Is the water safe? (Madison: how much, dentist, kids)

[Southlander]

Originally Posted by RocketDawg

Just read an article on the Channel 48 site that said one temporary solution by the water authority is to use charcoal filters. There's a more permanent reverse osmosis solution also.

Refrigerator filters generally have activated charcoal in them, which implies that such water would be safe to drink. And I would venture to guess that most people have refrigerator filters (but some may be bypassed ... the filters are expensive ... in the $40-$50 range). Furthermore, many people have reverse osmosis systems on their kitchen sink which should do the trick also.

Did you miss where the East Lawrence-West Morgan Water Authority is building a $4 million treatment plant to deal with it?
I doubt a couple of charcoal filters will remove those chemicals.

[Southlander]

Originally Posted by writerwife

That's our water here.. it's terrible but as far as I'm concerned it's always been. The worst I've ever had. My freshly washed towels stink. We never drink it. We do use the fridge filter and it works pretty good. We received a notice in the mail a few weeks back.

What kind of detergent are you using?
I have a conventional washer and started having a problem with stinky towels and washclothes. I soaked in vinegar, washed in hot hot water, used bleach - nothing removed the stink.
Finally, I was on a forum about washing machines and things laundry, and someone mentioned that they only used powder detergent on their towels because it didn't make them stink.
I was using liquid.
Went back to powder - stink gone.

As for the water - we live not far from the Decatur water treatment plant and the worse thing we get is possibly too much chlorine if it has been particularly hot and dry. Other than that, the water is fine.
It's a long way from the Decatur water treatment plant to where you live. I'll bet the pipes serving your area have some problems somewhere along the way.

[NoleFanHSV]

Originally Posted by Lamar Bowman

I hear Madison water has toxic levels of fluoride. What truth is to that rumor that was circulating on here a couple years back?

The maximum set by the EPA is 4 ppm. Other health agencies recommend .7 to 1.2 ppm. Madison water should be able to provide an analysis.

[harry chickpea]

Some areas of the country have naturally high flouride levels. Oddly, one of the major side effect is that of teeth rotting. Flourine doesn't have to be added at a plant in those areas to be present in the water.

Liquid detergent - if it sits on store shelves too long, it can sour and stink on its own. Buying liquid detergent in large containers or stocking up during sales can be a problem as well. Enzymes are fairly good at removing some odors because they digest the organics that are the cause. Ivory Snow has enzymes, IIRC, and there are sprays. The important thing to remember though is that enzymes are temperature critical and will not work in cold or hot water, but work best around 80 degree water in a soak.

PFOAs - other than pregnant women and very small children, meh. If you overheat a teflon pan, you create a cloud of it, which is extremely toxic to birds, but much less so to the metabolisms of humans. The focus on it in water supplies may be good on general principles but the other routes of ingestion far outweigh that of water.

Carbon filters - activated carbon filters like Brita or Pur WILL reduce levels to far below that of any concern. There are plenty of reasons to consider an activated carbon post tap water polisher. (I don't consider granulated carbon a true filter due to the way a minor amount of water can flow through unaffected.) Refrigerator filters will work as well - as long as they are within the rated lifespan.

Bottled water - the whole handing out of bottled water is simply window dressing to show an attempt at being proactive for public safety. Having to shlep innumerable bottles of it over weeks makes it a self-extinguishing behavior for most people, minimizing long term costs of any such program. Ignore it.

[FTG-05]

Originally Posted by Lamar Bowman

I hear Madison water has toxic levels of fluoride. What truth is to that rumor that was circulating on here a couple years back?

Took less than one minute to find this: Water Quality Reports from Madison Utilities in Alabama Safe Drinking Water Report

And took about 5 minutes to determine that Madison water dept is not measuring any flouride levels anywhere near the limits of 4 MCLG or 4 MCL from 2011 through 2015, per their water quality reports.

[Becky2517]

I think if I/we am/are concerned (I am) about the water (and our Gov'nor apparently isn't, yay!) there are numerous solutions, from on the cheap Brita/Pur to whole house expensive...I might go ahead and get water delivery and rent a stand - I sincerely doubt there is any place in the US that can claim perfectly healthy water

I drink gallons of water every day, and use filtered water for coffee/tea, so delivery versus RO filter is something I need to research - RO wouldn't help the fridge water/ice

If anyone has any input about local water companies, I'd appreciate it

[writerwife]

Originally Posted by Southlander

What kind of detergent are you using?
I have a conventional washer and started having a problem with stinky towels and washclothes. I soaked in vinegar, washed in hot hot water, used bleach - nothing removed the stink.
Finally, I was on a forum about washing machines and things laundry, and someone mentioned that they only used powder detergent on their towels because it didn't make them stink.
I was using liquid.
Went back to powder - stink gone.

As for the water - we live not far from the Decatur water treatment plant and the worse thing we get is possibly too much chlorine if it has been particularly hot and dry. Other than that, the water is fine.
It's a long way from the Decatur water treatment plant to where you live. I'll bet the pipes serving your area have some problems somewhere along the way.

I have used both.. either way it does it. The towels smell fresh when they come out of the laundry and are dry.. but when they get damp you can smell it. It's actually not as bad as it was several yrs ago. My grown daughters are amazed if they're visiting and do laundry (towels in particular) and smell that smell.

Oh, the pipes are so old out this way.. often after a bad storm and the ground shakes there's plenty of sediment in the tap water it definitely has floaters, lol. I will say tho... in the past few yrs I have not noticed as much of that or the smell as it had been prior so all in all, I'd say there's been some improvement (aside from what's happening now).
Even the phone lines out here are so bad that 15 yrs ago when we had sat tv put in.. the land lines didn't have enough draw to be able to order ppv or such. We had to call in. The guy tested lines around here and said they were awful.
But, I find it all better than having no water or no phone.

[419]

Originally Posted by Becky2517

I think if I/we am/are concerned (I am) about the water (and our Gov'nor apparently isn't, yay!) there are numerous solutions, from on the cheap Brita/Pur to whole house expensive...I might go ahead and get water delivery and rent a stand - I sincerely doubt there is any place in the US that can claim perfectly healthy water

I drink gallons of water every day, and use filtered water for coffee/tea, so delivery versus RO filter is something I need to research - RO wouldn't help the fridge water/ice

If anyone has any input about local water companies, I'd appreciate it

Becky, I used to have Mountain Valley water, in 2.5 gallon glass bottles, delivered when I lived in Madison. It is a bit pricey, but probably the best water you can buy in this country. Glass is great because it doesn't leech chemicals into the water. You pay a deposit on the bottles at the beginning, and then set the empties out on delivery day. The company is located over by Bridge Street - Mountain Valley Spring Water - Crystal Mountain

I also used to supplement that water by filling the empty glass bottles with purified water over at Earth Fare. That removed the minerals, so it was nice to be able to mix it with the Mountain Valley water which has all the natural minerals and trace minerals.

If you prefer, you can install and undersink reverse osmosis purifier instead, but then you have to add back some minerals. I use a product called Elete Electrolytes, which really improves the taste of the RO water and makes it less acidic. If you go this route, get a high quality system with filters that are easy for you to replace.

There are a couple companies that sell high quality stainless steel gravity filters, which are very effective and don't require any installation. (Berkey is one of the better known gravity filter companies.) That can be a good and convenient choice.

Once last thing Becky, in your post you mention drinking gallons of water each day... I sincerely hope you mean that your family consumes that quantity of water daily and not just you. Too many people seem to be unaware that drinking too much water can be just as harmful as drinking too little. (Taken to an extreme, it can even be fatal!)

Too much water will cause the sodium levels in your blood to drop, which causes your cells to swell, which can cause all kinds of problems, especially when your brain cells swell as a result.

Check out this article if you're interested - The Serious Problem of Drinking Too Much Water to Athletes

[Dick Ellington]

Originally Posted by FTG-05

Took less than one minute to find this: Water Quality Reports from Madison Utilities in Alabama Safe Drinking Water Report

And took about 5 minutes to determine that Madison water dept is not measuring any flouride levels anywhere near the limits of 4 MCLG or 4 MCL from 2011 through 2015, per their water quality reports.

That is great to know! When Madison, as some perceived, had a problem with Fluoride in the water, the treatment plants were adding the max amount considered safe at 7 MCL. Good to hear Madison is in line with surrounding cities now!

[cooldiver]

Originally Posted by Dick Ellington

That is great to know! When Madison, as some perceived, had a problem with Fluoride in the water, the treatment plants were adding the max amount considered safe at 7 MCL. Good to hear Madison is in line with surrounding cities now!

Can you find a source for that 7 MCL level? I cannot.

A quick search reveals that Madison had 0.8 MCL in their water going back to 1962.

Madison Utilities board to vote tonight on lowering fluoride levels in city's drinking water | AL.com

And after all the fuss from Robin and Ben Gremillion back in 2012, the level was reduced to 0.7 MCL.

Madison Utilities board votes to keep fluoride in city's drinking water supply (updated) | AL.com

Madison water comes from wells, which IMO is preferable to treated water from the Tennessee River.

Madison City certainly has its faults and limitations, but providing toxic water is not one of those.

David