What's In Your Water

[wU-Tang Vol]

So, I find my new job incredibly fascinating. I get to see what exactly is in your every day faucet water and drinking water, and it's a lot more complex then I assumed it would be. So, thought y'all might wanna know what you're drinking. So, well pull water from the Cumberland River, or better known as the Scumberland River around these parts. So this water straight from the river with no chemicals applied to it is known as "raw water." Now the raw water has a scale of how disgusting it is called turbidity. Turbidity is defined as the cloudiness or haziness of a fluid caused by large numbers of individual particles that are generally invisible to the naked eye, similar to smoke in air. So basically, it's the $ hit in the water. Now it fluctuates, but right now, pre-chemical, it has a turbidity of 17.1 NTU. That means 17% of water is $ hit you don't need to drink. I can't post pics in this first post, so give me a sec and I'll show you what I'm looking at.

 

[wU-Tang Vol]

Below is a picture of the pumps that bring in the raw water. If you look to the right and see the box labeled "Raw Water Flow," that means we're on pace at the rate of water we are pumping to send out almost 20 million gallons of water a day. We actually average around 30 million gallons a day for Clarksville. More to come

 

[wU-Tang Vol]

Alright, so after we pump the raw water in, it goes through this valve where we mix in sodium promaganate and phosphorus into the water. So these two chemicals oxidize the iron that's in water, help odor and taste with the water, and also creat something called Flocc, or technical term: flocculation. What flocc is, is all the dirt and nastiness of the river water. It clumps that dirt together and continues to clump itself up. Then, it is funneled into these basins, pictured below, and when it clumps up enough it falls to the bottom of the basin and is filtered back to the sewer plant. There are a ton of fish and insects that get pushed through this as well, and I swear some get mutated from the chemicals. Then, we move that water into the sed basins

 

[wU-Tang Vol]

Once water is funneled to the sed basins, it still has some remaining flocc in it. So it sits for about 4 hours slowly moving til that flocc continues to build on itself and falls to the bottom where the filter is located. Below are the number of sed basins

 

[wU-Tang Vol]

The water then goes from the sed basins to the membranes that filter the water. Feed pumps pull the water to 8 gigantic membranes that filter the water of what is left remaining. Below is a picture of the membrane room

 

[wU-Tang Vol]

Then the water is pushed through a valve where chlorine and fluoride are added in. There is 2.27 parts of chlorine per million gallons pumped currently. That number can fluctuate, but law requires it can't get above 4 parts per million. Now, fluoride is a touchy subject with me. It does, in small dosages, help with your teeth. However, fluoride is not good for anyone. It causes issues with your thyroid, kidneys, and even bone structure (when taken in larger quantities). Fluoride has been linked to IQ reduction as well. It is also a byproduct of rat poison, according to my boss. We have been fighting the city to stop using it, seeing how it is not mandatory to be put into the water, but they continue to force us to use it. The water is the pushed the the high service pumps, pictured below, where it is distributed. So, that's what you're drinking.I think it is all incredibly interesting and figured y'all may want to know how it works and what you're putting inside you

 

[wU-Tang Vol]

I know. TL; DR

 

[GreatWhiteNorth]

Some effing knowledge up in here. Interesting.

 

[Falco]

Read every bit. Found it fascinating too.

Water is our most precious tangible resource, even though it's abundant here and we don't appreciate it. Seeing how a municipality treats & manages it's supply is very cool.

I have spring water which, while safe, I've never had tested. (But always meant to)

 

[Falco]

Fluoridation is a touchy subject with some. I personally don't like it for the reasons you mentioned. Hell, I remember swishing some fluoridated concoction back in elementary school because they said it was good for us. May explain a few things iykwim.

 

[Scotty's Flat Top]

Water is beautiful, we are beyond blessed to enjoy a process like in which Wu toils. I can deal with a little fluoride after seeing what other counties are forced to consume.

 

[Vercingetorix]

(Dr Strangelove, 1964)

Ripper:
Have you ever seen a commie drink a glass of water?
Mandrake:
Well, no I... I can't say I have, Jack.
Ripper:
Vodka. That's what they drink, isn't it? Never water?
Mandrake:
Well I... I believe that's what they drink, Jack. Yes.
Ripper:
On no account will a commie ever drink water, and not without good reason.
Mandrake:
Oh, ah, yes. I don't quite.. see what you're getting at, Jack.
Ripper:
Water. That's what I'm getting at. Water. Mandrake, water is the source of all life. Seven tenths of this earth's surface is water. Why, you realize that.. seventy percent of you is water.
Mandrake:
Uhhh God...
Ripper:
And as human beings, you and I need fresh, pure water to replenish our precious bodily fluids.
Mandrake:
Yes. chuckles nervously
Ripper:
You beginning to understand?
Mandrake:
Yes. chuckles. begins laughing/crying quietly
Ripper:
Mandrake, have you never wondered why I drink only distilled water, or rain water, and only pure grain alcohol?
Mandrake:
Well it did occur to me, Jack, yes.
Ripper:
Have you ever heard of a thing called fluoridation? Fluoridation of water?
Mandrake:
Ah, yes, I have heard of that, Jack. Yes.
Ripper:
Well do you now what it is?
Mandrake:
No. No, I don't know what it is. No.
Ripper:
Do you realize that fluoridation is the most monstrously conceived and dangerous communist plot we have ever had to face?
…..
Mandrake, do you realize that in addition to fluoridated water, why, there are studies underway to fluoridate salt, flour, fruit juices, soup, sugar, milk, ice cream? Ice cream, Mandrake. Children's ice cream?
Mandrake:
Good Lord.
Ripper:
You know when fluoridation first began?
Mandrake:
No. No, I don't, Jack. No.
Ripper:
Nineteen hundred and forty six. Nineteen fortysix, Mandrake. How does that coincide with your postwar commie conspiracy, huh? It's incredibly obvious, isn't it? A foreign substance is introduced into our precious bodily fluids without the knowledge of the individual, and certainly without any choice. That's the way your hard core commie works.
Mandrake:
Jack... Jack, listen, tell me, ah... when did you first become, well, develop this theory.
Ripper:
Well, I ah, I I first became aware of it, Mandrake, during the physical act of love.
Mandrake:
sighs fearfully
Ripper:
Yes a profound sense of fatigue, a feeling of emptiness followed. Luckily I was able to interpret these feelings correctly: loss of essence.
Mandrake:
Yes...
Ripper:
I can assure you it has not recurred, Mandrake. Women... women sense my power, and they seek the life essence. I do not avoid women, Mandrake, but I do deny them my essence.

 

[Vercingetorix]

Let's say I wanted to see a report on the drinking water coming out of my faucet. Is it standard to provide a report to the public? Is it likely there's a website? I got a report once upon a time about 20 years ago, when I was making beer and wanted to know how much calcium was in the water, but I can't remember how I went about it.

 

[GreatWhiteNorth]

Uh...

 

[wU-Tang Vol]

Let's say I wanted to see a report on the drinking water coming out of my faucet. Is it standard to provide a report to the public? Is it likely there's a website? I got a report once upon a time about 20 years ago, when I was making beer and wanted to know how much calcium was in the water, but I can't remember how I went about it.

I'll find out tonight when I go in at 8

 

[wU-Tang Vol]

Verc, it's different with different cities and some plants are privately owned, but it is required by law that of you request a report, they have to give you one. Generally it can be requested from your city's website and they send you the report