Forever Chemicals: Water Contamination from PFOA, PFOS, and other PFAS The introduction of per- and polyfluorinated compounds (PFASs) in the mid-twentieth century unleashed a wave of persistent and toxic chemicals into the environment, contaminating everything from food and drinking water to the dust around us. Also known as “forever chemicals,” these substances continue to persist…
Light “Tea” Colored Water While tannins in drinking water are not harmful, they can cause yellowing of glasses and fixtures and poor water taste. Tannins (humic acid) appear as a result of water passing through decomposing vegetation and are sometimes accompanied by iron or manganese. Water high in iron or manganese may appear red, rusty,…
Dirty Water / Colloidal Clay Filtering colloidal clay from your water can be a difficult feat to achieve. The extremely fine particles can lead to cloudy well water and cannot be removed with standard filters. Typical sediment filters of 30 microns will probably not be adequate. Colloidal clay usually must be coagulated before filtering, which…
Bacteria, Viruses and Parasites in Drinking Water Bacteria is everywhere in our environment, including New York’s surface waters and groundwater. Some of these bacteria can be harmful to human health. Drinking water with disease-causing bacteria, viruses, or parasites (collectively called pathogens) can make you sick. It is not practical to test drinking water for every…
Sandy Water Rock cuttings or loose soil resulting from drilling a new water well installation of a new well and will usually disappear over time. However, some water wells suffer from a continual influx of small rocks and sand which fall from the walls of drilled water wells. Water-borne calcium and magnesium can also produce…