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Archive for September, 2010

"Generally Safe" Means Danger is Present.

Posted by Rayne Water

article presented by Mother Nature Network reveals that U.S. drinking water is admittedly only “generally-safe”. While measurable improvements have been made by the national government and the Environmental Protection Agency, hands-on oversight has proven to improve amounts, but not eliminate the contaminates found in our drinking water. In fact, according to the data offered by a MNN graphic, 13% of Arizona’s community water systems have reported health violations and 24% of the state’s population is served by contaminated water systems. In California, 10% have health violations and 2% is served by water systems with some contamination. For those same categories, Nevada hits 17% and 5%, Utah reports 10% and 5%, and New Mexico has 16% and 14%. What about America overall? Every single state in this country besides the District of Colombia has its’ people drinking contaminated water!
The EPA has set limits in recent decades, yet in a December 2009 report, the agency warned of increasing threats to national drinking water. These contaminants are not only due to naturally occurring minerals and elements in the Earth, but tens of thousands of chemicals are released into our water each year. Cancer-causing elements, as stated in the article, have been limited, but are still present.
Contaminants can get into groundwater and drinking water in numerous ways. Filtering plants leave some particles behind, naturally occurring elements release into groundwater, and surface-water systems allow for more contact with outside pollutants. The 2009 EPA report (as found in the MNN article) quotes “disease outbreaks and water restrictions during droughts have demonstrated that we can no longer take our drinking water for granted.”;
The EPA acknowledges that current efforts are present and drinking water violations must be reported in order to continue a quest to make drinking water safer for the citizens of the U.S. In the meantime, the government has created five basic categories of pollutants. That’s right! There are so many contaminants found in drinking water that we can categorize them!
And for those Americans who choose bottled water – these households should ponder the financial responsibility and plastic-waste, as well as the non-biodegradable products left behind. Not all bottled water has been proven to be safer than drinking water.
If “generally-safe” drinking water is sufficient for your family, employees, or consumers, then hopefully your region falls in a “not-so-dangerous” location. Yet the safest, healthiest water can be found through affordable water filtration systems from Rayne. Rayne offers a number of drinking water products like filtration systems, water conditioners and softeners, reverse osmosis, and great service at an affordable price. Why be ”generally-safe” when you could be fully safe?

National Protect Your Groundwater Day 2010

Posted by Rayne Water

National Ground Water Association with the hopes of making the public more aware of the quality and quantity of water that we use and have available.
We often take clean water for granted in America because our municipalities test, treat, and provide a seemingly unending source of water. Because of that, Americans use more water per person than any other country in the world! We should be careful though, because the testing and treatment comes at a cost and the supply is limited. So, let’s think beyond our kitchen sink for just a moment. Where does the water come from? 95% of all available freshwater comes from underground aquifers – groundwater. That’s a huge percentage, and we’d have a really tough time coming up with an affordable and reliable replacement source if those aquifers were badly contaminated or depleted.
So, as part of Protect Your Groundwater Day, let’s take action in two different ways – let’s prevent contamination and promote conservation. Contamination doesn’t just occur because of human action, it’s also a daily occurrence in nature as water is exposed to microorganisms, radioactive compounds, and heavy metals. As individuals, we have little control over naturally occurring contamination, so that means we need to be extra diligent in preventing the contamination that we can control! Conservation is also something we have direct control over. We can choose to shut off the faucet while brush our teeth, we can choose high-efficiency appliances, we can plant geographically appropriate landscapes.
Here at Rayne Water Corporation, we promise to do our part. We recently introduced the Rayne Evolution Drinking Water System with LINX Technology, which is a drinking water system that uses a fraction of the amount of water as a traditional reverse osmosis system. We also offer our water softener customers Exchange Tank Services, so that no salt is used or discharged from our customers’ homes. We do the regeneration process in a controlled environment so that water is not wasted and salt is not flushed down the drain.
Let’s all make a commitment to keeping our groundwater safe, not only for today but for generations to come.
To watch an interesting video about where our water comes from, click HERE.

Honey, Did You Run The Dishwasher?

Posted by Rayne Water

How often have you heard that question as your spouse stands peering in at the dishes still in the dishwasher with a puzzled look on his or her face? Many households across America fight with dingy dishes on a daily basis. The cause? Often it’s hard water. There are a few other factors that might need checking as well, but since a large portion of the United States has at least moderately hard water, having a simple water test is a likely place to start.

A recent article from Brainerd, MN caught our eye. It seems that an incredible number of good folks were coming into a local appliance store asking questions and shopping because they felt like their dishwashers were about ready to call it quits. Left unquestioned, Whirlpool and GE would have made a killing off this community. Fortunately, however, the store owner started asking questions and doing a little research. The area is not prone to excessively hard water, but the symptoms all seemed to point that direction – cloudy glasses, water spots on plates, and a haze on every item that came out of the dishwasher.

Probably sounds familiar to most of us on the west side of the country, but it was a shock to these folks. One interesting discussion came from this – how did the town suddenly have noticeably hard water? Could it be the sudden increase in rainfall they’ve had this year? Could it be a change in water source? Or perhaps road construction stirred up minerals that have been in the pipes for years? Turns out it was probably the road construction, but whatever the cause, they are having to pay attention to their dishwashers!

Dishes, perhaps as much as any surface in our homes, are affected by our water. Since most dishwashers are white on the inside, we often don’t notice the hard water minerals building up inside the appliance and think that the problem lies with the appliance’s ability to clean, the detergent’s quality, or our dishes simply not holding up to everyday use. Before you go shopping for a new dishwasher ($$$!) or a different brand of detergent (boring), let’s try an experiment. Take a glass that has the white film on it, and dip it in a little vinegar. Does that take the powdery film away? If so, then you’ve got hard water! What are your options? You can add a little vinegar to every load, you can purchase specially-formulated dish detergent additives, or you can invest in a whole-house water softener.

Regardless of which approach you take, we think you’ll probably not hear that familiar “Did you run the dishwasher” question again. Your glasses will sparkle, your silverware will shine, and your dishwasher will last a good while longer.

Current Manganese Exposure Guidelines Deemed Unsafe

Posted by Rayne Water

Researchers have found a startling link between manganese exposure in children and intellectual impairment. The source of the Manganese exposure? Drinking water. Manganese, a naturally occurring metallic element, has been recognized as dangerously toxic in the workplace and manufacturing since 1837. But, because of its presence in the soil and rock formations, in certain situations manganese will be present in ground water and its health risk needs to be assessed.
This study is a first of its kind – to determine if naturally occurring manganese in the drinking water of part of North America and around the world posed any sort of health risk, particularly with children. 362 children were studied and the levels of manganese as well as copper, zinc, iron, arsenic, lead, magnesium and calcium. Tests were performed assessing cognition, motor skills, and behavior.
Even when manganese levels were found to be well below current “safe guidelines,” children exposed to higher levels of manganese had a 6 point deficit when compared to children exposed to little or no manganese. Authors of this study said that “few environmental contaminants have shown such a strong correlation with intellectual ability” and have advised that levels of manganese considered to be safe be revised.

What steps can be taken to assure the water our children drink is safe? Some municipalities already filter for manganese. However, additional steps taken at home can greatly reduce or even eliminate exposure to manganese. Systems that filter, reduce, and even remove sediment and mineral content can help you guarantee the safest drinking water for your children and family. Your local Rayne dealer can help you test your drinking water and find a system that works best for your family and budget.