drilling in western Pennsylvania was 25,000 gallons during drilling, 50,000 gallons during stimulation, and 150 gallons per day during production. Newer technologies that rely more on hydro-fracturing the deeper gas wells may use more than one million gallons.

  • These large water withdrawals may come from many sources (streams, ponds, lakes, etc.) and can have significant effects if not performed carefully. Water withdrawals generally exceeding 10,000 gallons per day require permits, or registration with DEP under authority of the Water Resources Planning Act.
  • Withdrawals occurring in the Susquehanna or Delaware River watersheds also require permits from the Susquehanna River Basin Commission or the Delaware River Basin Commission.
  • In addition, the Clean Streams Law limits the amount of water that can be withdrawn from streams to maintain sufficient stream flows to protect aquatic life.

These various regulations have all caused the shutting down of gas well drilling operations that failed to acquire the proper permits or exceeded allowable withdrawals from streams.

Erosion & Stormwater

In relation to water concerns, gas well construction involves extensive earth disturbance including roads, drilling pads and pipelines that can speed erosion. Drilling pads alone may be four to six acres in size for deeper gas wells, a larger portion of disturbed earth than shallow well pads.

Various regulations, especially through DEP, are in place to protect surface water and groundwater from erosion and sedimentation due to these disturbances. Erosion and sediment plans require gas companies to use preventative measures such as filter fence, sediment traps, vegetation, hay bales, culverts with energy dissipaters and rocked road entrances to minimize erosion.

  • These plans also include a requirement to restore vegetation to the drill site within nine months of well completion by planting grass, trees or crop plots.
  • The DEP’s Bureau of Oil and Gas and each individual county’s conservation district oversee the enforcement of erosion and sediment regulations related to gas well operations.

Groundwater

Many residents throughout Pennsylvania voice concerns about private water well and spring contamination that can occur from gas well drilling, but the reality of these fears has shown to be less prominent than assumed.

Data collected thus far from various regulatory agencies responsible for enforcement of gas well drilling regulations indicate that more than 95 percent of complaints received from homeowners suspecting problems from nearby gas well drilling are instead due to pre-existing problems or other land-use activities, such as agriculture.

However, when contamination does occur as a result of drilling, the impacts can vary greatly, and while the instances are low, it is important to be aware of the range of possible complications.

  • When pollution of private water supplies from gas well activity transpires it is often documented as primarily stemming from absent or corroded well casings on older or abandoned gas wells.
  • That does not mean that there are not pollution risks in newer deep well drilling. While the top-hole water from the initial stages of drilling is usually representative of groundwater used for local water wells and springs, the remaining water encountered during gas well drilling (bottom hole, stimulation and production fluids) may be contaminated with various water pollutants.
  • Groundwater pollution can result from flooded or leaking brine holding pits that contain bottom-hole stimulation and production fluids from direct discharge of brines to the land surface.
    • In the event of these types of mishaps and negligence, pollution can still occur despite the variety of regulations through DEP and the SRBC and DRBC. Somewater quality parameters that may occur at high levels in gas well wastes and can impact drinking water quality (either aesthetic or health effects) are barium, chlorides, sodium, iron, lead, manganese, and arsenic.
    • When contamination does occur it should be noted that gas well brines are highly mineralized and contain levels of some pollutants that are far above levels considered safe for drinking water supplies. As a result, even small amounts of brine pollution can result in significant impacts to drinking water supplies.

In addition to the pollutants previously listed, other water quality parameters that may be increased due to negligent drilling operations, such as methane migration into water wells, can be found in related publications available through the local Penn State Cooperative Extension office.

Several major agencies have regulatory authority over Marcellus natural gas, and thus can help influence what occurs and its impacts at the local, regional, and state level.

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