Description

1. Impurities (45 Minutes) A. Potability versus FHA a. Lead 1. Plumbing in the house 2. Must be first draw sample from the kitchen sink a. Cannot sample if sink has been used within 6 hours prior to the sample b. Suggested to run the water from the kitchen sink for 1 hour the day before the sample to flush out lead that has accumulated as the home sat vacant B. Other proper sampling techniques 1. Bathroom sink or tub for bacteria 2. Swivel faucets 3. Sample closer to the entry point, while still allowing the water to be treated by the homes current water conditioning 4. Point of Use Reverse Osmosis systems can only be sampled from for nitrates and nitrites a. The RO will filter out other impurities, but the EPA guidelines to not allow for a Point of Use system to treat for other impurities, versus that of a whole house filter 2. Most Common Impurity found in well water – bacteria A. What causes bacteria? 1. One piece well cap 2. Broken/short conduit 3. Cracked casings 4. Bugs 1. Radon in the water a. Not nearly as harmful when drank b. The radon gas breaks away from the water when going through the faucet. This allows radon gasses to sit in the upper levels of a home; and is most dangerous with a large master bath tub that puts Radon in the air with the nightly bath just before the tenant then sleeps in the next room for 8 hours. c. No pass fail yet set by Congress (4,000pCi/l) d. They’ve only been asked 20 years ago now to determine a pass/fail level 2. Radium e. Measured in Picocuries per liter f. Gross alpha (15pCi/l) i. 224 (decays quickly) ii. 226 and 228 (5 pCi/l) g. Anne Arundel Map h. Howard Map i. Baltimore County map 3. Iron j. Can be found over the State k. Ferric and Ferrous l. Not necessarily a health risk, but can be expensive to remediate m. Maybe two conditioner- one for dissolved iron and another for the iron sediment 4. Salt Water Intrusion n. Wells near o. Bodies of brackish water p. Within a few blocks of tidal water q. County roads that are salted (winter) r. State Highway has been remediating for state road with Whole house RO systems 5. Cadmium s. Used in industrial workplaces t. Require to be sampled with some wells in AA County when the well is drilled 6. Arsenic u. Require to be sampled with some wells in AA County when the well is drilled 7. MTBE/VOC v. Underground oil tanks w. Gas station spills/leaks x. Jacksonville, Jarrettsville 8. Sulfur y. Rotten egg smell z. Not harmful 3. Water Conditioning (45 Minutes) a. Chlorination’s 1. How to a. Chlorine tablets b. Running off c. Testing with chlorine powder d. Resampling 2. Which wells cannot be chlorinated? a. Well is in a Pit b. Polybutylene Plumbing c. Jet Pump B. Acid Neutralizers a. pH ≤6.0 C. Chemical Feeders a. Soda ash 1. pH less than 5.5 b. bleach 1. Sulphur orders D. Water Softeners E. Reverse Osmosis Systems a. Underneath Sink PoU b. Basement; PoU c. Basement; whole house 1. Creates 2-4 gallons of bad water for every gallon of good 2. Not desired; expensive to maintain F. Carbon Filters G. List Impurities and which water conditioners are the recommended remediation a. Include general prices