Manganese in Water Linked to Children's Health Concerns

According to the March 3 Time Magazine, children's drinking manganese in water has been linked to lower math scores, hyperactivity, impaired motor skills and some drops in intellectual function.  Although the article doesn't specify levels for concern, we suspect it is at higher levels that there is reason for concern..

This article from Environmental Health Perspectives provides more information. 

Kdf, the prime filter material used in most of the whole house and kitchen filters we sell, does filter manganese very well.

Fracking Documentaries

One of our readers, named Shira, sent some comments a few days ago, mostly focused on Hydrolic Fracturing (fracking).  She wrote this:

"Maude (Maude Barlow, as reported on our site) pointed out that "Right now 1.3 billion people do not have adequate access to good water." But they are not all in the Third World. Here in the USA, when people can ignite the water coming out of their faucets something is very, very wrong. The frackers who caused this horrendous situation most certainly are not going to fix it, especially since they generally deny having anything to do with the problem.

I would love to see you address fracking – to raise awareness  first of all, since many people have never even heard of it. You could post information about the documentaries, "Gasland," and "Unearthed: The FrackingFacade."  

As we said to Shira, it's our impression that our readers and customers are well aware of fracking and its implications.  However, you may not have seen these documentaries.  And below is a petition you can add your name to.

To sign a petition against fracking, see this site.

Thank you Shira,

By the way, another post on fracking on this blog can be seen listed in October 2013. 

Great Lakes Levels Low

The water level in the Great Lakes is the lowest ever recorded. 

The normal 13-year cycle for the levels of the Great Lakes and aquifers and small lakes in Wisconsin is seriously out of whack.  Water levels have been declining since 1998.

As friendsofwater.com has been saying since our founding eight years ago:  If you thought oil shortages were a big deal - wait for the water shortage.  It appears that day is near.

Is Drinking Water During or After a Meal Good for Digestion?

Ayurveda, the traditional health science of India, says that drinking water during meals 'put out the digestive fire (agni).'  A post on the Mayo Clinic site disagrees.  That short article follows.

"Does drinking water during or after a meal disturb digestion?

Answers from Michael F. Picco, M.D.

There's no concern that water will dilute the digestive juices or interfere with digestion. In fact, drinking water during or after a meal actually aids digestion. Water and other liquids help break down food so that your body can absorb the nutrients. Water also softens stools, which helps prevent constipation.

Looking for other ways to promote good digestion? Focus on a healthy lifestyle. Eat plenty of fruits, vegetables and whole grains. Maintain a healthy weight. Include physical activity in your daily routine."

The Mayo comments don't speak to the question of drinking ice water, which ayurveda recommends against.

To Select the Right Filter

What we need to know is if you need to filter fluoride out and if your municipality uses chlorine or chloramine as the disinfectant.

You can learn these things by searching for 'your town' Annual Water Quality Report on the internet.  Do they show fluoride in your water?  Do they list chloramine?  If not, it isn't there.  It really is that simple.

Then select the right filter for the water you have.  All of our kitchen and whole house filters will remove the hundreds of other contaminants that might be in your water.  Fluoride and chloramine are harder to remove and require specialized media.

Filter your water!

Manage Water for Actual Conditions!

It's time to acknowledge that we need to plan for actual water supply conditions, and stop treating shortages as exceptional events.

For some excellent perspective on Water Management, check out this page at WhollyH2o.

Central California Water System Has No Water to Share

It appears that the California State Water Project, a core portion of California's water system, will not have any water to provide either or farmers or cities this year due to the severe drought. This decision will be reviewed each month.  That heavy rainfalls will still come to mitigate the extremity of the situation is still a hope.  The next 3 months are seasons when significant rains can fall.

The announcement does not mean that communities will have no water this summer. But it does mean that What this means is that each region is mostly on its own now as regards water supplies.  Each area will need to use water from local reservoirs and wells.  This may force serious recycling efforts.

The biggest impact will be on the central valley's agriculture.  It is likely that hundreds of thousands of acres will go unplanted, which will have a strong negative impact on employment, food costs and the overall economy.

In the Bay area, the East Bay and Silicon receive 80 percent of their water each year from the State Water Project.  So they will experience the greatest impact..