A New York Times story last week took a look at the wealthy Silicon Valley residents who are drinking and selling water that is “off the water grid." Some collect water from springs themselves; some buy from companies like Live Water, which charges almost $40 for a 2.5 gallon jug and $15 for refills; and others have installed expensive systems to collect water from the air- in the state with the most areas that cannot meet the U.S. EPA air quality standards.
Springs occur wherever groundwater flows out from the earth’s surface. Springs typically occur along hillsides, low-lying areas, or at the base of slopes. A spring is formed when natural pressure forces groundwater above the land surface. Springs are highly susceptible to contamination since they are fed by shallow groundwater, which usually flows through the ground for only a short period of time and may interact with surface water. For this reason, most springs will need some treatment before the water is considered a reliably safe source of drinking water. However, don’t let science and common sense get in the way of yet another thing the California Digital Elite can get venture capital (other people’s money) and sell at a premium.
Let me clue you in on a bit of history then science. Though filtration was the first water treatment, true water treatment came out of the advances in scientific understanding. Filtration and additives like alum are effective treatments for cloudy water or turbidity, but it has limited success in removing pathogens which cause diseases like typhoid, cholera, and dysentery. The discovery in the early 1900’s that chlorine and ozone were effective disinfectants for the treatment of water to eliminate pathogens were the beginning of the modern scientific era and the birth of the great nations.
The first standards for bacteria in drinking water in the United States (1914) applied only to water carried on interstate boats and trains. The Public Health Service expanded water standards beginning in 1925 with the most rudimentary standards. This was expanded in 1946 and 1962 and finally Congress passing the Safe Drinking Water Act of 1974. The SDWA was further amended in 1986 and 1996. Today there are almost 90 substances tested for and controlled under the SDWA.
Since the advent of the Clean Water Act, outbreaks of disease caused by drinking water are no longer common in the United States. However, waterborne disease outbreaks continue to occur in the U.S. and can lead to serious acute, chronic, or sometimes fatal health consequences. The Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) collects data from all the states on waterborne diseases. From 1971 to 2002, there were 764 documented waterborne outbreaks associated with drinking water, resulting in 575,457 cases of illness and 79 deaths. The symptoms of water borne disease often include diarrhea, nausea, vomiting and sometimes fever. It is not uncommon to mistake a case of water related disease for “food poisoning” or a “24-hour stomach virus.” Contaminated water can often look, smell and taste fine. Giardia or Cryptosporidium, two microscopic parasites that can be found in surface water like these springs for example. Both parasites produce cysts that cause illness and sometimes death.
Self-styled water experts, these entrepreneurs share a wariness of tap water, particularly the fluoride added to it and the lead pipes and aging infrastructure that some of it passes through. These water entrepreneurs contend that the wrong kind of filtration removes beneficial minerals. Traditional bottled spring water is sterilized using UV light, chlorine or ozone gas and filtered to remove parasites and algae. The new water entrepreneurs say that water treatment kills healthful bacteria something they call “probiotics” or promoting of intestinal flora. They crow that their water turns green if it’s not consumed within a month.
The off-the-grid water movement has become more than the fringe phenomenon it once was, with sophisticated marketing, cultural cachet, millions of dollars in funding and influential supporters from Silicon Valley. It has become a danger to public health. Look, I know there are some reasons to be concerned about public water supplies. In truth, I have my own private off-the-grid water supply. My water comes from groundwater in the fractured rock system here in the Piedmont of Virginia. Rain water and snow melt percolate into the ground and recharge the aquifer. My house was picked for the water quality (among other things). The water in my well is relatively young, is untreated but is tested twice a year (by me) to ensure it remains free of contaminants and tastes great. In Virginia about 21% of the population obtains their household water from private domestic wells. If you want to drink off the grid water, come to Virginia.
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