Arsenic in my drinking water! What can I do?

Arsenic in well water 

Recently I was asked to do a presentation, at a networking meeting, about our company and the services we provide along with a particular topic to discuss. It's easy to discuss one particular water treatment issue and how to solve it but there are twelve other people at the table that don't necessarily have that particular problem. They have a whole different perception of their water problems and water concerns or just want to know what the heck that contraption is in their basement (water softener) and how it works. So instead of doing a typical presentation, I said how about we go around the table to each person and they can ask a question pertaining to their water or water treatment system. This way we can help everyone with their water concerns. It worked out very well. Everyone was happy with the presentation. I helped everyone with their water questions and we all learned something about each other (which is the objective for networking). We actually ran over by ten minutes. But during all these discussions the one topic that came up more than any was Arsenic!

The first family in Michigan, diagnosed with arsenic poisoning.

Arsenic is naturally occurring in Southeast Michigan and has become a big concern for those living with water drawn from private and community well water supplies. In 2001 The World Health Organization lowered the arsenic standard from 50 ppb (parts per billion) to 10 ppb. In part due to the increased incidence of health-related problems at the previous levels of 50 ppb. In 1999 I happened to work with the very first family in Michigan that had been diagnosed with arsenic poisoning. Their water had been tested and the Arsenic levels were at 43 ppb, well below what was perceived to be the threshold for health problems at the time. The whole family had become sick, three young children and the parents, with various symptoms that seemed totally unrelated.  Their water was the last thing tested and arsenic was found to be the basis for all their health problems. The entire family had elevated levels of arsenic in their systems. Their health issues sparked renewed interest in the arsenic levels and what is really a "Safe" level for human consumption. Doctors finally stood up and took notice and started testing their patients for elevated arsenic levels and to everyone's dismay, the arsenic problem was much more widespread than anyone could have conceived. One doctor that became proactive in testing his patients for arsenic, and searching for solutions for them, is in Southfield, MI. Southfield (located in the middle of a city water area outside of Detroit, MI), actually has many homes still on private wells. It was discovered that many of the wells have extremely high levels of arsenic.

This map, released by the U.S.G.S, shows the incidence of arsenic occurring across Michigan counties. As you can see southern Michigan is especially high in arsenic.

The family these arsenic problems came to light over, in 1999, lived in northwest Oakland County.  In our water treatment business, we have run into arsenic levels as high as 250 ppb in southern Michigan. Obviously, that is extremely high and absolutely needs to be treated for removal. But in my opinion "NO Arsenic" is the level everyone needs to be at. The only reason the arsenic levels are currently set at 10 ppb is the level was negotiated by municipalities to 10 ppb because it would be almost impossible for these municipal water suppliers to guarantee they could keep the arsenic levels at "0 ppb" all the time. The federal government was really pushing to have the standard set at 0 ppb but that was just not practical or cost-effective for these water supply companies.

Livingston County Michigan has taken a proactive approach to this arsenic issue and now requires water treatment if the arsenic levels are above the 10 ppb standard for any real estate transactions. Typically most homeowners want the whole house treated for arsenic removal and there are several ways to accomplish this. Many water treatment companies have decided not to pursue the arsenic removal business as they find the liability associated with treating these problems too high. It has been my experience that a strong education in the arsenic removal processes, a proper water analysis, and experience in the application provides the acumen for arsenic removal solutions for the growing number of concerned homeowners and prospective home buyers.

Arsenic types: There are two types of arsenic. AS-5 and AS-3. These are referred to as "valences". Both types of arsenic can and frequently do appear in the same well.  In southern Michigan, AS-5 is the most prevalent type we find but any application method has to take into account the possibility of AS-3 being present also. Testing for arsenic can be done by a certified lab, or by a water treatment professional that is educated in arsenic testing. Real estate transactions will need a water test performed by a certified lab to determine the arsenic levels. Determining the "valence" is difficult, even for a lab, and generally is not necessary as the treatment method will determine the proper water treatment method for removing both types of arsenic.

Arsenic Removal Methods 
There are two approaches to arsenic removal. POE (Point of Entry) which is whole house treatment or POU (Point of Use) treatment at a specific spot in the home. Usually at the kitchen sink.

1. Water Softener; In the presence of ferrous iron even a water softener will help remove some arsenic from the water supply. But this is not the recommended method for arsenic removal.  Typically only small amounts of AS-5 are removed with this process and the arsenic levels removed are very inconsistent.

2. Reverse Osmosis; Reverse osmosis systems can be an option for arsenic removal. These systems are typically only for POU (point of use) and have a dedicated faucet at the kitchen sink and can be tied into the refrigerator also. This is good for AS 5 removal and will need a separate AS 3 filter to assure all arsenic is removed. This would only be for drinking water, not the whole house.

Under sink POU reverse osmosis drinking water system.

3. Oxidation and Precipitation;  Fortunately AS 5 (arsenic five) has a strong affinity to bind to iron. So the most practical method of removing arsenic is with an oxidation/precipitation filtration system, With this method AS 3 is converted over to AS 5 and consequently, a much higher success rate of total arsenic removal is achieved.  This method can be accomplished by either "Air Induction" or "Chemical Injection".  In a residential home, depending on water chemistry, arsenic levels and water usage. Air Induction is the most practical approach.

Air Induction system

Chemical Injection system

4. Adsorption; There are also adsorption media that attract and hold the arsenic on the media. These type arsenic removal/reduction filtration systems generally have a specific amount of gallons that can be run through the media before it needs replacing.  This type of arsenic removal process usually has a "lead" and "lag" tank set up. The first or "lead" tank takes the brunt of arsenic removal. The second or "lag" tank is used as a polishing tank to assure arsenic is still being removed when the lead tank starts to become exhausted. The number of gallons able to run through the system, before replacing media,  is strictly dependent on the arsenic levels, which can fluctuate seasonally, and the amount of water used. This is referred to as the "load factor". Arsenic tests are performed from the sample ports annually. There should be three sample ports. before, middle and after the lag tank. When the lead tank becomes exhausted (arsenic starts to leak to lag tank) it is replaced with fresh media. The "Lag" tank is moved in front and the new tank becomes the polishing or "Lag" tank. To track water usage and get a better idea when tank changes should occur. There should always be a totalizing meter after the lag tank to record annual water usage. Tank replacement literally could be on a yearly basis for up to seven years, depending on the factors mentioned above.

Adsorption system with "Lead" and "Lag" tanks and sampling ports.

It is recommended to seek out a seasoned water treatment professional and water treatment company experienced with arsenic removal to assure you have the best and most practical water treatment solutions for your household. I hope this article has been helpful in answering some of your questions and concerns regarding arsenic and the options you and your family have to treat your water and be healthy and happy for years to come.  Yes, you can drink up with peace of mind!

Good Water, Good Life!

Ray McConnell

Beauchamp Water Treatment and Supply

872 N Old US 23 Brighton, MI 48114

810 632 200

www.beauchampwater.com

www.facebook.com/beauchampwater

Please see the links below for more information regarding the topics discussed in this article.

Arsenic in Ground Water USGS

Naturally Occurring Arsenic in Southeast Michigan Ground Water

DEQ Arsenic fact sheet / Michigan

The first Michigan family with arsenic poisoning.

CDC - Arsenic and Drinking Water from Private Wells 

Reverse Osmosis Drinking Water Systems


© All rights reserved. Beauchamp Water Treatment and Supply 2016
    Raymond McConnell

Blue water blues.

I have always been a "This Old House" fan.  I even recall watching the very first episode when Bob Vila hosted it.  It's pretty amazing, except for Bob Vila and current host Kevin, everyone has been with the show since the beginning.  They are always very professional and informative about their projects.  Now there is "Ask This Old House" to help homeowners with household repairs, projects, and problems that may be beyond what the homeowner can do. 

I was watching an episode with their plumber Rich.  A homeowner called in to say they had very blue water along with high copper levels in their water causing corrosion of their appliances and fixtures and asked if "Ask This Old House" could help solve the problem.   

   

This was an older home and indeed the copper levels were very high, as the homeowner had the water tested.  The family was fairly new to this home however so we don't know if this high copper issue had been an ongoing problem or something new.   Rich and Kevin were in the studio discussing this problem, possible causes, and probable solutions as they do at the beginning of the show.  The homeowner had an existing water softener in the home that was working fine.  After looking into a possible reason for the excessive copper issues, while at the customer's home.  Rich came to the conclusion the water softener was the cause of the problem and soft water was causing excessive corrosion of the copper plumbing. Hence the high copper levels.  

Being in the water treatment business for over thirty years I was stunned by his statement.  In reality, the exact opposite is the truth.  Part of the problem was, and I see this every day, people making, rushed, uninformed decisions before they do the proper research, water testing, or look for other possible causes of the problem.  As I've stated many times it is of utmost importance to listen to the homeowner, get their view of the water problems to help narrow down the problems, and find the proper solution.  In this particular instance, there are many possible causes for the excess copper causing "Blue Water" and 99% of them have nothing to do with the water softener or softened water.

Let's look at some of the possible causes of excess copper in the water and blue water:
1.  Excessively high water pressure - Water pressure in excess of 70 psi can cause corrosion of copper plumbing, particularly at plumbing elbows.
2.  Water heater temperature set too high - Excessively hot water will corrode copper plumbing.
3.  Improperly installed household ground - Corrosion of water heaters is a common problem when they are not grounded properly. This goes for every water heater whether it is electric, standard vent, or a power vent heater. Generally, they fail prematurely. This is generally related to faulty electrical system grounding. The electrical ground is broken across the dielectric unions on the water heater causing corrosion, leaking, and premature failure. Water heaters failing in 4-7 years when a water heater should last 10-15 years or more. 
4.  Bad household ground - If the home electrical system is not properly grounded this can cause many problems including corrosion of copper plumbing.
5.  Low PH water - PH levels below 6.5 are considered acidic and very corrosive to plumbing, fixtures,

and appliances. Ideal PH levels are between 6.5 - 8. To correct low PH levels calcite or soda ash is introduced into the incoming water supply to raise the PH to a neutral PH of 7.0 or higher.
6.  High TDS - "Total Dissolved Solids".  High TDS can be attributed to extremely hard water, high chlorides, or high sodium content in the water supply.  Typically water problems such as this would be associated with a private well supply.
7.  Excessive dissolved oxygen - High dissolved oxygen levels are extremely corrosive on all plumbing and can be very difficult to treat.  In private wells high dissolved oxygen levels occur frequently after snowmelt and heavy spring rains as the water tables rise, bringing high levels of dissolved oxygen in the water and underground aquifers.  Many community water supplies also treat their water by aerating the water, then filtering it to remove iron, arsenic, and other contaminants.  Creating high dissolved oxygen levels. 
8.  Occasionally, high levels of naturally occurring copper are present in private wells.
9.  Bacteria - Sulfate-reducing bacteria and Iron bacteria can be very corrosive to plumbing among other problems.
10.  Soft water corrosion -  So-called "soft water corrosion", is directly related to high total dissolved solids (TDS) as stated above and is caused by "Soft water" but high TDS corrosion due to chlorides or naturally occurring high sodium levels in the water supply. 
11.  Dielectric Union failure at the water heater inlet and or outlet. (See faulty electrical system ground).

12. Recirculation pumps on water heaters. This is a very common problem when recirculation pumps are installed and the temperature on the heater is left very high.

Dielectric Union Failure on Water Heater Inlet

Blue-Green Staining caused by copper corrosion

In the "Ask This Old House" episode it was discovered the water heater was actually the source of the problem.  "NOT" softened water.  Bad grounding and water temperature set too high on the water heater trying to compensate for a failing water heater were the root cause of the problem.  All the copper plumbing after the water heater was so pitted and corroded it had to be replaced.  They actually brought in a "Forensic Plumbing Expert".  Which I never knew existed.  To help diagnose the problem and suggest the proper solution.  I'm surprised Rich couldn't figure this out on his own.

Recently I had a call from a customer that moved into a new subdivision.  All of the homes in this development are plumbed in plastic PEX pipe.  The odd thing is that even with plastic Pex plumbing all the homes on their particular street have excessively high copper problems and extremely blue water that is corroding all the fixtures and ruining everything in the home. Including their, new, expensive custom tiled showers.  

This development is on a community well water supply and has "hard water" so water softeners are a necessity.  Very similar to what happened on the "Ask This Old House" episode many people were blaming the water problems on their water softeners.  That made absolutely no sense as there wasn't any copper plumbing after the water softener to corrode!  To make a long story, short.  The problem was occurring at the water meters (brass and copper).  Excessively high water pressure from the community well, (80+ psi), along with high dissolved oxygen levels from the community well filtration system to remove iron and arsenic, was causing corrosion of the water meters and leaching high copper levels into the water.  The solution?  Pressure regulators were installed before the water meters at every home and set at 60psi, which solved the corrosion problems and made everyone very happy. 

How did I help solve this problem for my customer and their neighbors?  I listen to my customers AND I watch, "Ask This Old House"!

After over thirty years in the water treatment business, I still learn something new every day!

Here are links relating to subjects discussed in this article:

PH and Water

Blue Green Staining

Colors and Smells in water

Copper Corrosion

Copper Toxicity

The Benefits of Soft Water


Good Water, Good Life!

Beauchamp Water Treatment Solutions
872 N Old US 23 Brighton, MI 48114
810 632 2000
www.beauchampwater.com



© All rights reserved. Beauchamp Water Treatment Solutions 2017
   Raymond McConnell

Get The Lead Out!

Unless you have been living under a rock for the past year, news about lead in municipal water supplies, particularly in Flint, MI, has been in the news almost on a daily basis. The lead and water issues with Flint's city water have touched off a debate about our water infrastructure that has been waiting to happen for a VERY long time. While speaking with a Detroit Water and Sewer employee, several years back, about some of these issues, he mentioned they still have some of the original water mains in Detroit that are actually hollowed-out logs from the very early days. Although I found that very interesting it pointed out, just like most of the infrastructure in the United States, the water delivery system is antiquated and needs to be replaced across the US.  The lead issue now in the forefront is just the tip of the iceberg to be quite frank.  Prior to 1989 most homes and buildings, with copper plumbing, have either lead core or a 50/50 lead and zinc mix of solder that was used to install the copper water lines.  So virtually every building, in that time frame, has the potential for lead contamination.  Many school systems have taken the pro-active approach and are testing for any lead content in plumbing systems throughout the school system.  Recently we had two school buildings in our area that tested positive for lead and one school had two drinking water fountains that tested positive so they are being re-plumbed and replaced.

How the Lead Gets In

This lead problem all came to light with the mishandling of the start-up of the mothballed Flint, MI water treatment plant. The city of Flint was so far in arrears with their water bill from the Detroit water authority their debt was being called in. So Flint decided it would be more advantageous and cost-effective to bring back to life their old water treatment plant that had been mothballed for nearly forty years, to save money.  They saved money alright, it just cost all the rest of us A LOT OF MONEY!  In hindsight the Flint water problem may have been what was really needed to bring attention to this problem, educate the public about it and get the discussion started to resolve these water distribution system issues across the country.

How do you know if your home has lead water mains coming into your house?  Actually, there is a very easy way to tell if you have a lead water main.  A magnet will not stick to a lead pipe but will stick to either galvanized or copper plumbing.  You will need to test the pipe that is coming directly out of the wall, from the street, at the water source. Lead contamination can come from several sources.  Obviously, the most common source is lead water mains coming into the home.  Lead contamination can also come from copper plumbing lines that were soldered with lead core solder. This was very common up until 1987 when they passed new lead laws. Plumbers then began using solder that was 50/50 lead and zinc.  Solder is now a mixture of Tin and Antimony 95/5 mix.

Many cities, like Lansing, MI, have taken a pro-active approach to this problem and began replacing their lead water lines ten years ago. It has been a pretty seamless transition, for Lansing, and they expect to have all the lead lines replaced by 2017.  Lead in drinking water is a very serious concern and needs to be addressed for the health of us all.  If you would like to have your water tested for lead contamination it is recommended to have it tested by a state-certified water lab.

Even if you have lead in your water there are many options to treat your home for lead removal and assure you have quality water for your family. If you suspect you have lead contamination in your plumbing the first thing you should do every morning is let the faucet run for several minutes to flush the waterline of elevated lead levels. This is the time when peak lead levels can occur after water is sitting in the plumbing lines all night causing lead to leach off into the water.  Simple replaceable carbon block filters can be used under sinks for the cold water feed to remove lead and whole house lead removal systems are also available to assure your family has safe drinking water along with lead-free water for washing and bathing. One of the many options for whole-house lead removal is KDF filter media.  This filter media uses a combination of copper and zinc and causes lead to plate out on the filter media holding it and the filter media would be replaced after a certain amount of gallons of water are passed through the media. This is dependent on the particular contaminant levels present.  KDF filter media has some very unique properties that also neutralizes chlorine in the water at the point of entry (POE) or for point of use (POU) such as for individual faucets.

NOTE: When looking for block carbon filters, or any carbon filtration,  always look for filters/carbon made in the USA. A lot of carbon is coming out of China now and the quality of the carbon is very bad. There have also been instances, with Chinese carbon, when the carbon was not rinsed properly after being acid washed and it was extremely acidic and highly corrosive! So buyer beware, this is an extreme health concern!

Below are some helpful links with important information related to your water and lead.

How to tell if your water line is lead

How to test for lead in your water.

EPA.GOV - Lead in drinking water

KDF Filter Media

CDC - Lead and Drinking Water

Healthy Child - How to filter lead from your tap water.

Inspectapedia - How to reduce lead in water.

What you need to know about water filters to remove lead

Pioneer whole house lead filtration system


Good Water, Good Life!

Beauchamp Water Treatment and Supply
872 N Old us 23 Brighton, MI 48114
810 632 2000
www.beauchampwater.com


 © All rights reserved. Beauchamp Water Treatment and Supply 2016
    Raymond McConnell