Offer Alarm Icon
  Health and Wellness Special
 - Up to $300 OFF on Whole House Water Solutions* | OR |
 - 3 Ways Rayne Water Sets You FREE!
, 2 Months of FREE Service, FREE In-Home Water Test & System Check, No Contracts. No Commitments. Contract-FREE Always. |
 -  Get The Promo - 
Expires in  
raynewater
GET A QUOTEGET A QUOTE Contact Us

Archive for the ‘Water News’ Category

California Economy Felt In The Water

Posted by Ken Christopher

California’s economy can be felt in a multitude of manners. It doesn’t target a specific group of people or jobs, and for the most part, most people have been affected in one way or another. A recent news article even reminded us that the lack of funding in the state of California has put water cleanup projects (even those in dire need) on hold for the time being.

KFRE 59 of the WB describes the findings of a recent water investigation that show unincorporated valley communities have well water that can make a person sick. East Orosi is a low income community which has between 75 and 100 homes in the neighborhood. The water in the neighborhood is contaminated by nitrates, so much so that one resident can’t cook with the water and is forced to buy bottled water when it needs to be consumed. Pacific Institute has been studying the state’s water and found that in one county, fertilizer, pesticides, and sewage have contaminated the water in the wells.

In Visalia, the Community Water Center states that “By far nitrate is the most common contaminant in the area and it’s also the number one reason for well closure in the state.” They explain that nitrates don’t have a taste or odor so actually it would be safer to drink the browner tap water there. One resident of East Orosi buys ten gallons of bottled water a week. But there’s no replacement water for showering. “Sometimes when you bathe after awhile you feel like your body itches.” His is from just one of ten communities with unsafe drinking water due to nitrates. However, as previously mentioned, the financial situation in California means that the necessary water cleanup projects won’t happen for a long time.

And ten gallons of bottled water each week is hardly wallet-friendly or eco-friendly. Most residents who find themselves in this situation are best off looking into a water treatment system like a water cooler for the home, or a water filtration system like reverse osmosis which will be affordable and safe.

Are you looking for water softener services in SoCal? We have many Southern California locations and can provide water softening systems in Los Angeles & water softeners in Santa Barbara all the way down to San Diego. Give us a call today!

Rayne of Phoenix Receives Environmental Honor

Posted by Ken Christopher

Rayne of Phoenix is adding another very distinguished award to their list of accomplishments. The Arizona Water Association is recognizing Rayne Water’s Zero Liquid Discharge Facility for Centralized Water Softening Regeneration Operation with the Arizona Water 2011 Water Reuse Project of the Year award. This award will be presented on May 4th at the 84th Arizona Water Association Annual Conference. These awards are presented every year to recognize those companies that show outstanding engineering excellence and achievement in the water, wastewater, and water reuse categories. All the projects that are submitted are judged based on criteria including innovative application of a new or existing technique, social and economic considerations, and the ability to meet consumer needs.

Traditional water softeners use and discharge a lot of salt throughout the water softening process. This discharge of excess salt has been found to be contaminating water that was being reused for irrigation purposes. While reusing the water was a step in the right direction, this water was actually found to be killing the grass on golf courses in Scottsdale Arizona.

Rayne Water of Phoenix is the first to take these traditional water softeners and change the way they work to make them environmentally friendly. Rayne Water now focuses their water softening products almost entirely on metered systems and soft water exchange tank services. They took it one step further in guaranteeing that at no point will their systems flush salt down the drain and into any septic system. Their solution is to desalinate and recycle the water before discharging it as wastewater. Tank regeneration is confined to a properly designed desalination facility so that the salt discharge is nearly 0% and water usage is reduced by at least 2/3. Because the spent tanks are regenerated at a special facility, Rayne provides the exchange tank service in which a Rayne representative comes to the home and picks up the spent tank leaving a recharged tank in its place. The spent tank is transported back to the facility and is emptied into a regeneration vat, the resin is backwashed, and the tank is recharged. The water used in the backwash and regeneration process is captured, filtered, and reused in the next regeneration cycle. The solids that are filtered out in the backwash water are recycled as well, so no water is wasted, and no salt is dumped.

This process certainly changes the impact on the consumer as well. Consumers no longer need to buy and carry salt bags home to run through the water softener. And they don’t have a guilty conscience over the effects of flushed excess salt on the environment. Consider now if just 100 homes were to use this type of water softener and tank service for one year, over 3 million gallons of water would be saved, over 400,000 pounds of salt would be kept out of the septic systems, waste water treatment costs would be greatly reduced, and reclaimed water would be useful for irrigating without damaging the land. These are some very big advantages for communities and in fact the entire country.

Rayne of Phoenix is proud to be partnered with Arizona Water Association in the common goal to preserve the quality and availability of our drinking water. To become more educated about the Zero Liquid Discharge process, visit https://www.raynewater.com/exchange_tank_services.php to watch two brief educational videos. Join Rayne of Phoenix as they begin making a better tomorrow for all of us.

Are you looking for a water softener system in Arizona? We have multiple Arizona locations and can provide water softeners in Scottsdale , Phoenix, Tempe, all the way up to Bullhead. Give us a call today!

Contact us today if you are interested in a Phoenix water softener system. Located outside of Phoenix? We have multiple Arizona locations to meet your water treatment needs. Whether it’s a reverse osmosis system in Scottsdale or a Glendale water softener…we have you covered.

Does Your Child Come Home Thirsty?

Posted by Ken Christopher

Most parents naturally assume as their children walk out the door that they will have plenty of water to drink throughout the day. However, that doesn’t seem to be the situation at all. In fact most schools across the nation have a few drinking water fountains around, but no cups available. This means that if children want a drink during their lunch period they have to get up and go to the nearest fountain, wait in line to sip a drink and then go back and continue eating. How many adults would put up with that scenario? None of us would put up with that at our work, we would expect cups to be available.

Children at school can choose between flavors of milk and sometimes orange juice. If they want water, they must use the drinking fountain and those may or may not work and may or may not be convenient. According to the CDC’s National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, only 15% of kids in middle school consume adequate amounts of water. That indicates that a huge percentage of kids are spending their school days being thirsty and dehydrated. Nutrition advocates believe school children’s access to water is a national problem the federal government is only just beginning to address.

Children spend the largest part of their day in school; they should be drinking at least 4 glasses of water at school. Considering how much playing goes on during recess, these 4 glasses hardly would seem to be enough hydration. Standard recommendations for children are 6-8 glasses of water per day; teen boys need about 11 glasses per day. If school children are only getting 4 glasses of water each day or less, they are actually in a dehydrated state most of the day. Dehydration can affect learning as well as mental and physical performance.

Congress recently passed the Healthy Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010 in December to improve school nutrition in the National School Lunch Program. This same legislation requires that clean water be easily available in school. The question is, will these new rules be enough to address dehydration in students? School districts now have to provide water in student eating areas, but accessibility isn’t discussed. As long as water fountains are around the lunchrooms that may be all the requirements that must be completed. The main challenge appears to be the provision of cups to drink the water provided. Like was mentioned above, it seems that students are expected to get up during their short meal time go to the fountain and get a drink and return to eating.

Many educators and advocates say that too many of America’s largest school districts simply choose to not provide cups. Chicago Public Schools don’t, Miami-Dade County Public Schools don’t, Newark Public Schools don’t, Atlanta Public Schools don’t, and Clark County School District in Nevada also doesn’t provide cups to students. Some schools only provide cups if students ask for them. Educators say that providing cups can get expensive and take too much from the already shrinking school budgets.

A new program called Water Intervention, a 5 week research program that includes installing a water filter in the school, filling 5 gallon jugs, chilling them overnight, placing them in the eating area during mealtime and serving with cups. “We’ve seen students really gravitate towards the water out here and fill their cups right before and after lunch to hydrate” says Burt Cowgill, the project manager. “The water is very popular and we have a lot of participation.” This water intervention program has been done in 5 schools in the Los Angeles school district, provided free during the program. Now that the research has ended, it is up to the school district to continue funding it if it so chooses. According to CNN, the Los Angeles Unified School District says it cannot afford the estimated $1.8 million to $2.3 million it would take each year to provide the cups and water for the entire district.

Aside from the money expense, school districts may be paying attention to the loss in revenue from bottled water and other drink sales. These schools would have to come up with other ways of fundraising to replace the revenues lost from these drink sales.

Hard to imagine that our children’s water consumption – and health – could be significantly improved with the addition of paper cups or water bottles. Providing filtered water systems and cups would encourage students to actually stay hydrated and could make a difference in behavior and focus in the classroom.

Parents can perhaps help the situation out by sending a water bottle to school with their children. The only problem with this practice is some schools won’t allow students to store their water bottles at school. If they can’t leave them there, they forget to take them to school each day and the whole process is a failure. The fact is that water is of great importance to all of us, we all require a certain amount of water in order to survive. The amount of water we drink has a large effect on whether or not we are obese. In fact the lack of available water may be contributing considerably to the obesity of children. We can’t allow the lack of water to have such a huge impact on our children’s lives. It’s time school districts and parents got together and made certain that simple water is a part of every child’s school day for more than just a sip or two. Don’t let your school tell you that water is just too expensive for them to supply, they are taking care of your children.

Even if your child’s school won’t help, you should consider a service for water softening system in Los Angeles to ensure your home’s water supply is pure and contaminant free.

There’s Little Water Problems – And Then There’s 1000 TIMES THE LIMIT

Posted by Ken Christopher

Desert Sun’s recent article about some California wells containing huge amounts of Chromium-6. In some cases, wells contained 1,000 times the amount deemed safe by the State.

Hexavalent chromium is a potentially carcinogenic (cancer causing) metal that Erin Brockovich brought to the media’s attention some time ago. Because scientific studies on the contaminant are still ongoing, official maximum allowable standards have not been set, but California’s public health officials have determined a “goal” of 0.02 parts per billion that public water utilities and private wells should try to stay under. To implement and maintain a chromium-6 removal system is speculated to cost just one California water district more than $275 million and would raise water rates by approximately 74 percent.

Many Californians complain that there is absolutely no room for cancer-causing agents in their drinking water. Others argue that if chromium-6 were a real problem, they would have felt the effects of it by now, since generations of people have been consuming this same water. Regardless of which way the public opinions swings, governmental regulation is a long ways off, with the EPA often taking four or more years to set limits.

The solution is surprisingly easy – and affordable. While a faucet-mounted or pitcher-style water filter will not remove the contaminant, a reverse osmosis system generally can. Be sure to ask your water treatment professional for a list of contaminants their water filter can remove.

Fix It, or Drink It

Posted by Ken Christopher

Ultimatums and drinking water just don’t mix. The only option for drinking water from the tap should be pure and safe in order to do its job correctly for your health. But all over the country, in cities and small towns, we are finding out about harmful contaminants in drinking water that can cause some major health concerns. There are small steps being taken, but not all municipalities can or are doing much to solve some pretty alarming issues. Some cities have given the ultimatum. Either drink the water or don’t. But that doesn’t seem to be acceptable, even in the economic state we are in. According to recent news from KWQC, Dixon, Iowa is currently being cited (again) for dangerous drinking water. Three times last year, dangerously high levels of nitrate were found in Dixon’s water at 11 milligrams per liter; the limit is ten. Now a year later, nothing has been done and water tests came back even worse at 13 milligrams per liter. Leaders say Dixon is leaning towards building a new well, but it’s not that simple. So although they may be correct, it may not be that simple, it is that important. Talking about the issue is not enough. Leaders must be doing something to solve the issue. Unfortunately, as stated in the article, “Dixon officials have to figure out how to pay for the cost of the new well, the cost of the land to put that new well on, and the cost to hire an engineer to do the research and make sure this problem doesn’t come up again. All of this is estimated to cost well over $100,000, but Dixon only has $2,000 to pay for it and the town is running out of options.” But you don’t have to run out of options whether you are facing a similar issue in your area or fear that your water could potentially be contaminated. Water filters can be the best choice to eliminate or reduce harmful contaminants while still providing a constant flow of safe drinking water with the most advanced technology. Don’t choose an ultimatum when it comes to drinking water. Choose the best water filter for you, and worry less about what leaders in your town are doing, or would do, should you find yourself in this situation. To read more from this article, click here.

Fluoridation – Again?

Posted by Ken Christopher

I’ve been writing about water issues for a long time now, and was so relieved when, about a year ago, I determined that I could finally quit harping on the fluoridation issue. Many states and municipalities finally listened to consumers and the many scientists who argued that ingesting fluoride is not only pointless, but dangerous and expensive, and stopped adding the chemical to water. In fact, since 1990, more than 300 North American communities, including 43 cities serving at least 3 million residents hav voted to end fluoridation programs. Whew, one down!  BUT WAIT, now I’ve seen several news reports the last couple of months that fluoride is coming back! Just last month, The Wall Street Journal announced that New Jersey is being threatened with mandatory water fluoridation. The state’s Senate Bill S-959 and Assembly Bill 1811 will require cities to add what the article calls “unnecessary, untested, health-robbing fluoride chemicals” into the public water supplies – all to the tune of $5 billion in start-up costs and $1 billion each year to maintain the practice. Research shows that there is quite a long list of reasons why we should not want fluoride in drinking water:

  1. Fluoridation chemicals, often purchased from Mexico, China, and Japan, are hazardous waste byproducts of the phosphate fertilizer industry that are typically contaminated with arsenic, lead, and radionuclides.
  2. More than 40% of adolescents already have dental fluorosis – a visible sign of fluoride toxicity.
  3. Government, health, and dental organizations advise that infant formula should not be mixed with fluoridated water. Many families have to scrape together money for formula, without having to purchase special water with which to mix it.
  4. Low-income children have a greater risk of suffering from all forms of fluoride toxicity since poor diet exacerbates fluoride’s negative effects.
  5. There have been 25 studies showing that fluoride can lower the IQ of children.
  6. Fluoride works topically – and is much more effective when applied in toothpaste or mouth rinse form.

What I found most disturbing was that the Wall Street article indicated that most New Jersey residents did not even know about this bill that’s up for vote! So, keep your hears open and your eyes sharp – the question can arise in other states too! Already stuck with fluoridation? Here’s what to do – purchase a home drinking water filter. But, when you do, ask the right questions. How much fluoride is left in the filtered water? What percentage does the drinking water system remove? Reverse osmosis or an ion exchange system are the most successful filtration systems. What won’t work? Many faucet-mount filters, many pitcher filters, boiling the water, and freezing the water.

Water Treatment Plants – Source of Antibiotic Resistant Bacteria

Posted by Ken Christopher

Wastewater treatment plants were originally designed to protect the environment, cleaning up rivers that were once open drains of human waste. In recent years, many states have relied on wastewater treatment plants to even return clean water back into our drinking water system for relatively quick reuse. Now, Minnesota Public Radio tells us that there is a new category of pollution called emerging contaminants – new substances they don’t know enough about to determine whether they are harmful to the environment and human life. The most troubling of these contaminants, antibiotic-resistant bacteria, are flourishing in wastewater treatment plants.

Since our society uses antibiotics so frequently anymore in medicine, agriculture, and even cleaning products bacteria are evolving to defy antibiotics. Because of the nature of what’s in waste water, the process wastewater treatment plants use, and the chemicals that are used to control bacteria growth, scientists have found that the antibiotic resistant gene is 20-times more common in the outflow of the Minnesota treatment plant as in other water samples they collected.

The good news is that very thorough water filter can capture the contaminants quite effectively. The Duluth plant being studied uses an excellent multi-stage filter – a much more exhaustive system than many treatment plants use. In fact, the plant claims that most treatment plants in the United States don’t have their level of treatment, so this antibiotic-resistant bacteria is likely every where and proliferating quite rapidly. This means people everywhere could be exposed to the bad bugs by swimming in rivers and lakes where wastewater is discharged or even by drinking tap water.

Of course, this study is relatively new, and more scientific data is being considered to determine the level of risk, but adding another layer of defense sure wouldn’t hurt! Here at Rayne of Irvine, we know our California water. We offer tests of your home or business water, and we have technology that has been certified by the Water Quality Association. Our water filters, drinking water systems, water conditioners, and water softeners can be designed to fit your needs and your budget.

Levels of Nitrates in Drinking Water Cause Concern

Posted by Ken Christopher

drinking water system like reverse osmosis or a water filter with LINX technology to filter your water. Here in California, drinking water is not perfect. Even within the state, there are areas where tested water has shown dangerous levels of contaminants. As explained in one recent article from CBS 47, even the Valley has some unsafe drinking water. U.C. Davis researchers tested water in California and found that the Tulare Lake Basin and Salinas Valley have unsafe levels of nitrate in drinking water. The California legislature asked U.C. Davis to test California’s drinking water to see if nitrate contamination from agriculture is a problem in the state and the study confirmed that it is. The water is unsafe and can cause health problems. Agriculture is responsible for about 90% of the nitrate contaminating drinking water. According to the EPA, nitrates and nitrites are nitrogen-oxygen chemical units which combine with various organic and inorganic compounds. The greatest use of nitrates is as a fertilizer. Once taken into the body, nitrates are converted to nitrites. High nitrate levels in water can cause methemoglobinemia or blue baby syndrome, a condition found especially in infants less than six months. Methemoglobin does not carry oxygen efficiently. This results in a reduced oxygen supply to vital tissues such as the brain. Methemoglobin in infant blood cannot change back to hemoglobin, which normally occurs in adults. Severe methemoglobinemia can result in brain damage and death. Pregnant women, adults with reduced stomach acidity, and people deficient in the enzyme that changes methemoglobin back to normal hemoglobin are all susceptible to nitrite-induced methemoglobinemia. In 1974, Congress passed the Safe Drinking Water Act. This law requires EPA to determine the level of contaminants in drinking water at which no adverse health effects are likely to occur. These non-enforceable health goals, based solely on possible health risks and exposure over a lifetime with an adequate margin of safety, are called maximum contaminant level goals (MCLG). Contaminants are any physical, chemical, biological or radiological substances or matter in water. But the cost of the possible solutions is staggering, and is not an immediate possibility. Some are nearly impossible, like cleaning an entire basin, which could cost up to 30 million dollars a year. A more affordable and direct solution is to contact us for information on our drinking water systems which will reduce these contaminants and filter drinking water right at your kitchen sink. Our water treatment systems are the most affordable solutions and will benefit anyone in the affected areas as well as other consumers who want to take the necessary precautions for safe drinking water at home or place of business. We also offer a reverse osmosis system, water coolers, and many other drinking water filters to meet anyone’s needs. Contact us and remove concern and contaminants from your tap.

They Couldn’t Taste it, but Tests Show Uranium in Drinking Water

Posted by Ken Christopher 
            Some contaminants are regulated and some are not. Most are unrecognizable to the average consumer, however. This makes drinking water contaminants hard to identify unless tests are done regularly, and monitoring is done correctly. Residents of Coyle, Oklahoma have recently been told that their drinking water is not safe due to a high level of uranium. Health officials said the water in the town of Coyle contains too much of the radioactive metal. While it may not be much over the limitations, the Coyle officials sent out a notice to residents Friday from the DEQ stating that with it was a problem, there was no immediate health risks from drinking the water. The notice said that drinking water with high uranium levels over time could create an increased risk of cancer or kidney problems. These residents could not tell for themselves that it was there.

Uranium is a radioactive element found in nature. It can be present in soil, air, water, rocks, plants and food. Uranium breaks down (decays) very slowly into other elements including radium and radon gas. According to the EPA’s website, areas where uranium is present in rocks or soil, a drinking-water well can become contaminated with uranium. This can occur when the uranium in the surrounding rock or soil dissolves into the well water. Although western states are better known for having higher than average background levels of uranium in drinking water, uranium contamination of drinking water also can occur in eastern states as well. Likewise, uranium has some health effects associated with high levels of contaminants. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency sets the upper limit for uranium in community public wells at 30 micrograms per liter (µg/L), effective in December, 2003. Intakes of uranium exceeding EPA standards can lead to increased cancer risk, liver damage, or both. Long term chronic intakes of uranium isotopes in food, water, or air can lead to internal irradiation and/or chemical toxicity. Reverse osmosis is a treatment that uses a semi-permeable membrane to capture any uranium in the water. The device uses water pressure as a force against the membrane, and only clean water is able to pass through, which leaves the uranium behind. Plastic bottles end up in landfills and harm the environment. They are also a very costly solution in comparison to drinking water systems with advanced technology. We offer reverse osmosis systems that effectively reduce harmful contaminants, turning tap water into convenient, fresh, clean water at your own separate faucet. Here in the Camp Pendleton area, you can find that our services expand to many housing areas nearby. Reverse osmosis is by far the best solution – saving you money, time, and effort. You can feel good about the water from your faucet. When you can’t see or taste contaminants, a drinking water system can eliminate your worries and keep you healthy.

Has Your Water Been Disinfected?

Posted by Ken Christopher 
            There are many communities in the United States that, unfortunately, do not disinfect their water.  As a result there has been an unfortunate increase in the amount of human viruses, which may expose the population to increased health risks such as gastrointestinal viruses.

One such study in Wisconsin found that a norovirus, found in tap water, was up to 63% responsible for causing illnesses in children less than 5 years of age.  The likely source was attributed to wastewater leakage from sewers, which then traveled through the soil and flowed into the groundwater. There was also evidence of viruses in the soil flowing into the cracked water pipes of homes. The Marshall Clinic Research Foundation and the University of California, Davis conducted the work and published their findings on June 1st, 2012 in a peer reviewed journal known as the Environmental Health Perspectives.  The lead author of the study in Wisconsin was Mark A. Borchardt, a microbiologist who works for the US agricultural Research Service in Marshfield.  Nationally it was indicated that there are 20 million people being served by 95,600 drinking systems that do not disinfect their water.  In addition the EPA reported that an estimated 57 million people drink treated groundwater that does not meet federal goals of reducing viruses by almost 100%. Last year, Botrchardt testified before a legislative committee indicating that the benefits of disinfecting the water outweigh the cost.  The viruses most frequently detected in water were of the following types: adenoviruses, enteroviruses and noroviruses, all which would definitely have an impact on the population’s health and even lost man hours at work. A good water treatment company can provide solutions to keep your water safe and your family healthy. Residential water filters use the latest technology to ensure that dangerous viruses and chemicals are being removed from the water that you and your family consume. A water treatment company can provide you with the best and most economical Reverse Osmosis system. Contact you local residential water servicing company today so they can help you and your family have a healthier, safer water supply for all of your consumption needs.