Tap water tainted? Or tinted?

Cap'nSacto

Cap'nSacto

Member
Location
Sacramento, Calif
On the late news last night there was a “water warning” for northern Sacramento – don’t drink the water until testing is complete! Give the water testing people a good two weeks. They said to stock up on bottled water, named some distribution centers where you could get it free, and no eligibility requirements, advised people who couldn’t get their hands on 2 weeks-worth of safe drinking water to go stay with a relative, and that truckloads of bottled water were being delivered post-haste to all schools and hospitals in the affected area and beyond.

This morning I kept missing updates, and started feeling like either this thing was being under-reported, or I had imagined it. Or, maybe, a cover-up!

Finally, this evening, I tuned into the news in time to catch an interesting detail; the tap-water in a residential area of few blocks or so had reported purple water. Very purple at first, fading over the next hour or so. The fire department opened up some hydrants and basically blew it out; whatever it was. Still, testing would progress.

Immediately following that report, before going to a commercial, the sports caster reminded us that tonight was the highly anticipated opening of the Sacramento Kings, our beloved NBA team…who’s team color is PURPLE.

Coincidence? Ppffftt! I don’t think so. No doubt some over-zealous (idiot) fan somehow dumped purple stuff in a reservoir or something. Think of the cost – thousands of cases of bottled water donated, and trucks and manpower. And the poor folks who had no idea about the Kings opening night.
 

RadishRose said:
That seems a lot worse than a mere prank! Just hope some sicko doesn't do a copy-cat and add something far worse to a reservoir somewhere!
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Very important that if it was someone introducing something into the water supply, they find out how it was done.

The last time I visited our water treatment plant was a good 25 years ago. There were several large exposed pools and 3 or 4 open canals. I don't know what it looks like now or how it works.
 
We had one day after Irma had passed when the water looked like it was pumped from an outhouse. It was clear the next day and the county said it was OK.

In this area hydrants are painted purple which indicates they are using reclaimed water. They are separate of the potable water mains.
 
Manatee said:
We had one day after Irma had passed when the water looked like it was pumped from an outhouse. It was clear the next day and the county said it was OK.

In this area hydrants are painted purple which indicates they are using reclaimed water. They are separate of the potable water mains.
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That sounds like a great idea, using reclaimed water for hydrants. I never knew about that!
 
RadishRose said:
That sounds like a great idea, using reclaimed water for hydrants. I never knew about that!
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They have them here, too. Calif is big on conserving water, but to be honest I think some of the states edicts haven't been thought through. I.E., limit watering your lawn and trees to 10 minutes on Saturday and Tuesday. People with enough money relandscaped with desert plants and pampas grasses. Now, 20% of the houses have fresh new landscaping, and 80% are basically surrounded by kindling.
 
Cap'nSacto said:
They have them here, too. Calif is big on conserving water, but to be honest I think some of the states edicts haven't been thought through. I.E., limit watering your lawn and trees to 10 minutes on Saturday and Tuesday. People with enough money relandscaped with desert plants and pampas grasses. Now, 20% of the houses have fresh new landscaping, and 80% are basically surrounded by kindling.
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Yipes.

You know, we may even use reclaimed water for fires here in CT but I live under such a large rock, I don 't even know.

But unless your grass is very different than the Kentucky blue grass and perennial rye mix common in the NE, 10 minutes of watering 2x per week is pointless. You use Zozia (sp) grasses I think? They must not be deep rooted then.

So unless you've replanted with desert material and stones, your old plantings are tinder- so sad and scary. :(
 
RadishRose said:
Yipes.

You know, we may even use reclaimed water for fires here in CT but I live under such a large rock, I don 't even know.

But unless your grass is very different than the Kentucky blue grass and perennial rye mix common in the NE, 10 minutes of watering 2x per week is pointless. You use Zozia (sp) grasses I think? They must not be deep rooted then.

So unless you've replanted with desert material and stones, your old plantings are tinder- so sad and scary. :(
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Yes, yipes, and it is scary. But I have to correct myself - it wasn't a state "edict", it came down from the county government, and other counties followed suit. Except the ones in the foothills, who have more experience in these matters. The stop watering so much order started being enforced for real about two years ago. So, by now, we have some pretty nice fire pathways going on.

I ran a hose from my kitchen sink and bath tub pipes. One goes through the kitchen wall, one through the bathroom wall. One drains into the front yard, the other in the back. I just move the hoses around. This was not a code-friendly move, and I could be cited, but it's smart and doesn't hurt the environment (I use non-phosphate detergents/soaps).
 
Cap'nSacto said:
Yes, yipes, and it is scary. But I have to correct myself - it wasn't a state "edict", it came down from the county government, and other counties followed suit. Except the ones in the foothills, who have more experience in these matters. The stop watering so much order started being enforced for real about two years ago. So, by now, we have some pretty nice fire pathways going on.

I ran a hose from my kitchen sink and bath tub pipes. One goes through the kitchen wall, one through the bathroom wall. One drains into the front yard, the other in the back. I just move the hoses around. This was not a code-friendly move, and I could be cited, but it's smart and doesn't hurt the environment (I use non-phosphate detergents/soaps).
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I know quite a few people who use gray water for outdoor watering, that kind of thing. I'm surprised it's illegal where you live. Then again, some super bright commission decided a few years ago that we can't legally capture and use rain water. Too stupid to breathe was the consensus.

Some conscience-challenged richie riches in CA planted small amounts of acreage in artichokes so they could claim agriculatural exemptions.
 
Smiling Jane said:
I know quite a few people who use gray water for outdoor watering, that kind of thing. I'm surprised it's illegal where you live. Then again, some super bright commission decided a few years ago that we can't legally capture and use rain water. Too stupid to breathe was the consensus.

Some conscience-challenged richie riches in CA planted small amounts of acreage in artichokes so they could claim agriculatural exemptions.
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I read a few years ago that in NY City (or New Jersey?) legislators enacted laws prohibiting growing your own vegetable garden...in your own yard or on your patio. Flowers ok, veggies no way. I don't know if those laws are still on the books, but it was rumored that big (food) business was behind it.
 
Clean Fresh water is becoming the "new gold" in many parts of the world...especially as the climate warms and glaciers continue to melt. Already, some 15% of the global population has little access to clean water. Here, the bulk of the West relies on ample snowfall in the Rockies and the Sierra mountains to maintain the water...but the once filled reservoirs such as Lake Mead and Lake Powell are at or near record lows. Virtually All of the Colorado River is used up by the time it reaches Mexico. In the farm belt of the MidWest, the Ogallala aquifer, which supplies the irrigation water for most of our wheat and corn crops is slated to run out of water within the next couple of decades. In many of the cities, the water and sewer infrastructure is decades old, and beginning to collapse. Places like California, with its frequent droughts, will have to begin building large numbers of desalinization plants to keep up with the burgeoning population. All this does not bode well for the future.

As I travel around and taste the water that flows from drinking fountains at many of the stores, etc., I begin to understand why a lot of people spend a good portion of their money on bottled water....some of this municipal water is just awful.
 
Most grain grown is for animal feed or for alcohol. Encourage vegetarian diets and dump the alcohol boondoggle. That will be the end of the problem in most places.

Water has little value in the east, but it's a precious resource in the west. That rainwater being saved belongs to someone else.
 
For years now, I've been converting tap water to distilled water. The maching that does that works well, and at least it relieves me from drinking chlorinated water. Maybe I'm also avoiding other things in the water that I need to avoid.
 

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