Plan, Prepare, Protect

We are living in a State of Emergency?

Our water supplies, air, and soil are more polluted today than any time in human history. Pesticides, Herbicides, PFAS, Forever chemicals, Micro-Pastics, Heavy Metals, and discarded medications have polluted almost every water source on our planet.

Hurricanes, Earthquakes, Tornadoes, Fires, Floods, Power-Grid Failures, Civil Unrest, Riots, War, and Famine can all either create natural or man made catastrophe.  One can never be fully prepared for any of the unknown possibilities, but with common sense, preparation and knowledge you can make your family safer.

You should also be ready to be self sufficient since emergency services and governmental help may not be available for a period of time. This may mean providing for your own shelter, first aid, food, water and sanitation…..

What is in our water?

What should we be concerned about in our water?

The main problems associated with water pollution include: contamination of drinking water, destruction of aquatic ecosystems, spread of waterborne diseases, disruption of the food chain, harm to human health, economic impacts on industries reliant on clean water, and potential for long-term environmental damage due to pollutants like chemicals, heavy metals, and excess nutrients from sewage and agricultural runoff

Key aspects of water pollution issues:

  • Health risks:Contaminated water can lead to various diseases like diarrhea, cholera, and skin infections due to bacteria, viruses, and parasites present in polluted water sources. 
  • Ecological damage:Pollutants can harm aquatic life, including fish, plants, and invertebrates, disrupting the balance of ecosystems and potentially causing species decline. 
  • Chemical contamination:Industrial waste, agricultural chemicals (pesticides, fertilizers), and certain household products can release harmful chemicals into water bodies, impacting aquatic life and human health. 
  • Nutrient overload:Excessive nitrogen and phosphorus from fertilizers can lead to algal blooms, which deplete oxygen levels in the water, causing fish kills. 
  • Groundwater contamination:Pollutants can seep into groundwater through soil, potentially contaminating drinking water sources. 

Solutions to water pollution:

Can we trust our water systems? Almost all people receive water from a municipal water system or private well. With a municipal system, the water is treated through processes that filter and add chemicals to remove pathogenic contaminants and then transport the water to your home through pipes underground. There is a great deal of trust involved that all those systems are working properly and everything is in order. Many systems are outdated using piping systems that may re-contaminate the water supply by introducing heavy metals such a lead and other byproducts.

Private Wells can also be contaminated by chemicals and bacteria easily by run-offs, aquifer contamination, and heavy metals in the ground naturally.

Point of use water filtration after the water has been delivered to your home have become a popular way to reduce the lack of trust we have in our water supply. Filters using mechanical filtration and pollutant absorbing materials are necessary to ensure your water supply is at the highest level possible.

What systems work best?

Distillation gives you the purest water possible. All pollutants are separated from the water supply and the purest water possible is produced through vapor condensation. These systems use the same process as rain. Contaminated water is boiled, killing pathogens. The water converts from liquid to pure water vapor and then condenses into liquid water for you to drink, leaving all the pollutants behind.

Reverse Osmosis (RO): These systems produces very pure water. These systems filter out pollutants using a sophisticated filtering system. The pore size of the filter is so small, that almost no pollutant can fit through the filter. The only drawback to this system is the filter replacement cost can be high, and more than 80% of the water is wasted to continually wash the filter, because the filter will plug up within minutes without continually washing it down.

Ultra Filtration Membrane (UF Filter): This type of filter is a mechanical filter with an extremely small pore size down to virus sized particles. When used to Purify water UF membranes can purify water by removing chlorine taste and odor, benzene, atrazine, and other contaminants.  These filters can be backwashed or hand washed to extend the service life which is very long. Many of these filters are good for 20,000+ gallons. When used in combination with Activated Carbon, these systems are some of the best options for everyday use.

Ceramic Mechanical Filters with Activated Carbon: These systems are very simple to operate and maintain. The pore system of these systems is larger than the pores on reverse osmosis but are still small enough to remove bacteria sized particles, so they don’t plug up as quickly and water doesn’t need to be wasted like a RO system. These filters usually contain some form of silver imbedded in the ceramic material to act as a bacteriostatic to self sterilize and they do need to cleaned when they plug up, but that is a simple process with a small piece of sandpaper or scrubbie pad. These filters also come with Activated Carbon inside or in the ceramic, which is very effective at removing pesticide, herbicides such a atrazine, heavy metals like lead and mercury, Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) such as Dioxin, Micro-Plastics.

Pitcher Style Water Filters: Most of these types of filters do not remove pathogens. They mostly contain carbon filters to remove some chemical compounds, and usually have Direct Exchange Resin (known as DI Resin), to make the water softer. This resin is the same resin used in water softeners, to remove hardness in the water and make the water taste sweeter. Examples of these systems are Zero water(tm) and Brita(tm). These filters do not typically remove pathogens or other harmful compounds.