.png)
So we made it through hurricane Irma. That was a rough one. Have you ever notice that whenever there is a big storm like this, they city puts out precautionary boil water notices? The reasoning behind this is that the city doesn’t actually know if the city water supply has been contaminated. They need to test the water before they can say it is safe to drink.
How could the city water have been contaminated?
There are many violent forces at work when a large storm passes. flood waters can seep into water lines, sub stations can be compromised, and power outages can make water unsafe.
How do power outages make water unsafe? Most drinking water is treated with chlorine or a similar chemical to kill harmful bacteria that may grow in the water between the treatment plant ad your home. These chemicals evaporate from the water. The further your home or business is from the water treatment facility, the more evaporation of these chemicals occurs. In many cases, the city has substations set up to add more chemicals into the water to keep it safe. But if thee substations loose power, they may not be putting the chemicals into the water creating a situation where bacteria can thrive in your water after it was treated by the city. Add to this the threat of flood water intrusion into those water lines, and you could have problems. This is why you almost always see boil water notices after these large storms.
But What If I Am On A Well?
Being on a well can be even more risky in a big storm like this, especially as our cities grow bigger. Wells usually tap into shallow aquifers under ground. When you have flood waters, those flood waters drain into those same aquifers. However, it is not just rain water that is draining into the aquifer. It is also all the pollutants that the storm picked up, as well as all the oil, pesticides, and other dirt that the flood water picked up once it reached the ground.
What Can I Do?
After any large storm that brings flooding or long power outages, have your water tested. Crystal Clear Water has several highly trained professionals that can test your water and make sure that it is safe for you and your family to use.
If you don’t want to wait for your water to be tested, you could get a whole house filtration system from Crystal Clear Water. Our systems can guarantee that you have clean, safe, great tasting water all year long. We can even install a holding tank that can make sure you have safe water to drink even if the city turns off the water, or a water main breaks leaving your neighborhood without water.
We are all grateful that Irma wasn’t as bad as they had forecast. Now that it is over, let’s get cleaned up, and get prepared for the next one.
