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How clean is Columbus water?

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Started 2 years ago by Brant Jones
Latest reply from FireEngine

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Nate
Suburbs
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There is a lot of propaganda out there, so be careful. Water filtration systems for your home are a huge expense, and the salesmen are counting on you knowing very little about the subject. You also have to be weary of where the "research" you are looking at comes from. The water industry has thrived off of paranoia, when a lot of times they are simply bottling city water and reselling it, or filtering water that is already safe to drink.

I work in a lab that does drinking water analysis, so if you have any specific questions about anything, let me know.

Posted 2 years ago #
Analogue Kid
5th by West-Northwest
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Brant Jones wrote >>
A little backstory regarding the OP: I don't have much knowledge on this subject. My brother had a guy from Home Depot come to his house to test his tap water and he was told that there were high levels of chlorine in it, and he was advised to invest in a water filtration system. I was convinced my brother was getting scammed by this "expert" and started looking for hard data online to disprove the charlatan.
After about 10 minutes of Google searching, most of the stuff I found online seemed to support the Home Depot guy and his sales pitch. At the least, there seems to be a big discrepancy between what is considered healthy vs. what is legal. And then, of course, there's the question of taste.
I was hoping the brains on CU could me help clear this up, but even here there doesn't seem to be much of a consensus.

Totally bogus. The CCR above shows chlorine levels considerably below the 4 ppm MCL. And if you are worried about chlorine in your drinking water, check out this super expensive solution:

*Fill a bottle 3/4 of the way with tap water
*Leave the lid off and place in your fridge
*Wait 24 hours
*Enjoy water with Cl levels below detetion limit

Posted 2 years ago #
alexs
Limestone bluffs of the Scioto
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*Enjoy water with Cl levels below detetion limit

That's what I do with my watering cans for the houseplants.

Posted 2 years ago #
alexs
Limestone bluffs of the Scioto
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For anyone working in a lab - would it be possible to drug-test the river water in the same way as a urine sample would be submitted for pre-employment screening? If so, what would that cost?

I ask because I hear about drugs making it through wastewater treatment and into the ecosystem. Having boated past the Columbus wastewater treatment discharge, I know where I could take a sample. Plus, there are also treatment plants in Marysville and Prospect (maybe LaRue, too?) which are upstream of our intake on the Scioto.

I wouldn't expect to find much THC or cocaine, but how about opiates and hormones?

Posted 2 years ago #
TomOver
herenowbeyond.org
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Sierra Club to sue Franklin County, townships to force septic cleanup

Posted 10 months ago #
Analogue Kid
5th by West-Northwest
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TomOver wrote >>
Sierra Club to sue Franklin County, townships to force septic cleanup

The unfortunate problem with the lawsuit is the costs are going to land on the backs of the people living in the homes with substandard treatment. None of the affected neighborhoods would be considered wealthy by any stretch of the imagination, and a $7-10,000 bill is going to be impossible for some residents. The $3,300 sewer connection fee doesn't cover everything that would need to happen.

This is yet another example of the federal government's failure to adequately deal with water issues in this country. The Clean Water Act is great, but properly funding it should be a shared priority among all Americans, not just those who are unlucky.

Posted 10 months ago #
Rockmastermike
CORNspiracy HQ
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Analogue Kid wrote >>
This is yet another example of the federal government's failure to adequately deal with water issues in this country. The Clean Water Act is great, but properly funding it should be a shared priority among all Americans, not just those who are unlucky.

+1

Posted 10 months ago #
lazyfish

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Analogue Kid wrote >>

TomOver wrote >>
Sierra Club to sue Franklin County, townships to force septic cleanup

The unfortunate problem with the lawsuit is the costs are going to land on the backs of the people living in the homes with substandard treatment. None of the affected neighborhoods would be considered wealthy by any stretch of the imagination, and a $7-10,000 bill is going to be impossible for some residents. The $3,300 sewer connection fee doesn't cover everything that would need to happen.
This is yet another example of the federal government's failure to adequately deal with water issues in this country. The Clean Water Act is great, but properly funding it should be a shared priority among all Americans, not just those who are unlucky.

so now the clean water act is an unfunded mandate? the Dept. of Utilities has gobs of cash and rate payers by the short hairs, I suggest they start complying with the law and quit bitching. Columbus rivers are foul, the Scioto and Olentangy downtown are a mess. Anyone drinking tap water in this town is a fool.

Posted 10 months ago #
alexs
Limestone bluffs of the Scioto
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Just curious, are you doing anything to improve the state of the rivers? Or do you prefer to sit back and complain?

Posted 10 months ago #
TomOver
herenowbeyond.org
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alexs said:
Just curious, are you doing anything to improve the state of the rivers? Or do you prefer to sit back and complain?

To reduce water usage, been peeing in a bucket, then dumping it on the grass or on the gravel part of the driveway.

Posted 2 days ago #
Graybeak

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I think we need to address even more closely, the disparity in quality between water from the kitchen sink tap, and the nastiness that comes from my upstairs bathroom tap!

Posted 1 day ago #
alexs
Limestone bluffs of the Scioto
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I'm glad we don't have hard water like some places. I'd visit in Milwaukee, and when I'd shower, it felt like the soap never completely rinses off.

Posted 1 day ago #
TomOver
herenowbeyond.org
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alexs said:
I'm glad we don't have hard water like some places. I'd visit in Milwaukee, and when I'd shower, it felt like the soap never completely rinses off.

Jersey had hard water when I lived there. But, no offense, was thinking in terms of community and societal issues, not individualistic and relatively minor irritations.

Posted 1 day ago #
Roland
Clintonville
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TomOver said:
To reduce water usage, been peeing in a bucket, then dumping it on the grass or on the gravel part of the driveway.

I do the same thing with my poop.

Posted 1 day ago #
TomOver
herenowbeyond.org
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Roland said:
I do the same thing with my poop.

Congrats. Would be an accomplishment, doing that here in Upper Arlington. Like me learning Gilmour, Page, or Hendrix riffs.

Posted 1 day ago #
cheap
Westgate
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alexs said:
I'm glad we don't have hard water like some places. I'd visit in Milwaukee, and when I'd shower, it felt like the soap never completely rinses off.

that sounds like a water softener was used.

i lived in texas for a little while
that water down there will eat the turtle wax right off of your paint.

Posted 1 day ago #
DavidF
Elysium Fields
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cheap said:
that sounds like a water softener was used.

i lived in texas for a little while
that water down there will eat the turtle wax right off of your paint.

+1 One town I was in down there had big signs all around the town telling you it was safe to drink, cuz you'd never know that from the way it smelled or looked. Coming out of the shower, your skin would feel simultaneously slimey and rubbed raw.

Posted 1 day ago #
ChrisSunami
King-Lincoln District
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TomOver said:
Congrats. Would be an accomplishment, doing that here in Upper Arlington.

Wait... TomOver lives in Upper Arlington???

Posted 1 day ago #
rus

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ChrisSunami said:
Wait... TomOver lives in Upper Arlington???

DAMNIT.

How to play this one?

"So, Chris, what exactly do you have against diverse communities?"

"What's wrong Chris? Can't a white man live where he wants?"

"Yeah, I know. It's getting so you can't go out without running into crackers even in Upper Arlington."

;)

Posted 1 day ago #
joev
Merion Village
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I just didn't know there was gravel in Upper Arlington.

Posted 1 day ago #