The following questions will be answered with the information provided on City of Sacramento webpage: https://www.cityofsacramento.org/-/media/Corporate/Files/DOU/Reports/CCR_2017_Year_6_1_18_final.pdf?la=en
What is the source of your drinking water? Where does your water ORIGINATE? (It is treated at a water treatment plant, but what watershed or aquifer is the sources of the water?)
The primary water source is surface water from the American and Sacramento Rivers, which provides 72 percent of the water supply. Groundwater provides the remaining 28 percent. The report did not mention where the water originated aside from the American and Sacramento River.
What chemicals were found in your water that were higher than expected?
It was nice to read that most of the chemicals in the water were non-detected. Per the report, the water meet or exceeded all of state and federal drinking standards.
What chemicals did you NOT expect to find in your water?
Honestly, I was not aware of all the chemicals tested in my water. I did not expect to find that Trihalomethanes or Vanadium were tested in the water.
Are there associated health risks with the chemicals found in your water? (sources for this last question include the EPA, CDC, ATSDR and the National Library of Medicine's ToxNet program.)
Although, there were no significant levels for any chemicals. Lead is tested for because it can have profound effects in the human body such as, gastrointestinal, developmental, and behavioral issues. Very high lead exposure can cause death.
Where does your water come from? The source! Track it from the source to your tap.
My water comes form the Sacramento River and American River. Each river feeds water to the water treatment plant.
What did you discover about your water quality?
I learned that the water quality is pretty good! I was surprised to read that many levels were non-detected. I drink a lot of water throughout the day so reading that it's clean gives me a little peace of mind.
Do you use a filter for your water?
Yes, I use a filter for my water. Our refrigerator has a filter and the sink water is filtered by a Brita. We change the filters every 3 months as recommended.
What are you trying to filter out?
I think we try to filter out chlorine tastes and odor, zinc, copper, and mercury. It could be a redundant step after reading the CRC report but I feel that you can never be too safe.
Do you drink bottled water? How does this square with what you learned when you watched the Story of Bottled Water (see next exercise)?
I do not drink bottled water. I pains me when I see people buy water bottles because I think of the plastic and the likelihood that it will probably not be recycled. I have a reusable water bottle that I use all day long. I even bought my mom and sister one because they would buy bottled water all the time. After watching the video I finally understood why people purchase bottled water. The scare tactics never seem to fail. I didn't turn away from bottle water due to scare tactics but more so because of the environmental damage we continue to create with our use of plastic.
What is the source of your drinking water? Where does your water ORIGINATE? (It is treated at a water treatment plant, but what watershed or aquifer is the sources of the water?)
The primary water source is surface water from the American and Sacramento Rivers, which provides 72 percent of the water supply. Groundwater provides the remaining 28 percent. The report did not mention where the water originated aside from the American and Sacramento River.
What chemicals were found in your water that were higher than expected?
It was nice to read that most of the chemicals in the water were non-detected. Per the report, the water meet or exceeded all of state and federal drinking standards.
What chemicals did you NOT expect to find in your water?
Honestly, I was not aware of all the chemicals tested in my water. I did not expect to find that Trihalomethanes or Vanadium were tested in the water.
Are there associated health risks with the chemicals found in your water? (sources for this last question include the EPA, CDC, ATSDR and the National Library of Medicine's ToxNet program.)
Although, there were no significant levels for any chemicals. Lead is tested for because it can have profound effects in the human body such as, gastrointestinal, developmental, and behavioral issues. Very high lead exposure can cause death.
Where does your water come from? The source! Track it from the source to your tap.
My water comes form the Sacramento River and American River. Each river feeds water to the water treatment plant.
What did you discover about your water quality?
I learned that the water quality is pretty good! I was surprised to read that many levels were non-detected. I drink a lot of water throughout the day so reading that it's clean gives me a little peace of mind.
Do you use a filter for your water?
Yes, I use a filter for my water. Our refrigerator has a filter and the sink water is filtered by a Brita. We change the filters every 3 months as recommended.
What are you trying to filter out?
I think we try to filter out chlorine tastes and odor, zinc, copper, and mercury. It could be a redundant step after reading the CRC report but I feel that you can never be too safe.
Do you drink bottled water? How does this square with what you learned when you watched the Story of Bottled Water (see next exercise)?
I do not drink bottled water. I pains me when I see people buy water bottles because I think of the plastic and the likelihood that it will probably not be recycled. I have a reusable water bottle that I use all day long. I even bought my mom and sister one because they would buy bottled water all the time. After watching the video I finally understood why people purchase bottled water. The scare tactics never seem to fail. I didn't turn away from bottle water due to scare tactics but more so because of the environmental damage we continue to create with our use of plastic.
Hi Iliana,
ReplyDeleteEven though I live in the Bay Area, the treated water we get comes from the Sacramento delta. I also was surprised to see the numbers and types of chemicals that are tested for in our water sources; if it wasn't for taking this course, I would have never known the types of chemicals that can be found in our water. For many years, I thought lead was the worst thing that was in my water. Like your self, we also use filter water, but I never really knew what it was filtering out. I no longer use the filter on my sink waster, but continued to use that from my refrigerator. You mention that filtering may be redundant, but even if the water is filtered at the treatment site, they can not monitor what seeps into the water as it travels through the pipes, into our homes; therefore even filtering filtered water is important.
Hi Iliana,
ReplyDeleteJust like you, in my report I found a lot of substances that I couldn't read/pronounce myself, and that was really terrifying! I understand that there are a lot of substances that will benefit us, but it's hard to trust the system when I can't pronounce what is going into my body...
I am glad that you use a filter, and that you use a re-usable water bottle as well. You're doing so much to protect your own health as well as the health of the environment!
-Aveena