Where to get our water?

[damon]

I just read on cnn.com this morning that prescription drugs are being found in drinking water across the U.S. While not a total shock, it does leave me wondering where other mb practitioners get their water.

I used to buy spring and/or filtered drinking water (not distilled) from the store; however, after reading about the likelihood of those sources also being contaminated, I opted for my own personal filter and city water.

I've seen various waters sold in bulk at the health food store but they're quite expensive (eg, silver water @ $30/GAL).

For those living in the city, where do you get your water?

Damon

[Undul8r]

I use an Aqua Rain water filter. It contains 4 ceramic filters. Apparently you can filter water from a swimming pool or use it in the event of a nuclear fall out! I just fill it with tapwater and have great-tasting water with about 99.9% of heavy metals and toxins removed. Something like that....

[heavenlymist]

Growing up, my mother always distilled her own water- which took a long time and as a child I thought is was just terrible. I drink distilled water now, but dont take the time to distill my own. I buy it at Wal-mart. I can definately tell a difference in the taste. When I do drink the occasional tap water or other water the chemical taste is so apparent I usually can't take more than a few sips. I have often wondered- is this water truly distilled? Maybe I am just skeptical. Are there safeguards set in place to ensure that companies are selling true distilled water? Does anyone know if distilled water is any better than filtered water? I use tap water when cooking- I guess because the chemical taste doesn't hit me in the face like it does when drinking it. I suppose it is time to think about a filter or a distiller. This recent news about the drugs in the water is quite disturbing- of course if we had stopped to think about it it only makes sense. Hopefully it will catch the attention of those who have never thought twice about tap water due to all the government and Water Authority reports that ensure us it is safe.

[damon]

Thanks for the insights everyone.

As far as the Aqua Rain filter, that sounds pretty impressive! I'll have to look into it.

I just found this great discussion on distilled water. For me personally, I don't think it's the solution I'm looking for.

What other alternatives are people using?

Damon

[heavenlymist]

Thanks for the discussion link. There is so much information on here- I can't get to it fast enough. I am definately rethinking my water sources- am interested to see what other alternatives are out there as well.

[neon]

I remember reading in a Kushi book, about Ohsawa doing some tests and construction some home made system, that energized the water, like it would be energized in the free nature.
I was very interested about knowing more of this thing.
It was assembled from real rocks and other nature elements I think.
And the result water was high in energy (chi).
Does anyone heard about this too? I can't remember which book was it posted in.
Any more info?

[Klara]

In a permaculture class I'd taken we'd learned the same principle, tho I'm not sure I can give it over exactly. Basically it had to do with the way water naturally swirls (spirals) and the structure was like shallow plates (rocks) forming one above another, tho not necessarily in a straight fashion, (more like zig zag) so that the as the water fell down from one to the next, it became cleaner and cleaner. Don't know if it's due to air (oxygen) being added or something else. Perhaps a search on permaculture could add some light. My intuition tells me it's a similar principle that works with waterfalls, but I'm not an expert on it.

Sorry I don't have time to do the research right now, but perhaps next week I'll be seeing my permaculture teacher and I can ask her if there are any references on the web.

Klara

[neon]

Yeah, this is what was described in the book.. the rock plates. Thank you for remembering Klara ;-) and for the information about the permaculture that is using this technique too. I will try to find more info on the web too.

[azulparsnip]

We purchased a Waterwise distiller three years ago for around $300.00 and we distill 3-4 gallons a day.

[azulparsnip]

hmm, just read the distilled water link Damon posted. Wondering what we could add to the distilled water to help it....a couple kernels or rice , a drop or two of vinegar????? I'm gonna go drop in a couple kernels of rice right now.

[Bruce Paine]

Please wait till I get back from my work (just found this thread as I was about to go out the door to wash windows) and I have some things to say that might save many from worry or making drastic expensive decisions!

Thank you, very much.

Bruce Paine

[heavenlymist]

Just wanted to mention that I looked up the Aqua Rain filter on the internet. Much to my suprise - I realized that this is the same filter that my sister uses. She lives a ways from me- but when I do manage to visit- I can't get enough of her water! The water is always a little bit cooler than room temperature. Not sure if this has something to do with the filtration process or the metal container or something else. The website claims that the minerals are not filtered out of the water. I don't know enough about it to offer any statistics- only that it uses ceramic filters and tastes great! Am very curious to read what Bruce has to share.

[damon]

I too am quite interested in hearing what Bruce has to share!

Thanks,
Damon

[Bruce Paine]

I, too, am interested in what Bruce has to say!











Wait a minute, I'm Bruce!!!

[Bruce Paine]

First of all if we are regularly eating a dark miso soup made of organic one to two year old barley or brown rice miso, with wakame sea vegetable and dried shiitake mushroom plus a little finely chopped vegetables such as yellow onion, daikon and greens such as nappa cabbage or daikon greens, with our whole grains, beans/legumes, and temperate quality vegetables then one can easily discharge small amounts of chemicals one might be ingesting through the air (like smog and radiation) and from our water supplies!

Of course, when one is cooking with or drinking water that is untested and therefore suspect, then one needs to either consume water from pure sources like spring or artesian wells but since that is so difficult for so many of us (and anyone who is sensitive to chemicals should probably not be buying spring water that has been sitting in warehouses and store shelves encased in soft plastic!), one can consider a water purifier (filter) or in extreme cases, a water distiller.

Until we know exactly what chemicals are in the water and how much, we can't really determine what degree of purification by the consumer is needed.

The word is that though there are drugs and chemicals being processed by the wastewater plants that ozone is being used to nullify the effects of most of those contaminants before leaving those plants to be sent to our water supplies.

Though simple GAC (loose fill, granulated activated charcoal) and solid block carbon, can remove some contaminants, it is carbon units with KDF or copper-zinc (cu-zn), that remove much more of those contaminants.

Devices that do even a better job of removing or nullifying contaminants are those which include reverse osmosis, ultraviolet, and ozone.

And of course, the units that remove everything but the H2O are the distilling machines.

Our body processes sugars, salts, and flours that contain the vitamins and minerals that make them complete (and suffers when we eat those foods that are lacking those necessary ingredients!), and so it makes sense to me to drink water that contains some of the original minerals that comes with it, so except when doing chemistry work, doing power window washing, or under dire circumstances, I prefer water filters that removes much of the unnecessary contaminants but includes much of the necessary minerals, and that usually include carbon and redox purification devices.

When I buy bottled water, I prefer the alkaline brand that among the dissolved solids it contains 85mg Silica, 17mg Calcium, and 13 mg per liter.

My experience of silica is that it makes the water taste good, easier to drink and seems to "benefit the hair, skin, bones, teeth, connective tissue and nails".

Silica is a bi-product of percolating water through quartz contained in the lava beds of past active volcanoes!

One filter system that integrates GAC, KDF, and volcanic sand with other useful technologies and "effectively reduces chlorine, chloramines, trihalomethanes, pesticides, heavy metals, and foreign tastes and odors below detectable levels, Adds trace alkaline minerals which stabilize the pH of water, Increases solubility & transmissibility, allowing for better hydration, Inhibits the growth of bacteria & fungus, Conditions hard water naturally, without salt or chemicals", is the Wellness Water Filter being sold at Simply Natural the provider of our discussion site!

On a different discussion site, I am starting a compilation of most of the purification devices and water purification media.

Visit it if you need to know more about what's available than what you find at these sites!

Thank you, very much.

Bruce Paine