Water Turbidity

[bigtiller]

The water department suggested the residents boil their cooking and drinking water because several Turbidity tests were 4 times higher than the acceptable level. Some of the women in town are arguing whether or not they need to boil their water for washing dishes. Can any of you help settle the debate before it turns into a big old hen fight?

 

[tcartwri]

Settle a debate between women? Are you serious...

 

[bigtiller]

Yep, that's why I came here. I'm not about to go in alone.

 

[tcartwri]

Isn't this why you have a shop and a beer fridge?

 

[bigtiller]

Yes, but if I don't go in the house often enough they come out to the shop to "check" on me.

 

[tcartwri]

you need to move the shop another 10 feet from the house.

 

[bigtiller]

I have one getting finished off now about 90 foot away but it may take another month........... so in the mean time, i'll need to go into the house a few times.

 

[tcartwri]

:drink:

 

[wjmst]

Boiling not needed. Besides the boiling water would burn their hands while they washed the dishes!

 

[Gary Fowler]

I would think that if you washed you dishes in dirty & undrinkable water you would have the same contaminates on the dishes as what is in the water. Make it light on yourself, what's the worst that can happen, maybe a trip to the emergency room or perhaps some parasite infestation in your gut.

 

[Gary Fowler]

Don't forget cholera also a possibility if turbidity is causes by some fecal material.

 

[oosik]

Another STRANGE situation. I have NEVER heard the water dept or health dept call for a "boil water" situation because of turbidity. It is a lot more likely the water may have some form of contamination and they are doing the old CYA routine and not scaring the public until they receive the results of bacterial analysis. Its the old - where there is smoke, there is fire, only this is - where there is dirt, there is likely contamination.

 

[bigtiller]

You have convinced me Gary. Emergency room, parasites, cholera, fecal mater.......i'm thinking, what's wrong with paper plates.

 

[SSdoxie]

Cap full of bleach in dishwater, rinse water should take care of any parasites.

 

[bigtiller]

OP here with an update. We boiled our water for 9 days. What a hassle!!!

It turns out, we probably didn't need to.

Today's paper said the Turbidity test was as high as 4.35 and the government allows only 1.0 or less. HOWEVER, two years ago the government lowered the standard from 5 to 1.

There is something wrong in this world where it is acceptable to tell half the story and expect it to stand up as the truth.

Okay i'm done.

Moving on.......... thanks for listening.

 

[Gary Fowler]

OP here with an update. We boiled our water for 9 days. What a hassle!!!

It turns out, we probably didn't need to.

Today's paper said the Turbidity test was as high as 4.35 and the government allows only 1.0 or less. HOWEVER, two years ago the government lowered the standard from 5 to 1.

There is something wrong in this world where it is acceptable to tell half the story and expect it to stand up as the truth.

Okay i'm done.

Moving on.......... thanks for listening.

There was likely a good reason for the standards to be lowered, perhaps someone or several have gotten sick (or worse)with the old standards. Just like safety rules, they don't become rules just because someone thinks it would be a good idea, usually there are deaths associated with rule changes. It is always better to be safe that sorry. I am surprised that the water treatment took 9 days to correct a problem though, did you have flooding or some other disaster that caused the problem.

 

[bigtiller]

There was likely a good reason for the standards to be lowered, perhaps someone or several have gotten sick (or worse)with the old standards. Just like safety rules, they don't become rules just because someone thinks it would be a good idea, usually there are deaths associated with rule changes. It is always better to be safe that sorry. I am surprised that the water treatment took 9 days to correct a problem though, did you have flooding or some other disaster that caused the problem.

It seamed unusual to me to make a 500% change in the rules.

The only cause of the problem was man made, nothing else. Why the 9 days? It was a $100,000 filtering system that we never had before and few water plants do, that had to be special ordered, shipped, custom installed, flushed and more tests. Waiting for the laboratory results took another day or so also.